Encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s (and afterwards): the forgotten epidemic [ 2004-07-30 - 2007-07-29 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Dr Paul Foley (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Brief description Encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s (and afterwards): the forgotten epidemic. An unusually aggressive encephalitis epidemic swept the globe between 1915 and 1925. Two-thirds of victims survived the initial phase, but most developed severe neurological syndromes, especially parkinsonism, which crippled them for the remainder of their lives. The cause of this catastrophe, largely forgotten despite huge costs in both human and economic terms, has never been established, and its return cannot be excluded. Medicohistorical techniques, current neurological awareness and social analysis will be employed to produce the first history of the epidemic, whereby insights into both its nature and into parkinsonism, one of the most frequent neurological disorders in our ageing population, are expected.

Funding Amount $240,000

Funding Scheme Discovery Projects

View this grant in the ARC Data Portal