I asked this question around Christmas but nobody answered. Now that we are all at home and have a lot of time on our hands, probably I will have more luck. Here is a copy of my Chrisrmas post:
I have always had it as a given that Caesar had epilepsy - that's what we were taught in school. This has made Caesar look especially fascinating - because not only did he conquer Gaul and subjugate the Roman Republic, but did so while suffering from a potentially debilitating illness.
However, today I was reading a Wikipedia article on Ceasarion and this paragraph made me wonder:
" In some medical literature, Caesarion is said to have suffered from epilepsy, a neurological condition apparently inherited from his father. This thesis has been disputed by paleopathologist Francesco M. Galassi and surgeon Hutan Ashrafian, who have argued that the first mention of potential epileptic attacks can only be found in 20th-century novels, instead of ancient primary sources. "
So, some people seem to say that there are no documented ancient cases of epilepsy - meaning that Caesar was not epileptic. What is the consensus among historians on this (may 2020 edit), if any?
Plutarch lived roughly 150 years after Julius Caesar, but in his Parallel Lives he reports:
[Caesar] was of a spare habit, had a soft and white skin, suffered from distemper in the head, and was subject to epileptic fits, a trouble which first attacked him, we are told, in Corduba. Nevertheless, he did not make his feeble health an excuse for soft living, but rather his military service a cure for his feeble health, since by wearisome journeys, simple diet, continuously sleeping in the open air, and enduring hardships, he fought off his trouble and kept his body strong against its attacks. The Life of Julius Caesar, 17:2-3
The actual Greek term Plutarch uses is roughly equivalent "falling sickness" and is usually rendered as epilepsy, but it is extremely difficult to give a definitive diagnosis from a handful of symptoms reported 2000 years ago. Suetonius also reports Caesar had some kind of recurring affliction, for what his testament is worth. The most extensive primary source of Caesar's life is his own work on the Gallic War; he does not mention having an affliction of this type - but that could hardly be expected of him. Nevertheless it is clear that ancient sources from close to Caesar's lifetime believed Caesar had some kind of episodic, temporarily incapacitating affliction, but we can't really be certain what it was (the patient is long dead!)