Julius Caesar's Disease

Book excerpt: DIVIn this groundbreaking study, two medical historians present a provocative new diagnosis of the ailment that famously afflicted Julius Caesar. It is generally accepted as a historical fact that Julius Caesar suffered from epilepsy, an illness which in classical times was sometimes associated with divinely bestowed genius. The ancient sources describe several episodes when, sometimes at critical junctures, one of the most accomplished military commanders in history was incapacitated by a condition referred to as morbus comitialis. But does the evidence of his illness really suggest a diagnosis of epilepsy? And if it was not epilepsy that afflicted Caesar, what was it? These are the questions that doctors Francesco M. Galassi and Hutan Ashrafian seek to answer by applying modern medical knowledge to the symptoms and circumstances described by primary source documents—including statements made by Caesar himself. The result is a fascinating piece of historical-pathological detective work that challenges received wisdom about one of the most famous men of all time.“/DIV>