[Epilepsy treatment in Serbian medieval monastery hospitals].

Emperor John III Ducas Vatatzes (ruled from 1222-1254) and his son Theodore II Lascaris (ruled from 1254-1258) both suffered from epilepsy. On his journeys to Nicaea, St Sava visited emperors Theodore I Lascaris (ruled from 1204-1222) and John II Vatatzes, who richly rewarded him, which was probably of crucial importance for the foundation of hospitals in the Monastery of Hilandar and the Monastery of Studenica These hospitals had special departments for the treatment of patints with epilepsy. According to researches conducted up-to-date, these departments are considered to be the oldest institutions for epilepsy treatment. Monastery hospitals in the West served primarily as a shelter for the poor and patients with chronic incurable diseases. The development of Serbian monastery hospitals was a long process and it included institutions that lasted for a long time (for over two centuries) in which, among others, those affected by epilepsy were cured.