Realism and neurology: neuroliterary contributions from Benito Pérez Galdós’ spiritual novels Nazarín and Halma

L. C. Álvaro González
Neurosciences and History 2020;8(4):133-149

Type of article: ORIGINAL

AUTHOR

L. C. Álvaro González
Neurology Department. Hospital de Basurto, Bilbao, Spain.
Department of Neuroscience. UPV/EHU, Vizcaya, Spain.
Partially presented at the Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Neurology in November 2020.

ABSTRACT

Introduction and objectives. Galdós is the most distinguished Spanish proponent of literary realism, characterised by a faithful transcription mirroring scenes, settings, and language. This style was adopted as a tool for denouncing the great social deficiencies, with neurological disease and disorders playing an important role.

Methods. This review is structured as follows: 1) descriptions published to date of neurological disease in Galdós’ contemporary novels; 2) a new analysis of the findings in Nazarín and Halma, two key contemporary spiritual novels; 3) a discussion of disease in Galdós’ oeuvre as a whole, its narrative role, and his sources.

Results. Previous analyses described a range of neurological disorders: headache, epilepsy, sleep disorders, movement disorders, substance use disorders (alcoholism), and cerebrovascular disease. The analysis of the novels Nazarín and Halma identified confusional syndromes, typhoid fever with sepsis, pseudoseizures (“hysteria”), and deformities (achondroplasia) in the former, and in the latter, forensic diagnosis of “epileptic monomania” to describe impulsive behaviour disorders with mystic and religious content, meeting criteria for Gastaut-Geschwind syndrome, as well as spinal cord infarction with paraplegia, age-related memory alterations, and pseudoseizures.

Galdós displays a love of science, and denounces the prevailing folk medicine of rural Spain in his day. Physicians are described with respect and affection, as an element dignifying the wretched, tragic lives of his literary creations, mirroring the society of the time. Ideas of degeneration theory, the theory of evolution, and public hygiene impregnate the author’s work. His understanding and detailed descriptions drew on several specialised books, as well as information from distinguished physician friends from various settings in Madrid, such as Gregorio Marañón, who treated him right up until the time of his death.

KEYWORDS

Benito Pérez Galdós, history of medicine, history of neurology, realism and neurology, epileptic monomania, Gastaut-Geschwind syndrome

Neurosciences and History 2020;8(4):133-149