Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) : a patient's guide
including Functional/Dissociative (non-epileptic) Seizures, Functional Movement Disorder and other functional symptoms
neurosymptoms.org
Historical Films
This new film, produced in Aug 2019, recreates very short film clips of soldiers with shell shock being treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Edinburgh by Lt Col Hamiton Marr during the first world war (1918)
It was made by Professor Edgar Jones, Professor in the History of Medicine & Psychiatry at Kings College London
This film, entitled 'War Neuroses', is the most well known footage of 'shell shock' - the term used to describe a range of conditions seen in soldiers during world war one which include FND.
The film was made by Dr Arthur Hurst a physician who treated patients at Netley in Hampshire and Seale Hayne in Devon. Many of the patients had a mixture of physical and/or psychological injuries and FND
Some of the footage appears to have been reconstructed, but the original data from the time indicates a compassionate and multidisciplinary approach to treatment from which modern medicine has much to learn.
FND has a complex, interesting but also difficult history within medicine. This is discussed more on the 'Not imagined' page
These videos bring together historical films looking at FND as it was seen in the past, including as shell shock in world war one
Viewers are warned that some of these films are over a 100 years old. They therefore reflect terminology and some practices that are out of place now
Nonetheless its important to know that FND is not a new condition, just a forgotten and often previously stigmatised one which occurs all over the world and has looked the same across time.