title: [Praying for the hunchback man. On the cultural history of scoliosis and kyphosis].
abstract: Numerous ancient burial sites contain spines with scoliotic deformities. However, very little is known about the lives of these people, the "hunchbacks". Their everyday life, how they saw themselves and were seen by others, their social status and perspectives can usually only be deduced indirectly from a variety of sources. These include fairy-tales and myths, beliefs and superstitions, classical and light literature, and accounts by theological and philosophical writers. The present paper proves that severely deformed scoliosis patients were generally burdened with a pitful fate in ancient times and during the Middle Ages. There was no effective treatment, healthy citizens showed little compassion, hunchbacks were said to have a vile and base character, and they were usually stigmatised outsiders. The sociopsychological situation for these patients did not improve until modern times, beginning with increased public awareness during the last century, in parallel with the slow development of orthopaedic treatment methods for scoliosis.
authors.affiliation: Orthopädische Klinik Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität München.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Halter
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krödel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005495:Folklore; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000266:history*; D008297:Male; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D011287:Prejudice; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000266:history*
vernacular_title: Beten fürs bucklicht Männlein. Zur Kulturgeschichte der Skoliose und Kyphose.