Briggs’s death, suggesting that he had recently died and that his death had prompted the reporter to investigate the story of his most famous professional episode.

This chronology means that Briggs himself was not available to provide his own account of what had happened in 1915 — the story was being told about him, not by him.

What medical science can offer about the specific scenario is relevant to evaluating the plausibility of the account.

Epilepsy, in its most severe forms, can produce states that in specific circumstances might be mistaken for death by an untrained observer — and possibly, under certain historical conditions, even by a trained physician.

Grand mal seizures, in particular, can leave a patient in a state of deep post-ictal unresponsiveness — a period of profound neurological suppression following the seizure during which the individual may be unresponsive, with depressed breathing, diminished pulse, and the appearance of deep unconsciousness.