 |
 |

Ludovico Ariosto's Angina
Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:95.
 |
 |
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
 |
 |
Angina pectoris is still a topical issue. As is well known, the syndrome
was first described and given its name by Heberden1
and was later identified as a condition of the coronary arteries by Jenner.2 What is less known is the straightforward, yet
exhaustive description that the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533)
made of it in his poem "Orlando Furioso" about 200 years before. It is true
that a number of scholars had already reported a condition with symptoms that
resembled those of the inflammation of the faucesfor which both the
Roman term "angina" and previously the Greek term "synanche" were coinedbut
with entirely different clinical features and outcome. In particular, one
of the more vivid descriptions was that of Aretaeus of Cappadocia (about 120-200
AD).3 However, we believe that the picture
described by our poet from Reggio Emilia is worthy of note for its poignant
accuracy. A paladin of . . . [Full Text of this Article]
CiteULike Connotea Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Technorati Twitter
What's this?
|