|
|
Van Gogh's Unkown Illness And The Natural Medicines Used To Treat It
Mutlu ERBAY*
* Doç.Dr., Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Güzel Sanatlar Bölümü, Öğr.Üy., ISTANBUL
The Dutch (painter) artist Van Gogh lived between 1853 ?1890. Especially during his late life he suffered from epilepsy. The reality behind his paintings was for most of the time very different. A large number of the letters which Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo have been examined by medical experts of today.
As a result of these examinations, his illness reminds one more of porphyry. Van Gogh was suffering from indigestion, loss of appetite, stomach pains and biliousness. Could these symptoms point to manic depression or epilepsy?
Van Gogh talked in many of his letters to his brother about these changes in his body. These symptoms remind one more of porphyry, which is a physiological, genetically inherited disorder. His healthy problems consisted of day dreamings and hallucinations. In porhyry patients, stomach pains, vomitting, heavyness or paralysis in the limbs and psychological changes are seen that remined hysteria. Scrophulariaceae family (yüksükotu) and artemisia absinthium (pelinotu) were used for the treatment and side effects of this treatment were seen on his paintings.Keywords: Vangogh, Artemisia absinthium, Scrophulariaceae family, Epilepsi, Porphyry
|
|
|
|
|
