As soon as she had learned about her mission, Joan left home and met with the Dauphin Charles VII. She was appointed to lead the French army. Joan managed to release several cities, including Orleans, after which she was named as the Virgin of Orleans. Soon, Charles VII was crowned in Rheims, and Joan had won more important battles. After that she was captured by the Burgundians and sent to the British, who burned her at the stake in May 1431.
Dr. Guiseppe d'Orsi, a neurologist at the University of Foggia in Italy, and Paola Tinuper, an associate professor of biomedical and neuromotor sciences at the University of Bologna, also in Italy, described their hypothesis, which were published an article in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior.
Joan of Arc may have had a type of epilepsy that affects the part of the brain responsible for hearing, or "idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features (IPEAF)," the researchers wrote. "Idiopathic" means that the epilepsy likely has a genetic cause, and "partial" means that the epilepsy affects only one area of the brain.
According to the researchers, several aspects of Joan's symptoms, which have been detailed in historical accounts, help support this diagnosis.
For example, the frequency of her seizures was low, similar to the seizures of patients with this disease. The "voices of the saints" often woke her in a dream, and many patients experienced seizures during sleep as well, the scientists revealed. According to Joan's own words, she could hear the voices after the ringing of bells and other "signs," which again corresponds to how epileptics have seizures.
The specialists also wrote that traces of Joan's fingerprints and hair were found in a wax seal on one of her letters. The analysis of genetic material, preserved in this discovery could help to understand whether "the savior of France" really suffered from epilepsy or some other illness.
