Balzac and human gait analysis.
BACKGROUND
People have been interested in movement analysis in general, and gait analysis in particular, since ancient times. Aristotle, Hippocrates, Galen, Leonardo da Vinci and Honoré de Balzac all used observation to analyse the gait of human beings. The purpose of this study is to compare Honoré de Balzac's writings with a scientific analysis of human gait.


METHODS
Honoré de Balzac's Theory of walking and other works by that author referring to gait.


METHODS
Honoré de Balzac had an interest in gait analysis, as demonstrated by his descriptions of characters which often include references to their way of walking. He also wrote a treatise entitled Theory of walking (Théorie de la demarche) in which he employed his keen observation skills to define gait using a literary style. He stated that the walking process is divided into phases and listed the factors that influence gait, such as personality, mood, height, weight, profession and social class, and also provided a description of the correct way of walking.


CONCLUSIONS
Balzac considered gait analysis to be very important and this is reflected in both his character descriptions and Theory of walking, his analytical observation of gait. In our own technology-dominated times, this serves as a reminder of the importance of observation.
Departamento de Fisioterapia, Terapia Ocupacional, Rehabilitación y Medicina Física, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, España. Electronic address: susana.collado@urjc.es.
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Collado-Vázquez
Departamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamiento Psicológico I, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, España.
J M
JM
Carrillo
D005197:Famous Persons; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006809:Humanities / Q000266:history; D006801:Humans; D008093:Literature, Modern / Q000266:history*; D008297:Male; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D016138:Walking / Q000266:history