For more than 300 years - from approx. 1520 to 1850 - Raphael's "Transfiguration" [see episode "Epilepsy in the Bible (II) of this series] was deemed the "world's most famous paint ... mer

For more than 300 years - from approx. 1520 to 1850 - Raphael's "Transfiguration" [see episode "Epilepsy in the Bible (II) of this series] was deemed the "world's most famous paint ... mer

For more than 300 years - from approx. 1520 to 1850 - Raphael's "Transfiguration" [see episode "Epilepsy in the Bible (II) of this series] was deemed the "world's most famous paint ... mer

A chronic disease can have a drastic impact on the life path of an individual – especially when medication does not succeed in satisfactorily controlling the condition and/or eliminating or at lea ... mer

“Sea horse and Almond“ by the American academic and artist Janet Yagoda ShagamThe 'hippocampus' of the human brain lies (in pairs) in the two temporal lobes of the cerebrum. It is important for ... mer

The picture was created approx. in 1965 by an unkown patient in his painting therapy. The painter shows the whole problem of his disease, paying homage to Vincent van Gogh (who also suffered from ... mer

The pioneer probe was launched on 2 March 1972 in order to explore the outer planets and then to leave the solar system with a message on board. It took over 300 pictures of Jupiter, which was 130, ... mer

Bon mot in passingThe information disk of Pioneer 10 caused quite a furore in puritanical, repressed American society, reaching strange proportions in some cases:In newspapers readers’ letters we ... mer

The cosmic messages of greeting on the Jupiter probes Pioneer 10 and 11 launched in 1972 and on the two "Voyager" space crafts which have now been launched will definitely not be read in t ... mer

“Desitin for Pioneer“ by Petrus Wandrey Acrylic on canvas, 200 cm x 196 cm created in August 2003 on behalf of Desitin Arzneimittel GmbHThe Hamburg artist Petrus Wandrey instigated the launch o ... mer

The power of the DeityIntroduction:In all epochs of the history of the human race, poverty, misfortune, illness and suffering are frequently connected with higher powers, divine entities, personal ... mer

The power of the DeityIntroduction:In all epochs of the history of the human race, poverty, misfortune, illness and suffering are frequently connected with higher powers, divine entities, personal ... mer

The power of the DeityIntroduction:In all epochs of the history of the human race, poverty, misfortune, illness and suffering are frequently connected with higher powers, divine entities, personal ... mer

The power of the DeityIntroduction:In all epochs of the history of the human race, poverty, misfortune, illness and suffering are frequently connected with higher powers, divine entities, personal ... mer

Bodo Wentz: Falling SicknessEpilepsy is a disease that, apart from causing medical problems, can also greatly influence, and even shape, the family, professional, leisure and social lives of the ep ... mer

The fresco shown here originates from the Carolingian period (c. 9th century) and is found in the chapel of St. Sylvester in Goldbach near Überlingen am BodenseeIn the New Testament of the Bible, ... mer

Approximately half a century earlier, Hieronymus Bosch created his work, "The Stonecutting", which is also displayed in the Prado and which presents a comparable theme. Despite the title, ... mer

Quack surgeons also became a topic in the representational arts. The great Arabic physician Rhazes (c. 850-930) had already noted: "Some of the miracle healers claim to cure epilepsy and they ... mer

Surgical treatment of epilepsy is not a discovery of the 19th or 20th century. Already in ancient times and in subsequent centuries, trepanation was carried out in order to eliminate or alleviate e ... mer

Time and again, these characters have inspired artists in the creation of illustrative works. A pencil drawing by the German-American artist Fritz Eichenberg (1901 – 1990) for example is based on ... mer

Six novels or narratives of the Russian epileptic author Fjodor Michailowitsch Dostojewskij contain fictitious people who - like their creator himself - suffer from epileptic seizures: Old Murin in ... mer

Epileptic events are remarkably frequent subjects not only of the visual arts, but also in narrative literature. The so-called grand mal fit (tonic clonic seizure) in particular has inspired poets ... mer

Epileptic events are remarkably frequent subjects not only of the visual arts, but also in narrative literature. The so-called grand mal fit (tonic clonic seizure) in particular has inspired poets ... mer

