In addition to intrinsic, historical, and literary interest, the study
of the history of a disease can have pedagogical and even clinical utility
by providing memorable exemplar cases. I point out what might be the oldest
known case (approximately 2600 years ago) of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE)1,2: the biblical figure Ezekiel,
son of Buzi.3 Appreciation that Ezekiel
may have had TLE might be an aid in understanding the Book of Ezekiel, which
has proved largely inscrutable to previous religious, literary, and historical
study.4