Taking the gloves off. Historically, epilepsy is called the falling sickness because of episodes when patients suddenly crash to the ground and lose their posture. These seizures are called atonic or astatic seizures and are often the most troubling events for patients. During these events, patients may seriously hurt themselves. From the epileptological point of view, there is a long debate regarding the nature of these events. Are they purely due to loss of posture or are they associated with a brief myoclonic seizure? Lennox quotes Pierce Clark who states bluntly that describing an astatic seizure without a preceding jerk is due to “faulty clinical observation”. This is when Lennox takes the gloves off.