Epileptic events are remarkably frequent subjects not only of the visual arts, but also in narrative literature. The so-called grand mal fit (tonic clonic seizure) in particular has inspired poets ... mer

While the theme of epilepsy is encountered only rarely in the non-medical literature of antiquity, mediaeval times and the start of our era, over the past one and a half centuries one nevertheless ... mer

Shakespeare also used the theme of epilepsy at the threshold of the modern era; the best known being the description of the epileptic fit of the protagonist in the drama Julius Caesar (1599). Less ... mer

In the ancient literature, not only in Aeschylus, but, for example, also in Plautus, in his comedy The Prisoners (from 200 BC) we come across grand mal epilepsy brought into connection with frenzy, ... mer

The description and interpretation of suffering in the form of pain, illness and disability have an important role in the aesthetic literature of numerous cultural-historical epochs.This aspect of ... mer

The picture shows 5 figures:  in the centre Christ (with halo adorned with a cross), nearby on the left an unidentified disciple (with simple halo), on the right two men, each pointing at Chri ... mer

It is a very special stroke of luck, that the painted ceiling of St Martin’s Church in Zillis, (Switzerland, Graubünden Canton) has been preserved for posterity.  The 153 square pinewood pa ... mer

In the Gospels: Matthew, Chapter 17 (verse 1 ff.); Mark Chapter 9 (verse 2 ff.) and likewise Luke, Chapter 9 (verse 28 ff.), the Transfiguration of Christ is described. All three evangelists mentio ... mer

In the Gospels: Matthew, Chapter 17 (verse 1 ff.); Mark Chapter 9 (verse 2 ff.) and likewise Luke, Chapter 9 (verse 28 ff.), the Transfiguration of Christ is described. All three evangelists mention ... mer

"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water." With these words, which can be read in Chapte ... mer

The expressiveness of a work of art in no way has to depend always on many years of experience, on the ability to penetrate mentally to the heart of the matter, or on the craftsmanship of the artis ... mer

One of the significant advantages of modern medical documentation is that, with the aid of film technology, it is possible to record a sequence of movements precisely and to replay it often in a us ... mer

Although during the Middle Ages there was a great lack of clarity concerning the cause of the "falling sickness" and its organic origin, with fanciful ideas sometimes prevailing, it was h ... mer

In addition to the best known and most important patron saint for epilepsy during the Christian Middle Ages, St Valentine (see the parts (Patron saint for epilepsy I-III of this series), numerous o ... mer

Leopold Hafner, 2nd half of the 20th century, well in the courtyard of Passau Cathedral. (Especially noteworthy: extended arms, tonically stretched legs ['generalised tonic seizure], open eyes. ... mer

Johann Philipp Ruckerpauer, 1st half of the 18th century, detail from the picture of the main altar of St Valentine’s Church in Braunau-Haselbach (A). (Especially noteworthy: impacted left thumb, ... mer

Unknown artist, 18th century, Röhrnbach, Bayern. (Especially noteworthy: Flaccidity of the whole body [atonic seizure], eyes rolling upwards, clothes lacking)In this instalment, details from five ... mer

Pflock Altar, Annaberg (Erzgebirge), unknown artist, around 1520. (Especially noteworthy: tonic cramping of the left hand, squinting of the eyes, cyanosis of the lips, hypersalivation, red clothing ... mer

Mainfränkisches Museum Würzburg, unknown Swabian artist, 16th century (Especially noteworthy: tonic stretching of the arms, hint of cyanosis of the lips, striking black-yellow colouration of the ... mer

Not infrequently, the colour of the clothing also provides an interesting aspect: it is often red or yellow. Such "signal colours" are directed against demons, thus they should protect th ... mer

From a medical viewpoint, the variety of ways in which the symptoms of epilepsy are shown is astonishing. It is possible to different between "grand mal" and "petit mal", tonic a ... mer

Iconographic representations of Saint Valentine with his attribute, epilepsy, are frequently encountered above all in southern Germany, eastern Switzerland, Austria and Italy. The attention of the ... mer

The picture of the Rufach pilgrimage (a woodcut produced around 1480) shows Saint Valentine in the regalia of a bishop. He is making a sign of blessing over two individuals, who – it may be assum ... mer

The most important "epilepsy specialist" from this group of 40 patrons was (at least in German-speaking areas) Saint Valentine – probably (as has already been stated in the instalment & ... mer

