A Million Were Struck by This Mysterious Disease Before It Vanished
A patient with encephalitis lethargica in 1925. (Public Domain Mark/Wellcome Collection)In the film Awakenings, Robert De Niro's character laments, "People have forgotten what life is all about" after he revives from a 30-year shutdown state. This film, based on Dr. Oliver Sacks' true story, explores the lives of individuals impacted by encephalitis lethargica, or "sleepy...