Portrayal of neurological illness and physicians in the works of shakespeare.
William Shakespeare was arguably one of the most prolific writers of all time. The topics explored in his works include both physicians and neurological illnesses. In addition to a review of the portrayal of neurological diseases such as dementia, epilepsy, parkinsonism, and parasomnias, this article describes the roles of physicians in Shakespeare's plays. Furthermore, a novel hypothesis that King Lear, one of Shakespeare's more tragic figures, suffered from dementia with Lewy bodies is explored based on evidence from the dialogue of the drama.
Matthews
Brandy R
BR
Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indianapolis, Ind., USA.
D004324:Drama / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D049669:History, 16th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000266:history*; D010820:Physicians / Q000266:history*