François Rabelais and his dystonic giants

Abstract

Spasmodic torticollis was an early designation used for cervical dystonia. The origin of this name is attributed to French physician and writer François Rabelais in the mid-sixteenth century. This early description of torticollis in the book Pantagruel was an inspiration for the understanding of cervical dystonia. The art expressed in Rabelais' literature ‒ which was immortalized by the drawings of Gustave Doré ‒ influenced poetry, art, and photography, and led to the adoption of the term torticollis in the neurological sciences.

Resumo

Uma designação inicial usada para distonia cervical era torcicolo espasmódico. A origem desse termo é atribuída ao médico e escritor francês François Rabelais em meados do século XVI. Essa descrição inicial do torcicolo no livro Pantagruel foi uma inspiração para a compreensão da distonia cervical. A arte exibida na literatura de Rabelais ‒ imortalizada pelos desenhos de Gustave Doré ‒ influenciou a poesia, a arte e a fotografia, e levou à adoção do termo torcicolo nas ciências neurológicas.

Keywords

History of Medicine - Neurology - Movement Disorders - Dystonia - Torticollis

Palavras-chave

História da Medicina - Neurologia - Transtornos dos Movimentos - Distonia - Torcicolo

Editor in Chief

Ayrton Roberto Massaro

Associate Editor

Ethel Cuperschmid.

Authors' Contributions

LC: conceptualization, investigation, data curation, and writing of the original draft. CHFC: investigation, data curation, and writing – review and editing. HAGT: supervision and writing – review and editing.

Publication History

Received: 15 January 2024

Accepted: 25 February 2024

Article published online:
13 May 2024

• References

• 1 Albanese A, Bhatia K, Bressman SB. et al. Phenomenology and classification of dystonia: a consensus update. Mov Disord 2013; 28 (07) 863-873
• 2 Oppenheim H. Über eine eigenartige Krampfkrankheit des kindlichen und jugendlichen Alters (Dysbasia lordotica progressiva, Dystonia musculorum deformans). Neurol Centrabl 1911; 30: 1090-1107
• 3 Pearce JM. Dystonia. Eur Neurol 2005; 53 (03) 151-152
• 4 Camargo CHF, Teive HAG. Evolution of the concept of dystonia. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2014; 72 (07) 559-561 . Doi: 10.1590/0004-282. Doi: × 20140056
• 5 Newby RE, Thorpe DE, Kempster PA, Alty JE. A history of dystonia: Ancient to modern. Mov Disord Clin Pract (Hoboken) 2017; 4 (04) 478-485
• 6 Maclean I. Dr Rabelais's 500 year old prescription. BMJ 1994; 308 (6932) 803-804
• 7 Heath MJ. Rabelais. 1 Ed. Tempe, Arizona: Medieval & Renaissance texts & studies; 1996
• 8 Broussole E, Laurencin C, Bernard E, Thobois S, Danaila T, Krack P. Early illustrations of Geste Antagoniste in cervical and generalized dystonia. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov. 2015 . Doi: 10.7916/D8KD1. Doi: × 74
• 9 Munts AG, Koehler PJ. How psychogenic is dystonia? Views from past to present. Brain 2010; 133 (Pt 5) 1552-1564
• 10 Rabelais F, Doré G. The Works of Rabelais, faithfully translated from the French with variorum notes and numerous illustrations by Gustave Doré. Derby, England:: The Moray Press; 1854
• 11 Bell C. Case LXXIX. Spasmodic action on the sterno-cleido-mastoideus and trapezius muscles. In: The nervous system of the human body. 1833. . Duff Green, for the Register and Library of Medical and Chirurgical Science: Washington: p. 215
• 12 Brissaud E. Vingt-quatrième leçon. Tics et spasmes cloniques de la face. Meige, H ed. Leçons sur les maladies nerveuses: La Salpêtrière, 1893–1894 1895. . Masson: Paris: pp. 502–520.
• 13 Marques PT, Germiniani FMB, Camargo CHF, Munhoz RP, Teive HAG. Édouard Brissaud: distinguished neurologist and Charcot's pupil. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2018; 76 (07) 490-493 . Doi: 10.1590/0004-282. Doi: × 20180063