Treatment+in+the+Renaissance+Era

= Epilepsy During the Renaissance =

Popular Beliefs About Epilepsy During the Renaissance
(Alperstein) For a complete citation and a link to this web page, please visit our works cited page.
 * During the Renaissance, epileptics were regarded as prophets who could see into the past, present, or future while having a seizure.
 * People with epilepsy were regarded as intelligent because many famous figures had epilepsy, including Julius Cesar and Petrarch.
 * Epilepsy was called the "falling disease." It was generally thought that seizures occurred when demons or spirits entered the body.
 * Epilepsy was regarded as a horrible disease.

Treatment of Epilepsy During the Renaissance
(Therapy from the Renaissance to the Present) For a complete citation and a link to the web page, please visit our works cited page. back to the original
 * Copper, zinc oxide, silver nitrate, mercury, bismuth, and tin were all used during this period to treat epilepsy.
 * Secretions from the scent glands of beaver, called castor, were ingested to treat epilepsy.
 * Ingesting scrapings from a human scull for several months was thought to treat epilepsy. Men had to have scrapings from a female scull and women from a male scull.
 * Ingesting mugwort (artemisia vulgaris)
 * Ingesting absinth made from parts of the mugwort plant
 * It was later found that none of these cures were effective against epilepsy.