Book Review: A Smell Of Burning: The Story Of Epilepsy by Colin Grant

What connects Julius Caesar, Harriet Tubman, Vincent van Gogh and Neil Young? They all had (or, in the case of the Canadian musician, have) epilepsy.

This incurable disability is both hidden and horribly obvious depending on the moment – and BBC producer Colin Grant follows its treatment like a twisting plume of smoke through human history.

Grant’s inspiration for this research is his brother, Christopher, who refused to take regular medication to control his seizures.

For centuries epilepsy was classed as mental illness and attempts to cure it have only really developed in the past 150 years.

Interviews with sufferers illustrate the condition’s many incarnations – as the book’s title implies, epilepsy is far more nuanced than simply causing sufferers to convulse after exposure to flashing lights.

Grant softens complicated medical jargon with personal recollections to create an informative book that will hopefully encourage readers to show more empathy the next time they see someone fitting.

Published by Jonathan Cape