Dostoevsky's epilepsy: a case report and comparison.

The Russian writer Dostoevsky (1821-1881) suffered from a rare form of temporal lobe epilepsy termed "ecstatic epilepsy." Dostoevsky used his epileptic experiences to create Prince Myshkin, the protagonist of The Idiot. The recent case of a patient who experienced ecstatic epilepsy as a result of a temporal lobe brain tumor is presented and compared with that of Prince Myshkin. Reading Dostoevsky can give the contemporary physician an insight into the inner life of an epileptic patient--an example of how art can directly benefit medical practice.