Does the Bible have the first record of Narcolepsy in history?

Saturday 31 August 2019

English


  

 It is not so common for Japanese people to read the Bible, but I like it. Some years ago, I found a description of a symptom quite similar to Narcolepsy.



  7 On the first day of the week[b] we met to break bread together.[c] Paul spoke to the people until midnight because he was leaving the next morning. In the upstairs room where we were meeting, there were a lot of lamps. A young man by the name of Eutychus was sitting on a window sill. While Paul was speaking, the young man got very sleepy. Finally, he went to sleep and fell three floors all the way down to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead.

  He looks like Narcolepsy to lose his life falling into sleep while listening to someone and dropping down from windows, even if it was continuing till the middle of night.  If you suffer from Narcolepsy, you would probably compassionate him.   To this young man, however, miracle occurs. 

  10 Paul went down and bent over Eutychus. He took him in his arms and said, “Don’t worry! He’s alive.” 11 After Paul had gone back upstairs, he broke bread, and ate with us. He then spoke until dawn and left. 12 Then the followers took the young man home alive and were very happy. (Acts 20, 7)


  Acts seem to have been written in the first century AD. I don't know why this specified incident was chosen among a lot of miracles Paul made. Anyway, Eutychus was saved and it made people happy. This shows that Eutychus was liked by everyone. As I suffer from Narcolepsy, which is similar to symptoms of Eutychus, I am also comforted listening to this story.