title: Iconography of goiter: four refined examples in the Sacred Mountain of Varese, Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Four goiter representations observed by the authors in the sculptures of the Sacred Mountain of Varese, Italy, are described here.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  They should be regarded as a typical and proper example of the iconography of "real goiter," where the artists had the definite intention to depict persons with goiter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Studies of representations of individuals with goiter are not that rare, even though most of the observations reported in the literature deal with images that should be considered occasional swelling of the anterior neck, "thick neck," or "pseudogoiter" because the artists probably did not have any intention to illustrate the pathological condition.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical and Morphological Sciences, University of Insubria , Varese, Italy .
authors.forename: Gianlorenzo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dionigi
authors.forename: Renzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dionigi
mesh_terms: D002410:Catholicism; D006043:Goiter, Endemic / Q000266:history* / Q000503:physiopathology; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D012423:Rural Health / Q000266:history*; D012613:Sculpture / Q000266:history*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index