Jeopardy question tonight

[Heavy Kevy]

First question!
IN “JULIUS CAESAR”, SHAKESPEARE MENTIONS “FALLING SICKNESS “, THIS DISORDER CHARACTERIZED BY SEIZURES

 

[Bernard]

Apparently "Falling Sickness" used to be a common term:

The Falling Sickness: A History of Epilepsy From the Greeks to the Beginnings of Modern Neurology

Originally published in 1945, Temkin's history of epilepsy has been the definitive work on the subject. It not only gave a detailed historical account of the disease with great erudition, but it also cast light on the entire history of medicine. Indeed, when we investigate one aspect thoroughly...

jamanetwork.com

Humans have long suffered from epilepsy, the neurological disorder hallmarked by sudden seizures. Medical historian Howard Markel discusses the condition's names through the millenia, from the "sacred disease" of ancient texts to its description as "the falling sickness" in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
...

More:

https://www.npr.org/2011/09/30/140954025/science-diction-the-origin-of-the-word-epilepsy

 

[Heavy Kevy]

Thanks for the reply. I’m going to find the book you linked. It looks very interesting and thought provoking.

 

[Heavy Kevy]

I just looked at some reviews and it certainly looks interesting. I did need to use “look up” for some of the words in the reviews. I’m curious/concerned about how difficult it will be to read.