Epilepsy and Persian Culture: An Overview

Abstract

This article reviews the manner in which Persian culture viewed the problem of epilepsy. Beginning with the Avesta, the earliest Persian text on health and sickness, the medical literature on treatments of epilepsy common in Iran are reviewed. The article also explores popular Persian concepts that try to explain the causes of the morbus sacer.

Possession by ‘Jinn’ as a cause of epilepsy (Saraa): A study from Saudi Arabia

“…During this period, scholars from different ethnic and religious backgrounds worked together under Islamic government and laid the foundations of many of the more recent developments in science. [9][10][11][12] The scholars of this time gained access to Greek medical knowledge. Renowned scientific scholars like Al Razi (Rhazes 850-923) and Ibn Sinaa (Avicenna 980-1036) adopted the Galenic postulate on epilepsy as a disease of the brain caused by abnormally viscous humor.…”

Public awareness and attitudes towards epilepsy in Tehran, Iran

“…that refers to a sickness called epilepsy. In this document, God tells Zoroaster that people suffering from epilepsy are prohibited from offering sacrifices (2). …”

“…An interesting possibility of a lower level of stigma would be in Muslim cultures, where the Koran clearly states that people suffering from different types of disorders should be treated with respect because their fate might be attributed to the will of Allah rather than personal weaknesses or sinful behaviour. According to Vanzan and Paladin, the Koran and Mohammed's sayings ‘do not contain any explicit references to epilepsy’; other texts by Mohammed's followers have no mention of epilepsy as a sickness caused by demons (2). …”

The antiepileptic Materia Medica of Pediacus Dioscorides

“…Avicenna was aware that the ancient Greeks believed that the inhalation of peony flower fumes help control epilepsy and, following Galen, commended the wearing of amulets containing the root of this plant. 12 He also resurrected the Dioscoridean recommendation of having the epilepsy sufferer wear on an arm the two stones from a young swallow's stomach. However, one of these stones was multicoloured, the other of a single colour.…”