Sir Samuel Wilks (1824–1911): On Epilepsy

Samuel Wilks was one of that remarkable era of great physicians and syndrome creators based at Guy’s Hospital in the mid 19th century. He made signal contributions to the concept that epilepsy derived from surface lesions affecting the cortex, as opposed to the medulla. After Locock, he was largely responsible for the general use of bromide – in his day the only effective anticonvulsant.