Quite a bit on this page.. let's just do the first bit here..
The Significance of Ellen White's Head Injury By by Molleurus Couperus, M.D., Adventist Currents, June 1985
An Editorial Introduction by Doug Hackleman, Editor
The attempt to understand Ellen G. White and her visions has taken many forms. Few are more interesting than the exhaustive research of Dr. Molleurus Couperus, retired physician and founding Editor of Spectrum magazine. Couperus' article, "The Significance of Ellen White's Head Injury" - termed "overkill" by one basically approving neurologist - is the author's effort to understand how Ellen White might honestly feel, believe, and claim that God was coming to her repeatedly in vision - even if it wasn't so.
The reasons why one might question Ellen White's claims are myriad, but one class of reason stands out. When Ellen White insisted she had seen something in vision, or said 'I was shown', or (most significant) purported to be quoting an angel, her guide, or Jesus Himself, and the very words are now found published in an earlier article or book, rational human beings may be forgiven for disbelieving her veracity.
But since Mrs. White is such an integral part of our Adventists roots, and since it is disconcerting to think of mother as mendacious, we look for mitigating circumstances or alternate explanations that might rescue her integrity.
The notion that a mild form of posttrauma seizure could explain both her "visions" and her personality foibles seems, therefore, attractive. Most neurologists agree that a missile-induced head injury such as the one that caused Ellen Harmon three weeks of coma followed by amnesia at age nine increases manifold the likelihood that she would develop subsequently some kind of seizure disorder.
While a neurological explanation for Ellen White's vision appears to have the potential to rescue her reputation as a truthful woman, it simultaneously seems to preclude supernatural explanations.
White Estate officials have repeatedly indicated their 'a priori' rejection of any naturalistic causes for Mrs. White's visions - having gone so far as to establish an Ellen G. White Health Committee from among the medical staff at Loma Linda University to pronounce the impossibility that any form of temporal lobe epilepsy could account for White's visionary experiences.
Because the thesis of Couperus' article will so scandalize many Seventh-day Adventists, it seems only fair to let the author make his best case - including all 210 references.
It is clear that wide disagreement remains among neurologists regarding what behaviors and personality traits should indicate a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. Three reputable, non-Adventist neurologists were asked to read the manuscript in draft form. Two of the three affirmed the scientific validity of Couperus' thesis and one did not. One positive previewer refused to go on record for practical reasons. The other was not asked to go on record because his earlier published research on the topic is cited substantially in the paper.
The previewer who doubted the author's concluding diagnosis is Dr. Thomas Babb, professor of Neurology in residence, UCLA.
So what's going on here.. this chick fell down when she was a youth and bumped her head? Wait, it says, I think age nine. Seems like they don't like to talk about this.. cause they might think it's "mental illness" instead of real shit, right. That's why there's no mention of this on the wiki page. But it's one of them.. so it's not bogus.
Quite a bit on this page.. let's just do the first bit here..
The Significance of Ellen White's Head Injury By by Molleurus Couperus, M.D., Adventist Currents, June 1985
An Editorial Introduction by Doug Hackleman, Editor
The attempt to understand Ellen G. White and her visions has taken many forms. Few are more interesting than the exhaustive research of Dr. Molleurus Couperus, retired physician and founding Editor of Spectrum magazine. Couperus' article, "The Significance of Ellen White's Head Injury" - termed "overkill" by one basically approving neurologist - is the author's effort to understand how Ellen White might honestly feel, believe, and claim that God was coming to her repeatedly in vision - even if it wasn't so.
The reasons why one might question Ellen White's claims are myriad, but one class of reason stands out. When Ellen White insisted she had seen something in vision, or said 'I was shown', or (most significant) purported to be quoting an angel, her guide, or Jesus Himself, and the very words are now found published in an earlier article or book, rational human beings may be forgiven for disbelieving her veracity.
But since Mrs. White is such an integral part of our Adventists roots, and since it is disconcerting to think of mother as mendacious, we look for mitigating circumstances or alternate explanations that might rescue her integrity.
The notion that a mild form of posttrauma seizure could explain both her "visions" and her personality foibles seems, therefore, attractive. Most neurologists agree that a missile-induced head injury such as the one that caused Ellen Harmon three weeks of coma followed by amnesia at age nine increases manifold the likelihood that she would develop subsequently some kind of seizure disorder.
While a neurological explanation for Ellen White's vision appears to have the potential to rescue her reputation as a truthful woman, it simultaneously seems to preclude supernatural explanations.
White Estate officials have repeatedly indicated their 'a priori' rejection of any naturalistic causes for Mrs. White's visions - having gone so far as to establish an Ellen G. White Health Committee from among the medical staff at Loma Linda University to pronounce the impossibility that any form of temporal lobe epilepsy could account for White's visionary experiences.
Because the thesis of Couperus' article will so scandalize many Seventh-day Adventists, it seems only fair to let the author make his best case - including all 210 references.
It is clear that wide disagreement remains among neurologists regarding what behaviors and personality traits should indicate a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. Three reputable, non-Adventist neurologists were asked to read the manuscript in draft form. Two of the three affirmed the scientific validity of Couperus' thesis and one did not. One positive previewer refused to go on record for practical reasons. The other was not asked to go on record because his earlier published research on the topic is cited substantially in the paper.
The previewer who doubted the author's concluding diagnosis is Dr. Thomas Babb, professor of Neurology in residence, UCLA.