In the Christian Middle Ages, the treatment of illness and disability was not by any means exhausted with the administration of (usually herbal) remedies and other medical measures (e.g. dietetics) ... mer

The statement, which members of the Epilepsy Foundation of America had attached beneath a masterful oil painting by Vincent van Gogh, also an epileptic, - "If you think epilepsy stands in the ... mer

According to his autobiographical records, von Bodes' focal onset seizures began at the age of 9, lead to the termination of public schooling, repeatedly interrupted studies and professional activi ... mer

Without Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929), the famous art historian, museum specialist and teacher as well as author of significant art reference books, the current museum landscape would be inconceivab ... mer

The pictures that we have of Dostoyevsky, photographs as well as artistic portrayals, as a rule show a very serious man, with whose mostly shaded eyes are often directed into an undefined distance ... mer

There are few artistic portrayals of Dostoyevsky made in his lifetime. Nevertheless, there are some photographs of him, which served more than a few artists as a model in later years. (This is prob ... mer

The pictures that we have of Dostoyevsky, photographs as well as artistic portrayals, as a rule show a very serious man, with whose mostly shaded eyes are often directed into an undefined distance ... mer

Among the ranks of famous epileptics, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821 – 1880) is probably the best known. This position is due to him on the one hand because of his significant as one of th ... mer

In the hospital in Arles, in southern France, an important diagnosis is contained in the medical records of "van Gogh, Vincent": "intellectual petit mal". This description of the ... mer

In the hospital in Arles, in southern France, an important diagnosis is contained in the medical records of "van Gogh, Vincent": "intellectual petit mal". This description of the ... mer

One of the most famous French psychiatrists and specialists in epilepsy in the second half of the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Gélineau, and his colleague and contemporary, the Italian forensic doc ... mer

The are numerous contemporary artistic portrayals of Flaubert, one of the best known being by Eugène Giraud (1806 – 1881); the painter's preference for caricaturized representations that can alr ... mer

"Alors il poussait une plainte dont l’accent déchirant vibre encore dans mon oreille, et la convulsion le soulevait." ("Then he let out a cry of complaint, the heart-rending sound ... mer

As also does, for example, an unsigned picture on the same theme in the church at Brou Monastery (Bourg-en-Bresse, France). ... mer

Also in the famous picture of the conversion by Caravaggio (in the Maria del Popolo church in Rome, painted around 1600), the bodily position of Saul lying on the ground suggests the tonic phase of ... mer

Also in the picture by Michelangelo ("The Conversion of Paul", Vatican, Rome, painted between 1542 and 1545), Saul/Paul has fallen off a horse and now lies helpless on the ground, while a ... mer

The list of famous epileptics is not so short - it ranges from Balaam, the prophetic seer of the Old Testament (c. 1250 BC), through Caesar and Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles (at around the turn ... mer

Applied to the theme of "Brain – Epilepsy", this could have the following meaning (where each panel could represent one of the cerebral hemispheres): One site of each panel presents the ... mer

The artistic work of E.-J. Speckmann (a contemporary, renowned researcher in the field of epilepsy!) presented here considers these processes within the brain, with the following interpretation seem ... mer

The "normal" undisturbed function of the brain is associated with a rapid interplay of excitation and inhibition of the nerve cells. This seeming chaos of constant changes in activity is s ... mer

A totally specific way in which to present the social situation of an epileptic has been chosen by the young American artist Jessica Merrell.(J. Merrell, born in 1983, received her artistic trainin ... mer

In the cycle "Seahorse" of this artistic series, we already encountered the contemporary American scientist (microbiologist) and artist Janet Yagoda Shagam (see also www.Art505.com).Now M ... mer

That's me. One like you. But my life has a little crack. It runs through my head. I'm a little sad and sometimes also a little resigned - you see the crack more than you see my face. But don't you t ... mer

The fallen one has been lying there for quite some time - time enough for someone to have fetched a blanket. His face is not visible. People standing around - unagitated, rather helpless and at a lo ... mer

Today's artists also deal with the epilepsy motif (see the episodes 'Epilepsy and Art in 2007' of this series) - e.g. the renowned painter, sculptor and author Jan Peter Tripp, born in Oberstdorf (All ... mer