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First published on January 21, 2008, doi:10.1177/1352458507084587

Multiple Sclerosis 2008;14:530.

A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2008

Article

Multiple sclerosis on-screen: from disaster to coping

Axel Karenberg*

Institute for the History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Stra{beta}e 20, D-50931Cologne, Germany

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.


  Abstract

Background:

Fictional portrayals of multiple sclerosis (MS) in film and on television have remainedlargely unexamined to date. The aim of this review is consequently to catalog and analyse every availablefilm with an MS motif.

Method:

The author has identified relevant productions by means of international film databases andby handsearch. Each film is systematically evaluated along neurological and cinematic lines.

Results:

Between 1941 and 2006 MS appeared as a theme in 23 films. Because screenplay writersoften make use of medical knowledge, from a neurological perspective many films present a largelyaccurate picture of this disease's symptoms. The visual character of the medium and the effects ofdramatic composition result in the prominence of certain symptoms. Ataxia, paralysis, blurred visionand fatigue are found in films with the same frequency as in epidemiological studies whereas sensorysymptoms, eye movement disorders, incontinence and difficulties with sexual function were underrepresented.These films thematize the effects of MS on patients' self-image, the psychological adaptationprocess and their relations with proxy in a special way. Parallel with improvements in therapyand changing social attitudes toward the handicapped, these films have progressed from the earlier'disaster' to modern 'coping' stories.

Conclusion

: The often life-like portrayal of MS distinguishes these films from the stereotypic representationof other neurological diseases. Because representations of MS in popular media have an imme

Key Words: cinema; films; movies; multiple sclerosis; neurology/history; television


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