Rheumatoid arthritis-like deformities in an early 16th-century painting of the Flemish-Dutch school
Article Abstract:
Hand deformities seen in a painting by an artist of the Flemish-Dutch school in the mid-15th or early 16th century suggest that rheumatoid arthritis is an old disease. The painting is a copy of an earlier piece painted around 1430. The description of rheumatoid arthritis by Landre-Beauvais in 1800 might lead to the conclusion that the disease is a result of fairly recent environmental changes. Changes in bone consistent with arthritis have been documented by archaeologists who found bone fragments in Alabama from the late Archaic period. Anthropologists theorized that the disease might have changed or that it might be a New World disease or allergic reaction. Descriptions by Europeans of chronic rheumatism of the 17th century and analysis of this painting gives evidence that arthritis is not a new disease in Europe.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1992
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Blindness caused by diabetes - Massachusetts, 1987-1994
Article Abstract:
Data from Massachusetts reveal that the incidence and prevalence of blindness caused by diabetes has not dropped despite the preventable nature of this condition. Between 1987 and 1994, the incidence of blindness caused by diabetes remained stable while the prevalence increased 28%. The prevalence of blindness due to diabetes increased substantially in older persons but dropped in those between the ages of 20 and 44. Early diagnosis and laser photocoagulation can substantially reduce the incidence of blindness in diabetics.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1996
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Diabetes insipidus and blindness caused by a suprasellar tumor: Pieter Pauw's observations from the 16th century
Article Abstract:
Dutch anatomist Pieter Pauw may have first described a case of diabetes insipidus and blindness from a cyst in the optic chiasm. In 1590, Pauw performed an autopsy on an 18-year-old girl, and found a cystic tumor where the optic nerves cross at the base of the brain. Tumors in this area, known as the Rathke cleft, can disrupt the release of antidiuretic hormone from the pituitary gland and lead to excessive urination and thirst, called diabetes insipidus.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1998
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