The Real Sleeping Sickness That Inspired Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman'

What would happen if a warlock managed to capture an entity that represents one of the core aspects of our existence? Say, for instance, our ability to dream. The first episode of Netflix’s new series, The Sandman, offers a fantastical answer to that even more outlandish question. Based on the first volume of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics, “Sleep of the Just” has the occultist leader Roderick Burgess capturing Morpheus , the Lord of Dreams himself.

The precise cause of the encephalitis lethargica is still a mystery. At the time of the epidemic, some speculated that it might have something to do with the influenza pandemic of 1918, more commonly known as the Spanish flu. After all, the sudden rise in cases of encephalitis lethargica happened about the same time as the world was recovering from the flu. Still, there was no other evidence suggesting that the two diseases were connected.

But even those that managed to escape the deep, endless slumber still faced tremendous risk. Years would go by until seemingly cured patients presented signs of the chronic form of the disease. The symptoms included involuntary movement of the eyes, psychiatric disorders that could go from euphoria to psychosis, and, perhaps most prominently, a great stiffness of the upper body denominated post-encephalitic parkinsonism.

Still, their brief return to the waking world was essential to our better understanding of the human mind. The success and subsequent failure of levodopa in treating encephalitis lethargica enlightened doctors and researchers about the role dopamine plays in different parts of the brain. And, while they were awake, Sacks’ patients were able to tell him about what it was like to spend all that time trapped behind their own skin.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

6 Things We Loved About Sandman and 3 Things We Didn'tNetflix's adaption of Neil Gaiman's cult classic The Sandman is a faithful adaption that's easy on the eyes. IMO, only your last criticism rings true. Sturridge is GREAT & the visuals are pretty damn strong.
Source: Gizmodo - 🏆 556. / 51 Read more »

What to watch: ‘Bodies’ is a killer spoof of Gen Z cultureAlso worth seeing: Dark, surreal ‘Sandman’; eye-opening ‘Five Days at Memorial’; poignant ‘Love Song.’
Source: mercnews - 🏆 88. / 68 Read more »

'The Sandman' Season 2: Everything We KnowThe Netflix hit's creators have plans for a Sandman universe (and have already shot scenes for Season 5!).
Source: marieclaire - 🏆 102. / 63 Read more »

The Sandman Star Wants to Play The Joker NextOver the weekend actor Boyd Holbrook made a splash playing his second antagonist in a comic book [...] He was superb in Narcos No one can do as bad as wakeen did.
Source: ComicBook - 🏆 65. / 68 Read more »

Porsche Finishes The Formula E Season With A New Livery Inspired By A Watch | CarscoopsThe livery is inspired by TAG Heuer's latest smartwatch, which was itself inspired by the Porsche Taycan
Source: Carscoop - 🏆 306. / 63 Read more »

Why I wrote a children’s book about nanoscienceInspiring the next generation can help to tackle nano-phobia. As a child, I read Frontiers of Science graphic novels. One included how viruses proliferate which, although a bit scary at the time, was likely important in my becoming a research scientist specialising in HIV. Don't underestimate our children. education science innovation 👍🏼
Source: Nature - 🏆 64. / 68 Read more »