Seinfeld Declassified Episode 6: Could you really get a seizure from someone’s voice?

Hey, guys. Welcome to season three. So today we’ll be discussing the classic episode, the good samaritan. The main plot line of the episode deal with the fallout of the k man getting seizures every time he hears Mary Hart’s voice on Entertainment Tonight but is this actually possible?

Well, as it happens, this is actually based on a true story from the early 90’s in which a neurologist reported in a medical journal that Mary Hart’s voice was actually causing a woman to get epileptic seizures. Some of the symptoms were upset stomach, a sense of pressure in her head and mental confusion. So I know what you’re probably thinking. Why is her voice leading to a seizure? What distinction about her voice is causing this?

Well, the neurologist who reported it, Dr. Venkat Ramani, was the first to admit he really doesn’t know, “I don’t think it’s psychological,” he said, “Primarily, it’s a neurological or brain-related event.” Presumably, though, it has something to do with resonance where the proper pitch can trigger violent reactions, just like how if you hit a high-enough note, you can shatter glass. A professor at UPenn Medical School, Dr. Marc Dichter, even admitted, “it’s the pitch and quality of the voice as a sound, as opposed to what she’s actually saying.”

The woman suffering from these seizures was never identified but it has since been confirmed she hasn’t suffered any more seizures ever since she ceased watching ET. Even her own family members were skeptical that Hart’s voice was causing her seizures until it was confirmed by a doctor. As far as we know, there have been no other reported case of this since then but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t necessarily happen in the future. So next time you turn on the TV, proceed with caution. So that’s about all I have for you guys today but thank you so much for reading. Have a great week & I’ll see you back here next time for a brand new episode of SD.