De geschiedenis van epilepsie in het Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde

- Epilepsy has always been a mysterious condition. Between 1857-2002 the Dutch Journal of Medicine has devoted countless articles to this condition. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century epilepsy was associated with a variety of psychological disorders and a high rate of inheritability. Many theories as to its causes were advanced. During the last century the development of new diagnostic techniques led to rapid changes in reasoning. The development of electro-encephalography had a particularly big effect. It quickly became possible to distinguish different types of epilepsy according to their causes and clinical manifestations. Epilepsy could also be distinguished from other conditions better than previously. Types of treatment varied according to the current opinion on its causes. In most patients the best results are obtained through drug treatment; for a few, surgery is necessary.