History Main / BrainFever

* In ''CrimeAndPunishment'', Raskolnikov suffers a fever that becomes much worse after he goes through with his plan to commit murder, and Pulcheria Alexandrovna develops brain fever after [[spoiler: her son is sent to Siberia]].

* ''SherlockHolmes'': Used in several stories, including "The Copper Beeches," in which a girl's stepfather pesters her about her inheritance until she gets brain-fever; and "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty," in which a man is ill for ''nine weeks'' after a treaty is stolen from under his nose. There's also "The Crooked Man", where the dead man's wife is rendered insensible for testimony by the same effect.

* In ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'', this happens to Zuko [[spoiler: after he has a massive [[HeelFaceTurn change of alignment]].]] Perhaps this trope isn't entirely forgotten. (Although Zuko may be a special case due to his [[PlayingWithFire fire-based elemental powers]].)

[[folder: {{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]
* In ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'', the curse of Oyashiro, or [[spoiler:Hinamizawa Syndrome]], is kind of like this.

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* Played completely straight in ''Brand Upon The Brain''. Mind you, Guy Maddin plays straight a lot of tropes that nobody else uses now--or [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs ever]].

* In ''{{Therese}}'', the title character becomes ill for two weeks after her oldest and favorite sister leaves to become a nun.

[[AC:Literature]]

* The character Phillip Ammon suffers from Brain Fever after Elnora disappears from the swamp in ''A Girl of the Limberlost''.
* Happens a lot in GeorgetteHeyer's period romance novels.
* Used in several SherlockHolmes stories, including "The Copper Beeches," in which a girl's stepfather pesters her about her inheritance until she gets brain-fever; and "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty," in which a man is ill for ''nine weeks'' after a treaty is stolen from under his nose. There's also "The Crooked Man", where the dead man's wife is rendered insensible for testimony by the same effect.
* In ''{{Soapdish}}'', Elisabeth's Shue's character, Lori Craven, plays a destitute deaf-mute who is revealed to have [[strike:Bran Flavor]] Brain Fever during a live telecast of ''"The Sun Also Sets"''.

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

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* In ''CrimeAndPunishment'', Raskolnikov is very ill after committing murder, and Pulcheria Alexandrovna develops brain fever after [[spoiler: her son is sent to Siberia]].

* In ''CrimeAndPunishment'', Pulcheria Alexandrovna develops brain fever after [[spoiler: her son Raskolnikov is sent to Siberia]].
** Raskolnikov developed it first, right after the murders.

* ''SherlockHolmes'': Used in several stories, including "The Copper Beeches," in which a girl's stepfather pesters her about her inheritance until she gets brain-fever; and "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty," in which a man is ill for ''nine weeks'' after a treaty is stolen from under his nose. There's also "The Crooked Man", where the dead man's wife is rendered insensible for testimony by the same effect.

* ''TheCountOfMonteCristo'' opens with the death of Captain Leclere from brain-fever:

Not to be confused with [[StarTrek Blood]] [[MateOrDie Fever]].

* In AgathaChristie's ''The Murder on the Links'', a man collapses with a fever, which HerculePoirot attributes to a shock on top of ongoing mental strain.
** However, later Christie novels show awareness of ScienceMarchesOn. For instance, in ''The Big Four'' Hastings suggests that an insensible man is suffering from brain fever, to which a doctor character responds, "Invention of novelists!"

* Used in several SherlockHolmes stories, including "The Copper Beeches," in which a girl's stepfather pesters her about her inheritance until she gets brain-fever; and "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty," in which a man is ill for ''nine weeks'' after a treaty is stolen from under his nose. There's also "The Crooked Man", where the dead man's wife is rendered insensible for testimony by the same effect.

* Captain Leclere has died of brain-fever at the beginning of ''TheCountOfMonteCristo'':

* In RobertEHoward's ConanTheBarbarian story "A Witch Shall Be Born", Valerius acts feverishly, babbling, thrashing, and giving Ivga a hard time quieting him. While he was wounded, it explicitly says that his mental torment was worse.

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* In AgathaChristie's ''The Murder on the Links'', a man collapses with a fever, which Poirot attributes to a shock on top of ongoing mental strain.

* In ''WutheringHeights'', Cathy (the first one) is very ill with brain fever, caused by a confrontation between herself, Edgar, and Heathcliff, during the first two months of her pregnancy. She never entirely regains her health, and dies two hours after the baby is born.

* In ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'', this happens to Zuko [[spoiler: after he has a massive [[HeelFaceTurn change of alignment]].]] Perhaps this trope isn't entirely forgotten.

* Cathy (the first one) dies of this in ''WutheringHeights''.
** Wasn't it childbed fever as opposed to brain fever?

* In {{Maurice}}, the titular character came "nearer to brain fever than he supposed" due to being worried about the state of his relationship with Clive while they were separated and... being too sentimental in their love letters. They meet up, decide to only write facts in said letters, and he recovers.

* Used in several SherlockHolmes stories, including "The Copper Beeches," in which a girl's stepfather pesters her about her inheritance until she gets brain-fever; and "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty," in which a man is ill for ''nine weeks'' after a treaty is stolen from under his nose.