From "Transient Hemiopsia" to Migraine Aura.

Mark William Weatherall

doi:10.3390/vision5040054

Abstract

This paper outlines the historical development of the concept of the visual aura of migraine, from the first comprehensive published description by the physician Hubert Airy, in 1870. Airy’s description of the phenomenon he called “transient hemiopsia” became widely copied and highly influential as a consequence of the language and images that he used in his presentation. This paper outlines the subsequent development of theories of aura from the time of Airy’s publication to the first demonstration of spreading oligaemia by Lautitzen and Olesen in the 1980s.

Highlights

This paper outlines the historical development of the concept of the visual aura of migraine, from the first comprehensive published description by the physician Hubert Airy, in 1870
I will discuss how Airy’s hemiopsia became an archetype for migraine aura through the dissemination of the striking language and images that he used in his paper
Migraine and 19th Century British Men of Science. In his 1870 paper, Airy presented a precis of previous accounts of hemiopsia, including several published in the 19th century by eminent men of science: William Hyde Wollaston, Sir David Brewster, and Airy’s father, George

Summary

Migraine and 19th Century British Men of Science

In his 1870 paper, Airy presented a precis of previous accounts of hemiopsia, including several published in the 19th century by eminent men of science: William Hyde Wollaston, Sir David Brewster, and Airy’s father, George. It was true that eminent scientists had written about migraine aura, but they had had their own reasons for doing so, and Airy’s reasons for including those accounts have more to do with establishing the validity of the phenomenon, as with the interpretation that previous men of science had put upon it. There are perhaps three main reasons why Airy’s paper has come to be regarded as a classic: first (and perhaps foremost) the drawings of the phenomena that Airy included; second, the language that he used to describe the phenomena, and in particular his use of metaphors which subsequently became commonplace; and thirdly, the central role that subsequent neurologists, in particular the renowned William Gowers, gave his account when they came to discuss the subjective visual sensations that could be associated with migrainous headaches

Models and Metaphor

Conclusions