1,721,112 research outputs found
Further data corroborating a pituitary contribution to the genesis of the Cyclopean myth
Full text linkOsteoporosis and vertebral trabecular bone health: an historico-anthropological perspective
Full text linkThis brief review article aims to recapitulate the history of osteoporosis from the most ancient observations to the current clinical definition, by offering a perspective on trabecular bone health and degeneration, which has become of paramount important both in clinical, radiological and biological anthropological studies
Sinophobia as the disease and palaeopathology as the cure: response to Adja et al
Full text linkWe have very much enjoyed the correspondence by Adja et al.1on the social and xenophobic stigma suffered by the Italian Chinese community after the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, which later became a pandemic. Building on their correct assessment of the case, we would like to endeavour to offer some explanations for the xenophobic reaction described by the authors and propose a potential educational solution to it
The importance of case studies in the study of ancient diseases and the fight against biomedical fake news: a set of cases to make a point
No full textThis article offers a brief overview of the potential represented by palaeopathology both for the study of ancient diseases and for countering pseudoscience. To achieve this goal, it summarises a set of notable cases studied, or contributed to, by the authors of this paper. Moreover, the importance of the so-called “indirect sources” as complementary to the traditional palaeopathological ones is stressed
A likely representation of goiter in Antonio Canova’s Helen of Troy
No full textThree main versions of the marble-sculpted head Helen of Troy (early nineteenth century) by the neoclassical artist Antonio Canova’s (1757–1822) exist, one at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK), another one at the State Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia) and a third one belonging to a private Turin collection [1]. Captivated by the beauty of the 1811 version of the sculpture—which he could behold in the bust in Countess Isabella Teotochi Albrizzi’s (1760–1836) house in Venice—Romantic poet Lord Byron (1788–1824), defining it “the most perfectly beautiful of human conceptions” in a letter (25th November 1816) to the famous publisher John Murray II (1778–1843), even composed verses to celebrate it [2]: In this beloved marble view, /Above the works and thoughts of man, /What Nature could, but would not, do, And Beauty and Canova can! /Beyond imagination’s power, /Beyond the Bard’s defeated art, With immortality her dower, /Behold the Helen of the heart
Smallpox in art: considerations on some of its medical and social aspects
Full text linkDear Editor,We read with interest N. Kluger's palaeodermatological correspondence on the late 19th century painting Pockmarked boy from Savo,1 and we totally concur with him on his assertion that painters rarely depicted the faces of smallpox patients or survivors, with the notable exception of cases like that of Ferdinando II de' Medici (1610–1670)..
The alleged shoes of Michelangelo Buonarroti: Anthropometrical considerations
No full textMichelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) is regarded as one of the fundamental figures of the Italian Renaissance. Several hypotheses have been made on his health ranging from goiter to lead poisoning (Lazzeri et al. 2016a, Montes-Santiago 2013)
Some anatomical and pathological notes on the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci
No full textThe present brief communication explores from a historico-medical perspective three of the most important biomedical mysteries surrounding the disease, death and post-mortem aspects of the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). By studying this Late Mediaeval-Early Modern Age celebrated individual’s diseases, it is also possible to open a window onto the antiquity of such pathologic conditions still affecting humankind
Madness in Ancient Greek Tragedy: A Retrospective Medical Analysis of Heracles and Medea
No full textMadness in ancient Greek tragedy emerges as both narrative device and anthropological marker. Figures like Heracles and Medea embody extreme forms of psychic disintegration, which, when reread through the lens of palaeomedicine and palaeoneurology, reveal possible correlations with known neuropsychiatric and dermatological disorders. This article reconsiders the classical myths of Heracles and Medea with an interdisciplinary methodology, integrating philology, medical history, and psychopathological interpretation
The Contribution of Poliomyelitis to President Roosevelt’s Heart Failure. A Lesson on the Importance of Vaccinations for Cardiovascular Prevention
No full textFranklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945, Fig. 1), 32nd President
of the United States of America, is remembered as one
of the key leaders of the Allies in their struggle against the
Axis Powers in WW2. A brilliant politician, he managed to
restore America’s economic power and prosperity following
the Great Depression through his New Deal (1933–1937).
Despite his political and military success, his life had been
crippled by physical disability since the summer of 1921
when, aged 39, he was diagnosed with a paralytic illness
gripping his lower limbs up to the thigh, forcing him onto
a wheelchair
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