On the other hand, epileptic seizures have a power and symbolism which, historically, have suggested a relationship with creativity or unusual leadership abilities. Scholars have long been fascinated by evidence that prominent religious leaders, political leaders, philosophers, and many who achieved greatness in the arts and sciences suffered from epilepsy.  Aristotle was apparently the first to connect epilepsy and genius. His catalogue of “great epileptics” (which included Socrates) was added to during the Renaissance. Only people from Western culture were included, however. So strong was this tradition that even in the nineteenth century, when new names of “great people with epilepsy” were added, they were rarely chosen from among people in other parts of the world. Working from this biased historical legacy, the famous people with epilepsy that we know about are primarily white males.