Art and Endocrinology

Art and Endocrinology

Dr H Valdes-Socin.
Assistant Professsor of Physiopathology. University of Liège. Belgium

Medicine requires scientific knowledge, but this probably is not enough to practice good medicine. Indeed, medical schools are rediscovering that teaching the arts to medical students may help them to increase their observational skills and become more empathetic “to heal the sick and relieve suffering”.
Therefore, art can also enrich the practice of endocrinology. In this workshop of endocrinology dedicated to internal medicine students, we challenge the students to exercise their diagnostic and empathetic skills. Through the observation of some famous paintings and the study of life and illness of some astonishing artists, we aim to develop both their observation and diagnostic skills.
The painting of Mona Lisa was started by Leonardo da Vinci around 1503. Taking a close look, a yellow lump can be spotted in her left eyelid and a lipoma or xanthoma on the dorsum of her right hand. Did Mona Lisa suffered from hypercholesterolemia? The sfumato technique, combined with Mona Lisa’s sophisticated simplicity, exemplifies Da Vinci’s mastery as an artist and a compulsory anatomist. Five hundred years later, enigmatic Mona Lisa still continues to inspire Endocrinology and Art (1).
Leonel Edmundo Rivero (1911 - 1986) was a one of the most famous Argentinean tango singers of the second half of the 20th century. A deep bass-baritone voice was his trademark, whereas most tango singers used to be tenors. Don Edmundo Rivero had huge hands and feet. He also had other symptoms which are typical of acromegaly like marked prognatism, diastema and visible nasolabial folds and he received treatment for acromegaly (2).
James Victor Scott (1925 – 2014) was a famous afroamerican singer that suffered from Kallmann syndrome (3). Jimmy Scott never went through puberty. Because the late stages of puberty are associated with deep changes in speaking and singing fundamental voice frequency (4), his voice did not change when he reached adolescence. Critics admired his way of singing and his resilience after a life of adversity. His extraordinary feminine voice was still there, penetrating and clear, sorrowful and fragile. “All I needed was the courage to be me,” he told to his biographer. “That courage took a lifetime to develop.”
Notre-Dame at the Rose Hospital, from Lessines, in Belgium, has among its collections an astonishing and unique work of its kind. The painting, an oil on wood (103 cm x 73.5 cm) from the end of the 16th century, represents "the Lamentation around the remains of Christ". Unexpectedly, restoration discovered an androgynous Christ, occulted under a layer of paint in the upper torso. Indeed, the painting shows some additional female characteristics of Christ, such as breasts, as well as hip feminine curves (4). Why did the anonymous painter gave to Christ both male and female characteristics? We discuss some artistic hypothesis and differential diagnosis of gynecomastia.
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec Monfa (1864-1901) was an extraordinary French painter and artist. He was the eldest son of the Count Alphonse and the Countess Adèle de Toulouse-Lautrec. Their consanguinity was likely to have contributed to their son’s congenital dwarfism. Artistic legacy from Henri includes 737 paintings, 275 aquarelles and 369 posters immortalizing Belle Époque in Paris. Dr Pierre Marie, from Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, fixed in him the features of the dwarf with achondroplasic features. An alternative explanation for his illness was osteogenesis imperfecta. More recently, this constellation of signs has been related to pycnodysostosis, sometimes known as Toulouse-Lautrec Syndrome (6), that we will discuss during this endocrinology workshop.

References

1. Valdes-Socin H. Leonardo Da Vinci: inspiring endocrinology and art since 500 years. J Endocrinol Invest. 2020 Mar;43(3):397-398. doi: 10.1007/s40618-019-01117-3.

2. Valdes-Socin H, Finck C, Beckers A. La voix acromégale. Tempo Médical Janvier 2020. p48-50.

3. Valdes-Socin H, Finck C. La voix du syndrome de Kallmann: Little Jimmy Scott (1925-2014). Tempo Médical fev 2019 p18-19.

4. Valdes-Socin H, Vuidar M. The androgyny of Christ. J Endocrinol Invest. 2021 May;44(5):1125. doi: 10.1007/s40618-020-01413-3.

5. Valdes-Socin H, De Herder WW, Beckers A. ENDOCRINOLOGY AND ART. The acromegalic voice of Tango: Don Edmundo Rivero. J Endocrinol Invest . 2015 Sep;38(9):1023-4.

6. Valdes-Socin H. The syndrome of Toulouse-Lautrec. J Endocrinol Invest. 2021 Sep;44(9):2013-2014.