PBS Program Provides Historical View of Epilepsy

Special to EpilepsyUSA
Update Posted: October 14, 2004

PBS television stations across the country will air the two-part documentary-style drama The Lost Prince, Oct. 17 and 24. The program is about Prince John of the British Royal Family who had epilepsy.

The Lost Prince is a deeply moving story of a child with epilepsy in an age when people with the disorder were hidden from society and, as in this tragic case, even isolated from family and friends. The youngest child of George V and Queen Mary, Prince John's short life spanned the political build-up to World War I and the maneuverings of European royalty in the early part of the 20^th Century.

Viewers should be aware that potentially offensive references to epilepsy are historically accurate and in keeping with the documentary nature of the production. For example, there are a number of references to 'fits,' a term for seizures that is discouraged in this country, but one that even today remains in common use in the English-speaking world outside of the United States.

Consult local television listings for the airtime and PBS channel in your area or visit PBS online.