Beggars faking illnesses in a Paris slum, 19th-century illustration. Mix of beggars, brigands and other criminals in a cour des miracles ('Court of Miracles') slum in Paris, France. The man on the ground is learning how to pretend to have epilepsy. Slums such as this were known as the 'Court of Miracles' because those pretending to be ill while begging would suddenly become healthy again after returning here. Artwork from 'Hygiene et Medecine Des Deux Sexes' (1890) by French author Alexis Clerc (1841-1894).