This is the text version of a TV documentary found at the BBC web
site.
Prisoners of the Forgotten Plague
9.30pm BBC 1 Wednesday, 29th July
QED tells the story of a mysterious and terrifying illness named
encephalitis lethargica which swept the world in the 1920s. This
disease affected up to 5 million people killing one third of it's
victims and devasted the lives of hundreds of thousands more.
Survivors were often left trapped inside bodies they could no longer
control. Seventy years later, its cause still unknown, the disease is
still one of the century's greatest medical mysteries.
It was first reported in Vienna towards the end of the first world
war. Many victims fell into a deep sleep, leading to its popular name
the sleepy sickness but others became hyperexcitable, manic or
displayed strange compulsive behaviours. Some experienced frightening
hallucinations or became violent. Doctors at the time were baffled.
The epidemic raged for 10 years, and then in 1928 the disease suddenly
vanished as mysteriously as it had first appeared. Some doctors
believe another epidemic will return in the future.
Large numbers of children were struck down by the disease. QED follows
the story of Philip Leather who was infected in the 1920s. When Philip
last spoke, over ten years ago, he thought he was still 12 years old.
As a child he was seen as being on the brink of genius; he was able to
play the piano by ear at age 3. But he never fulfilled his potential,
as he fell victim to encephalitis lethargica. At 13 he was admitted to
hospital and never returned home. For the last 64 years he has lived
in limbo in a series of hospital wards.
In the 1960s neurologist Oliver Sacks started working in a hospital
unit full of strange, seemingly frozen patients. They were all
survivors of the disease. Sacks knew that the virus had damaged the
part of their brain which regulates movement but was convinced they
were mentally intact. As a last resort he tried them on a
revolutionary new drug called L-Dopa and amazingly they returned to
life.
External Links:
- Anne Hunsaker Hawkins-Oliver
- Spanish Influenza 1918 Pandemic
- Dr Oliver Sacks - Awakenings
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Dr Oliver Sacks believes encephalitis lethargica may have inspired the
myths of Sleeping Beauty and Rip Van Winkle. He also believes that
there is a history of other smaller epidemics of this disease
occurring over the last 500 years. If the 1920s epidemic was not a
unique episode in history then it is likely it will return again.
Professor John Oxford, a virologist at the Royal London Hospital,
discovered a small room crammed with boxes containing tissue taken
from the organs of people who have died there. The collection goes
back to the turn of the century and amongst them were eight samples of
preserved brain tissue from victims of encephalitis lethargica. He
hopes, with the latest techniques used in virology to unlock these
seventy year old secrets and find whatever pathogen caused this
disease.
A popular theory is that encephalitis lethargica was caused by a very
unusual and deadly strain of 'flu' virus called Spanish flu which
swept the globe in 1918 killing 40 million people. Professor Oxford
has tested his samples for the presence of this particular virus. The
results are negative but he plans to repeat the experiment and widen
his search to include more viruses.
Like Dr Sacks, he is concerned that his fellow doctors are made aware
that encephalitis lethargica is not just a historical disease.
Rebecca Howells, 28, is a recent victim. It began with bizarre
hallucinations but rapidly worsened, for a long time Rebecca lay
twitching and writhing in a strange coma. A team of neurologists led
by Dr Stavia Blunt from London's Charing Cross hospital diagnosed her
as having encephalitis lethargica and treated her with steroids.
Rebecca has made a complete recovery. These occasional cases have been
reported ever since the 50's but their signifigance is not clear and
it is not known if they are caused by the same pathogen as the
original epidemic. Encephalitis lethargica is proving as mysterious
today as it did back in the 1920's.
For more information:
Further Reading:- Awakenings by Oliver Sacks
peace
Alastair ( [log in to unmask] )
