A century ago, people all over the world experienced uncontrollable sleep due to a mysterious illness called “sleeping sickness.” The illness, which emerged in northern France in 1916, caused people to fall into a deep, prolonged sleep rather than just feel tired.
Epidemics of the disease spread throughout India, Central and North America, and Europe. Infected individuals often fell into a deep sleep, waking up after a few weeks or months. Tragically, 30-40% of infected individuals died from the sleep-related illness, primarily respiratory failure.
By 1930, the epidemic had almost completely subsided, but no one is sure what the specific cause was, how it was transmitted, or whether the disease would return today.
by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeEncephalitis is a rare disease of unknown cause, but researchers believe it may be caused by a virus. Encephalitis (then called “sleeping sickness”) occurred in major epidemics between 1916 and 1930, but has not been reported to recur since.
Some cases of encephalitis lethargica develop Parkinson’s disease after recovery, sometimes up to a year after the onset of the disease. Treatment of encephalitis lethargica may include levodopa or Parkinson’s medication, depending on the patient’s symptoms. The progression of the disease depends on the comorbidities and other diseases the patient is suffering from.
In a magazine article Scientific AmericanEleanor Carey, a young woman living in New York, described the illness as “like being buried in a hole as deep as the center of the earth.”
“After two months of fighting the disease, I was barely in pain. In fact, I was very comfortable unless the doctors were poking me, standing me upside down, flipping me over in bed or waking me up by splashing cold water on my face,” she said.
“I would have been so happy just to be allowed to sleep, but those around me seemed determined to deny me my comfort. When, while I was asleep, the thought entered my mind that I had to get up, it seemed physically impossible. I wanted to obey, but I just couldn’t.”
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