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The illnesses of Carlo di Ferdinando I de' Medici: a second opinion.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  22274610     Owner:  NLM     Status:  Publisher    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVES: To offer a second opinion on the recently published retrospective diagnosis of Cardinal Carlo de' Medici (1596-1666), a prominent member of the grand ducal family then ruling Tuscany. METHODS: Retrospective diagnosis of historical figures is difficult and at times controversial, even with modern technology. It is based on contemporaneous medical descriptions and historical reviews, inherited iconography, and rarely - as in the case of the Medici of Florence - skeletal assessment, completed with radiological, histological and even immunological studies. Modern clinical work is often complemented with a second opinion obtained from specialists in the relevant fields. It is this type of second opinion that our collaborative Australian and Italian team, comprised of an orthopaedic/spinal surgeon, a rheumatologist and two medical historians, now offers. RESULTS: The authors concur with the first opinion's diagnosis of Klippel-Feil syndrome in Carlo de' Medici, but disagree with the diagnoses of tuberculosis (Pott's disease) and rheumatoid arthritis. We find evidence, instead, for a psoriatic-DISH arthropathy with involvement of Klippel-Feil syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: A psoriatic-DISH arthropathy, previously described by the present authors as the 'Medici syndrome', was commonly found in the males of the primary branch of the family. The diagnosis of this condition in Cardinal Carlo de' Medici represents its first identification in a male of the secondary (grand ducal) branch of the family.
Authors:
George M Weisz; Marco Matucci-Cerinic; William R Albury; Donatella Lippi
Publication Detail:
Type:  JOURNAL ARTICLE     Date:  2012-1-23
Journal Detail:
Title:  Clinical and experimental rheumatology     Volume:  -     ISSN:  0392-856X     ISO Abbreviation:  -     Publication Date:  2012 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2012-1-25     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8308521     Medline TA:  Clin Exp Rheumatol     Country:  -    
Other Details:
Languages:  ENG     Pagination:  -     Citation Subset:  -    
Affiliation:
School of History and Philosophy (Program in History of Medicine), University of New South Wales, Sydney, and School of Humanities, University of New England, Armidale, Australia. gmweisz@aol.com.
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