Sterpetti AV, De Toma G, De Cesare A. Thyroid swellings in the art of the
Italian Renaissance.
Am J Surg 2015;
210:591-6. [PMID:
26026338 DOI:
10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.01.027]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Thyroid swellings in the art of the Italian Renaissance are sporadically reported in the medical literature.
METHODS
Six hundred paintings and sculptures from the Italian Renaissance, randomly selected, were analyzed to determine the prevalence of personages with thyroid swellings and its meaning.
RESULTS
The prevalence of personages with thyroid swellings in the art of Italian Renaissance is much higher than previously thought. This phenomenon was probably secondary to iodine deficiency. The presence of personages with thyroid swelling was related to specific meanings the artists wanted to show in their works.
CONCLUSIONS
Even if the function and the role of the thyroid were discovered only after thyroidectomy was started to be performed, at the beginning of the 19th century, artists of the Italian Renaissance had the intuition that thyroid swellings were related to specific psychological conditions. Artistic intuition and sensibility often comes before scientific demonstration, and it should be a guide for science development.
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