Migraine with aura can have some very strange visual symptoms that may be quite alarming. Flashing lights, zigzag lines, even partial vision loss can occur during one of these Migraine attacks. One rare type of Migraine aura, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS), has some symptoms that are quite bizarre, and we can thank Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, for its name.

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born on January 27, 1832, in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, to Reverend Charles Dodgson and Frances Jane Lutwidge. His father was perpetual curate at an isolated parsonage in Daresbury, which made it difficult for the children to make friends and meet people. Charles soon discovered he was a good source of entertainment for his siblings when he learned to create imaginative games. These kept his younger brothers and sisters occupied much of the time when they were not being home-schooled. When Charles was 11, his family moved to Croft-on-Tess, Yorkshire, where his father became rector and remained in that position for the rest of his life. Part of Rev. Dodgson's duties including having the family write in the "Rectory Magazines," but it seems that Charles wrote most of them. Some that survived include; "Useful and Instructive Poetry" (1845) "The Rectory Magazine" (c.1850) "The Rectory Umbrella" (1850-1853) and "Mischmasch" (1853-62) published with "The Rectory Umbrella".

Find out more about Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland Syndrome in my new article, Famous Migraineurs: Lewis Carroll.

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© The HealthCentral Network, 2010 Last updated October 25, 2010