Riva Michele Augusto, Bellani Iacopo, Tremolizzo Lucio, Lorusso Lorenzo, Ferrarese Carlo, Cesana Giancarlo
Section of History of Medicine, Research Centre on Public Health, University of Milano Bicocca, Monza, Italy.
Eur Neurol. 2015;73(5-6):278-82. doi: 10.1159/000381541. Epub 2015 Apr 22.
The year 2015 marks the 750th birth anniversary of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). It is less known that Dante had a sound level of medical knowledge, probably derived by his academic studies. In his works, medieval notions of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology (e.g. the connection between brain and spinal cord, function of optic nerve and peripheral nerves, knowledge of vegetative nervous system) and descriptions of neurological disorders (e.g. epileptic seizures, effects on nervous system by metal intoxication, and narcolepsy) may be found, specially in the Inferno, the first part of his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy. These accurate descriptions have led some authors to believe that the poet himself may have suffered from a neurological disease (epilepsy or hypersomnia). Damned souls of the Inferno seem to be also afflicted by psychiatric disorders, such as melancholia and depression. The analysis of Dante's works confirms that poetry - as well as literature in general - may be an important source of information for historians of neurology.
2015年是意大利诗人但丁·阿利吉耶里（1265 - 1321）诞辰750周年。鲜为人知的是，但丁具备一定的医学知识水平，这可能源于他的学术研究。在他的作品中，尤其是在他的杰作《神曲》的第一部分《地狱篇》中，可以找到中世纪神经解剖学和神经生理学的概念（例如脑与脊髓的连接、视神经和周围神经的功能、对植物神经系统的认识）以及对神经系统疾病的描述（例如癫痫发作、金属中毒对神经系统的影响和发作性睡病）。这些准确的描述使一些作者认为这位诗人本人可能患有神经系统疾病（癫痫或嗜睡症）。《地狱篇》中受诅咒的灵魂似乎也患有精神疾病，如忧郁症和抑郁症。对但丁作品的分析证实，诗歌——以及一般意义上的文学——可能是神经学史学家的重要信息来源。
