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St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380 AD), one of the earliest historic cases of altered gustatory perception in anorexia mirabilis

St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380 AD), one of the earliest historic cases of altered gustatory perception in anorexia mirabilis
St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380 AD), one of the earliest historic cases of altered gustatory perception in anorexia mirabilis
St. Catherine of Siena suffered from an extreme form of holy fasting, a condition classified as anorexia mirabilis (also known as inedia prodigiosa). Historical and medical scholarships alike have drawn a comparison between this primaeval type of anorexia with a relatively common form of eating disorder among young women in the modern world, anorexia nervosa. St. Catherine’s condition was characterized by a disgust for sweet taste, a condition also described in anorexia nervosa, and characterized by specific neurophysiological changes in the brain. St. Catherine’s case may be considered one of the oldest veritable descriptions of altered gustation (dysgeusia). Moreover, a more compelling neurophysiological similarity between anorexia mirabilis and anorexia nervosa may be proposed.
0022-510X
1-2
Galassi, Francesco M.
094a4bb9-eb34-45a9-b5f3-01101ce51b21
Bender, Nicole
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Habicht, Michael E.
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Armocida, Emanuele
bb275eec-7693-489e-b2ed-efdfe5b74204
Toscano, Fabrizio
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Menassa, David A.
eeb394a6-c72b-49d7-a820-95b0256c22d5
Cerri, Matteo
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Galassi, Francesco M.
094a4bb9-eb34-45a9-b5f3-01101ce51b21
Bender, Nicole
b682efda-e22b-4257-8a12-18d69d13e2dd
Habicht, Michael E.
78dc86b2-0b0f-4928-b259-1ea7ebebdb1d
Armocida, Emanuele
bb275eec-7693-489e-b2ed-efdfe5b74204
Toscano, Fabrizio
ccf4f611-d8be-4744-a6b2-4b182a6f7f6d
Menassa, David A.
eeb394a6-c72b-49d7-a820-95b0256c22d5
Cerri, Matteo
64c9f08d-a295-4eb0-920d-e0a6da58de7e

Galassi, Francesco M., Bender, Nicole, Habicht, Michael E., Armocida, Emanuele, Toscano, Fabrizio, Menassa, David A. and Cerri, Matteo (2018) St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380 AD), one of the earliest historic cases of altered gustatory perception in anorexia mirabilis. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 1-2. (doi:10.1007/s10072-018-3285-6).

Record type: Article

Abstract

St. Catherine of Siena suffered from an extreme form of holy fasting, a condition classified as anorexia mirabilis (also known as inedia prodigiosa). Historical and medical scholarships alike have drawn a comparison between this primaeval type of anorexia with a relatively common form of eating disorder among young women in the modern world, anorexia nervosa. St. Catherine’s condition was characterized by a disgust for sweet taste, a condition also described in anorexia nervosa, and characterized by specific neurophysiological changes in the brain. St. Catherine’s case may be considered one of the oldest veritable descriptions of altered gustation (dysgeusia). Moreover, a more compelling neurophysiological similarity between anorexia mirabilis and anorexia nervosa may be proposed.

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Accepted/In Press date: 12 February 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 February 2018

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Local EPrints ID: 418141
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/418141
ISSN: 0022-510X
PURE UUID: cb5b5a84-f2a9-4846-9a2a-00114a6683d9

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Date deposited: 22 Feb 2018 17:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:13

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Contributors

Author: Francesco M. Galassi
Author: Nicole Bender
Author: Michael E. Habicht
Author: Emanuele Armocida
Author: Fabrizio Toscano
Author: David A. Menassa
Author: Matteo Cerri

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