The University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.
The University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.
World Neurosurg. 2024 Feb;182:45-51. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2023.11.041. Epub 2023 Nov 17.
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was an influential medieval Christian theologian and arguably one of the greatest scholastic philosophers. He produced more than 60 works in his 48 years, including his magnum opus, the Summa Theologica. The Catholic Church regards him as a canonized saint and one of 37 Doctors of the Church. On his way to an ecumenical council in 1274, he was "struck with sudden illness" requiring rest at a monastery where he was cared for until death several weeks later. An obscure Latin text describes an incident where he hit his head violently on an overhanging branch. Becoming progressively ill, he arrived at a Cistercian abbey where he died on March 7. Through an analysis of his final illness as documented in key Latin and Italian historical texts, and careful observation of the reputed skull relic in Priverno, Italy, the authors postulate that Aquinas may have suffered a traumatic brain injury and that his death at age 48 was occasioned by a chronic subdural hematoma. Examination of the skull was inconclusive; however, the historical textual analysis supports this theory. A more in-depth forensic analysis of the skull may help confirm the diagnosis.
托马斯·阿奎那（1225-1274 年）是一位有影响力的中世纪基督教神学家，可以说是最伟大的经院哲学家之一。他在 48 年的时间里创作了 60 多部作品，包括他的巨著《神学大全》。天主教会认为他是一位被封圣的圣徒，也是 37 位教会博士之一。1274 年，他在前往大公会议的途中“突然患病”，需要在一家修道院休息，在那里他得到了照顾，直到几周后去世。一份晦涩的拉丁文文献描述了他的头部猛烈撞击突出树枝的事件。他的病情逐渐恶化，最终抵达了一座西多会修道院，于 3 月 7 日去世。通过对关键的拉丁文和意大利文历史文献中记载的他的最后一次疾病进行分析，并仔细观察意大利皮韦尔尼的据称是他的头盖骨遗物，作者们推测阿奎那可能遭受了外伤性脑损伤，他 48 岁去世是由慢性硬脑膜下血肿引起的。对头盖骨的检查没有得出明确结论；然而，历史文本分析支持这一理论。对头盖骨进行更深入的法医分析可能有助于确认诊断。
