J. J. Ruiz Ezquerro
Neurosciences and History 2024;12(4):182-209
Type of article: ORIGINAL
AUTHOR
J. J. Ruiz Ezquerro
Neurologist and historian. Department of Neurology. Complejo Asistencial de Zamora, Zamora, Spain.
Parts of this study were presented at the meeting of the History of Neurology Study Group during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Neurology.
ABSTRACT
Objectives. This article analyses references to diseases and medical terminology related to what is known today as neurology in the works of Gonzalo de Berceo.
Material and methods. The 12 works recognised as having been written by Berceo, and particularly the accounts of miracles in the biographies of Saint Dominic of Silos and Saint Aemilianus and in The miracles of Our Lady, were reviewed and analysed from a medical perspective. Contemporary works were also reviewed, and the references to disease were compared. A specific analysis was performed for The life of Saint Oria, one of the first written references to mysticism.
Results. Berceo’s writings frequently depict clinical pictures including headache, sensory alterations (loss of vision and hearing), weakness and paralysis, sensory alterations, ergotism, muscle contractures, possible dystonia, pain, probable stroke, tetanus, delusions, deficiency diseases, etc. We also, of course, observe cases of demonic possession, some of which clearly show epileptic semiology. Berceo’s work probably also contains the first description of Tourette syndrome. The life of Saint Oria may also include the earliest description of ecstatic epilepsy.
Discussion and commentary. The scarce literature on medical aspects of Berceo’s work is discussed and correlated with the findings of the present study.
Conclusion. Berceo’s extensive oeuvre, due to both its status as hagiographic literature (particularly the thaumaturgic references) and its faithful, colloquial portrayal of life at the time, represents an essential source for studying disease in the Middle Ages.
KEYWORDS
Gonzalo de Berceo, hagiography, miracle, neurological symptoms
Neurosciences and History 2024;12(4): 182-209
Neurosciences and History
Archivo Histórico de la Sociedad Española de Neurología
C/ Casp, 172, 1A 08013 – Barcelona
Tlf.: +34 933426233.
E-mail: archivo@sen.org.es