Odors During Partial Complex Seizures

 

After quoting Daly, Couperus goes on to say that the “seizure experience is usually initiated by a so-called signal symptom, ” such as “the hallucination of smelling something.” He then states that “apparently” “the smell of roses, ” “violets, ” or “simply ‘flowers’” was “a frequent part of Ellen’s visions” 33 and implies that this is evidence she suffered from partial complex seizure disorder.

 

It is true that in his description of this kind of seizure disorder Daly does include hallucinations of “recognizable odors, ” but he states that such occurrences are “rare.” 34 By claiming that such occurrences were “a frequent part of Ellen’s visions” and evidence of seizure disorder, Couperus contradicts the very authority he cites in support of his contention. In addition, it should be noted, the sensation of a pleasant odor is very rare.

 

Ellen White and Hypergraphia

 

Some persons with partial complex seizure disorder manifest “hypergraphia” (excessive writing) between their attacks. Both Hodder and Couperus suggest that Ellen White’s prolific writing is an example of “hypergraphia, ” 35 and therefore evidence of seizure disorder. Ellen White was indeed a prolific writer. It is estimated that she wrote some 100, 000 pages of typewritten material during her lifetime, much of which continues to be published. But prolific writing that is publishable is not evidence of hypergraphia as the term is used in connection with seizure disorder.

 

Those few investigators who have studied hypergraphia in persons with partialcomplex seizure state that this is typical of some of these individuals. Stephen G. Waxman and Norman Geschwind, both neurologists, give examples of this phenomenon in an article published in Neurology. 36 These examples included the case of a girl who wrote a song several hundred times. She also wrote such things as repetitive lists of the furniture in her apartment, copied printed labels, and listed her likes and dislikes. None of these writings had literary value.

 

Another patient, a man, kept detailed lists of his symptoms as well as repetitive notes concerning when his seizures occurred and when they did not occur. Here is a brief example: “I do thank dear God above, no seizures.” This individual also kept extensive notes about everyday happenings, such as, “I had a seizure while sitting on the toilet.”

 

Hypergraphia is so devoid of literary merit that no authority has ever thus characterized the published works of a recognized author, nor has any competent neurologist ever attempted to diagnose seizure disorder by an analysis of an author’s style of writing or the quantity of his writing. Indeed, the concept of hypergraphia being characteristic of patients with seizure disorder is not widely known, and some neurologists have never even heard of this association.

 

It takes considerable stretching of the imagination to consider Ellen White’s writings as an example of hypergraphia associated with seizure disorder. In the first place, it is not the quantity of a person’s writings that determines whether or not he or she has seizure disorder hypergraphia, but the quality and content of these writings. Agatha Christie, Zane Grey, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, for instance, were prolific writers, yet no one has ever attributed their writings to hypergraphia or associated seizure disorder with these individuals.

 

As for Ellen White’s writings, they bear no resemblance to hypergraphia associated with seizure disorder. Many who have read her writings, yet who did not necessarily believe she was inspired of God or who did not wish to follow her counsel, have concluded that her writings had literary merit and that they were spiritually uplifting.

 

Perseveration

 

Hodder and Couperus suggest that Ellen White had partial complex seizure disorder because she exhibited “perseveration” of speech while in vision as well as in her writings. 37 These reviewers apparently do not understand the nature of speech perseveration.

 

In his book The Neurological Examination, Russell N. De Jong, M.D., defines perseveration of speech as “the persistence of one reply or one idea in response to various, questions.” 38 For example, an examining physician asks a patient a question such as, “What color is my shirt? ” The patient may respond, “Blue.” Whether or not this answer is correct or incorrect is not the issue. But now notice, if the physician then asks other questions, such as, “What time is it? ” or, “What is the name of the President of the United States? ” and the patient continues to answer, “Blue, ” this is perseveration. Thus Hodder and Couperus use the term incorrectly when they apply

it to the repetitive, but appropriate, use of a word or phrase.

 

Perseveration of speech is rare in partial complex seizure disorder, yet Hodder and Couperus allege that because Ellen White repeated certain words and phrases while going into vision, while in vision, or following a vision in her writings, she exhibited perseveration. For example, these critics quote Ellen White as saying, “Glory, glory, glory, ” 39 while going into vision. This is repetition, but these expressions were appropriate to the context in which they were spoken, and hence are not perseveration as the term is used in a neurological context. In another example of “perseveration, ” Couperus refers to an article in which Ellen White repeated the words “I saw” thirty-five times. 40 Even though her reiterated use of this expression is more repetitive than it might be for well-edited writing, there is nothing illogical or inappropriate in the way she used the phrase. This, therefore, is not perseveration of speech, nor is it evidence of seizure disorder.

 

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