- NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Migraine-related hallucinations may have inspired
the surreal, imaginary world of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland,'' according to researchers.
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- New evidence supports "the thesis
that at least some of Alice's adventures were based on Carroll's personal
migraine aura perceptions,'' according to Dr. Klaus Podoll of the University
of Technology in Aschen and co-author Derek Robinson of Cox Green, in England.
Their findings were published last Saturday in The Lancet.
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- Carroll first noted the appearance of
migraine hallucinations in an 1885 diary entry, where he wrote that he
had "experienced, for the second time, that odd optical affection
of seeing moving fortifications, followed by a headache.'' Because this
phenomenon appears to have only happened once before, and because the 'Alice'
books were published in 1864-1865, most experts had discounted the theory
that the works were based on the often bizarre 'dreamscapes' of migraine
hallucinations.
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- However, Podoll and Robinson believe
they have found "two pieces of evidence'' that might change experts'
views.
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- They first cite a sketch produced by
Carroll sometime between 1855-1862. The sketch is dominated by an elf-like
figure " meticulously drawn except for the fact that that he is missing
the right side of his face, as well as portions of his right shoulder,
wrist and hand.
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- This odd omission appears to suggest
a "rounded border defect... similar to that seen in a negative scotoma,''
according to the researchers. Negative scotomas, where patients cannot
see objects that fall on certain parts of the retina, can occur in migraine
auras.
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- The second piece of evidence involves
a diary entry from January 1856, when Carroll wrote, "Consulted Mr.
Bowman, the oculist, about my right eye: he does not seem to think anything
can be done to remedy it, but recommends me not to read long at a time....''
Podoll and Robinson speculate that the author consulted Bowman to find
a cause and treatment for the negative scotoma that produced the defective
drawing.
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- Both the drawing and the diary entry
suggest that Carroll experienced migraine hallucinations (probably without
accompanying headache) in the years leading up to his creation of "Alice's
Adventures Underground'' and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.''
The recurrence of increasingly familiar hallucinations over time might
"explain the otherwise inexplicable similarities between the experiences
described in the two Alice books,'' the researchers conclude.
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- SOURCE: The Lancet 1999;353:1366.
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- COMMENT
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- From Frances Fontaine 4-24-99
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- As far as I know this "migraine
hallucination" "theory" is pure 100% BS or a myth. I've
had migraines all of my life and know several other migraine sufferers
and never once have I had an hallucination associated with a migraine,
nor has anyone else amongst my family and friends who suffer migraines,
so far as I know.
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- From Kim Green
- 4-24-99
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- You can add my comment in support of
the article regarding migraine hallucinations being the possible source
of Lewis Carroll's surreal works. I have personally experienced similar
symptoms, including the scotomas, and also geometric patterns floating
in front of my eyes, as well as seeing distorted figures during an aura.
Like Lewis Carroll's admittedly posthumously diagnosed condition, I usually
(but not always) have the aura of a migraine, without pain, therefore,
I have been diagnosed with the "acephalgic" type. Sometimes,
though, there is a crawing sensation, or neurological symptoms such as
speech or fine motor coordination problems. Less often, I have a disabling,
painful migraine, complete with sensitivity to light and sound, and nausea
and vomiting.
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- When I first experienced these symptoms,
they were extremely frightening. This condition may be rare, but it is
very real, and responds to traditional migraine treatment.
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- Sincerely,
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- Kim Green
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