title: Portrayal of neurological illness and physicians in the works of shakespeare.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indianapolis, Ind., USA.
authors.forename: Brandy R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Matthews
mesh_terms: 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*