The Falling Sickness: A History of Epilepsy from the Greeks to the Beginnings of Modern Neurology (Softshell Books) [Paperback]

Owsei Temkin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994 | Series: Softshell Books

Owsei Temkin presents the history of epilepsy in Western civilization from ancient times to the beginnings of modern neurology. First published in 1945 and thoroughly revised in 1971, this classic work by one of the history of medicine's most eminent scholars now returns to print in a new softcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A JAMA reviewer hailed the 1945 first edition of The Falling Sickness as a reference work with 'no historical rival' which 'occupies a seperate shelf in the reviewer's Library of Fame.' A revised second edition, published in 1971, increased the bibliography from a hefty 706 references to a weighty 1120. The number of footnotes, many in French, Latin, or Greek, multiplied from 1721 to 2073! The review of the second edition deemed Tempkin's intensely researched and well-organized historical work 'magnificient'... [The 1994 publication is] a facinating study of the history of one of the world's most intriguing maladies.

(Andrew N. WilnerM.D Journal of the American Medical Association )

The definitive account... Detailed, meticulous, and accurate... A thoroughly admirable and informative introduction to our knowledge of epilepsy in the Western world from antiquity to the early twentieth century.

(American Scientist )

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 2 Revised edition (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801848490
• ISBN-13: 978-0801848490
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Epilepsy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A necessary account, a necessity for action, September 28, 2008

By 

M.I. "migoe" (Newcastle, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Falling Sickness: A History of Epilepsy from the Greeks to the Beginnings of Modern Neurology (Softshell Books) (Paperback)

I've had epilepsy now for over 45 years. It caused, despite high qualifications, loss of marriage, career and home.
It isn't the duty of a medical researcher to effect social change. He provides fact, not superstition. It's for the activist to do just this: agitate, endlessly, for change. Use this work as source material for the cause, not as a substitute for action of your own.
Ask: why is this subject so rarely mentioned? Is it shameful, embarrassing? Why should it, any more than migraine? There's only one response: agitate,day by day. I did, and do, just that here in the UK. I had a deliberately ambiguous badge made, and wear it still in the open: Fit for Life with Epilepsy. This is 'in your face' agitation. It's necessary. How else do you counteract millennia of stupidity and prejudice? Only one person, signicantly, has complained about the badge: the representative of a major epilepsy charity! The complaint was rejected, three times. I still wear the badge. I'm part of society, reject us as it will, and I want society to see so. I'm here, whether they like it or not.

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timid Author With a Powerful Story, November 22, 2001

By 

Robert O. DeVries (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Falling Sickness: A History of Epilepsy from the Greeks to the Beginnings of Modern Neurology (Softshell Books) (Paperback)

From the viewpoint of the disability activist, the only major work on the history of epilepsy should be a civil rights book about the mistreatment of a minority group since ancient times. Dr Temkin will only admit that people with epilepsy have always been "objects of horror and disgust". Beyond that point his book is 2500 years of intellectual history, too much of it elaborate details of long discredited theories. Yet the author's research is so outstanding and his bibliography of 1120 books and articles so complete that anything less than a 5 star rating would be improper. Dr Temkin deserves special credit for uncovering Richard Caton's 1875 article "The Electric Discharges of the Brain". In 2001 the Medieval Madness Syndrome continues of people with epilepsy being rejected by family, friends, and employers because they have a "deliberately chosen illness". Our timid author declines to ask how this could be true 126 years after the actual cause of epilepsy was discovered. But his research demands an answer to that question.

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant Writing and Intelligent Analysis, December 14, 2011

By 

T. Tracy "T.Tracy" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Falling Sickness: A History of Epilepsy from the Greeks to the Beginnings of Modern Neurology (Softshell Books) (Paperback)

This is the first book I read about epilepsy. I am epileptic and I studied history. I couldn't take the medical texts because I was living them through my several appointments and tests at the hospital. But this lyrical and thoughtful and factual exposition on epilepsy was the most comforting piece of writing I have read concerning epilepsy. I've had it on my book-shelf for 20 years and I go back to its well-worn pages often. I should have written this review long, long ago. Thank you Mr or Dr Temkin.

Regards,

Terry Tracy