Tens of millions of people from all walks of life suffer from epilepsy, a chronic neurological disorder that disrupts the normal pattern of neutral activity and results in seizures. The word epilepsy comes from the Greek word epi, meaning "upon," and lepsis, meaning "seizure." Together those words imply that a person affected by this condition is seized by some unseen force. Though epilepsy is a serious disease, many important historical figures, such as Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte, are believed to have had it. The fact that other notable epileptics such as Jonathan Swift, Vincent van Gogh, and Fyodor Dostoevsky also managed to be accomplished shows that the disease is not nearly as limiting as people once thought. Dostoevsky even described epilepsy as mystic and sublime ecstasy. Epilepsy is actually one of the world's oldest identified medical disorders and it was long marked by misunderstanding. In Taiwan, epilepsy used to be grounds for annulling a marriage, and in the U.S. those who suffered from it were not allowed to enter public places until 1970. But today we know much more about the condition. It is often related to brain damage or trauma during birth, and it could even be inherited. We also know that seizures, which can cause unconsciousness, are the result of a sudden electrical discharge in a group of brain cells. Luckily, anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of epileptics can be successfully treated through modern medicine or surgery. Though it affects 50 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and two hundred thousand people in Taiwan, it is a highly treatable condition that should be met with understanding.