The uncinated crisis of George Gershwin.
George Gershwin, renowned composer and pianist, well known for his popular works, died on the 11th July 1937 due to a brain tumor. His neurological symptoms first appeared on that same year, in February, with a simple olfactory partial seizure, characterized by an unpleasant smell of burnt rubber (uncinated seizure). He later had a quick clinical descend, with severe headache that occurred in bouts, dizziness, coordination compromise and olfactory seizures, eventually lapsing into a coma on the 9th July 1937. It was then that a gliomatosus cyst was diagnosed, which on microscopic examination proved to be a "glioblastoma multiforme". Despite the surgical intervention, Gershwin died soon after the procedure without recovering his consciousness. We make a brief review of Gershwin's neurologic disease, with emphasis on the initial symptoms, namely the uncinated seizures.
Serviço de Neurologia, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil. hagteive@mps.com.br
Hélio A G
HA
Teive
Francisco M B
FM
Germiniani
Alexander B
AB
Cardoso
Luciano
L
de Paola
Lineu César
LC
Werneck
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000266:history*; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States