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Rheumatic disorders in creative artists
Serum ceruloplasmin to assess disease activity in RA
Correspondence
83
Rheumatic disorders in creative artists Dear Editor, I read with interest the article ‘Musculoskeletal and rheumatic disorders in performing artists’ by KM Mahendranath in the latest issue of IJR.1 The article is interesting, informative as well as thought-provoking. I took the essence of its science with a pinch of salt in the historical perspective of the article. While describing Beethoven (1771–1827), the wizard German pianist, the author has mentioned that Beethoven was suffering from progressive deafness and possible gout, with suggested differential diagnoses of reactive arthritis and Paget’s disease. This is not totally true. So far the history is concerned, it is known that Ludwig von Beethoven (1770–1827) suffered from hearing loss at age 26, and was totally deaf at age 49. The cause of his deafness has been attributed to syphilis, lead poisoning (Beethoven’s hair had alarmingly high levels of lead), typhus, and even his habit of immersing head in cold water to stay awake. He died at age 57 and his progressive deafness was then attributed to otosclerosis, or VIIIth cranial nerve compression from Paget’s disease (after postmortem study). He had multiple attacks of rheumatism. His postmortem was performed by Wagner and Rokitansky who described ‘dense half-inch-thick cranial vault, shrunken auditory nerves, wasted limbs, petechiae, cirrhosis with ascites, a large spleen and chalky deposits in the kidneys’. These findings led to the differential diagnoses of meningovascular syphilis, sarcoidosis and Whipple’s disease.2 It is worthwhile to mention here that the French painters Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) and Raoul
Dufy (1877–1943) were afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis while the famous Swiss painter Paul Klee (1879–1940) had scleroderma. The brilliant French painter Henri de Toulouse Lautrec (1864–1901) was suffering from a disputed disease pyknodysostosis, and this diagnosis was made by famous clinical geneticists Maroteaux and Lamy. The Russian pianist Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) had large hands which covered the keyboard like octopus tentacles, and was believed to have Marfan’s syndrome.2 I shall request Dr. Mahendranath to compose an article on Indian performers with rheumatism. Arup Kumar Kundu Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, In-charge, Rheumatology Clinic, R. G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata – 700 004, India. Email: [email protected]
REFERENCES 1. 2.
Mahendranath KM. Musculoskeletal and rheumatic disorders in performing artists. Indian J Rheumatol 2009; 4: 25–6. Louie JS. History, the arts, and rheumatic diseases. In: Rheumatology Secrets, 2nd ed, West SG (ed), Hanley and Belfus (an imprint of Elsevier), Philadelphia, 2002, pp. 654–8.
Authors’ reply Dear Editor, This is in reference to the letter regarding my article “Musculoskeletal and Rheumatic Disorders in Performing Artists.” I based my information regarding Beethoven on the reference 1 which I had quoted in my article. I am indeed aware of the Rheumatic problems of Renoir, Dufi, Klee and Henry de toulos. However, my article was about “Performing artists” only and not about painters. I shall definitely write on Musculoskeletal and Rheumatic problems in Indian performing artists as soon as I have enough material.
Dr. KM Mahendranath Samarpan Health Centre, Bangalore, India. Email: [email protected]
REFERENCE 1.
Greer JM, Panush RS. Musculoskeletal problems of performing artists. Bailliere’s Clin Rheumatol 1994; 8: 103–35.
Correspondence
83
Rheumatic disorders in creative artists Dear Editor, I read with interest the article ‘Musculoskeletal and rheumatic disorders in performing artists’ by KM Mahendranath in the latest issue of IJR.1 The article is interesting, informative as well as thought-provoking. I took the essence of its science with a pinch of salt in the historical perspective of the article. While describing Beethoven (1771–1827), the wizard German pianist, the author has mentioned that Beethoven was suffering from progressive deafness and possible gout, with suggested differential diagnoses of reactive arthritis and Paget’s disease. This is not totally true. So far the history is concerned, it is known that Ludwig von Beethoven (1770–1827) suffered from hearing loss at age 26, and was totally deaf at age 49. The cause of his deafness has been attributed to syphilis, lead poisoning (Beethoven’s hair had alarmingly high levels of lead), typhus, and even his habit of immersing head in cold water to stay awake. He died at age 57 and his progressive deafness was then attributed to otosclerosis, or VIIIth cranial nerve compression from Paget’s disease (after postmortem study). He had multiple attacks of rheumatism. His postmortem was performed by Wagner and Rokitansky who described ‘dense half-inch-thick cranial vault, shrunken auditory nerves, wasted limbs, petechiae, cirrhosis with ascites, a large spleen and chalky deposits in the kidneys’. These findings led to the differential diagnoses of meningovascular syphilis, sarcoidosis and Whipple’s disease.2 It is worthwhile to mention here that the French painters Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) and Raoul
Dufy (1877–1943) were afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis while the famous Swiss painter Paul Klee (1879–1940) had scleroderma. The brilliant French painter Henri de Toulouse Lautrec (1864–1901) was suffering from a disputed disease pyknodysostosis, and this diagnosis was made by famous clinical geneticists Maroteaux and Lamy. The Russian pianist Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) had large hands which covered the keyboard like octopus tentacles, and was believed to have Marfan’s syndrome.2 I shall request Dr. Mahendranath to compose an article on Indian performers with rheumatism. Arup Kumar Kundu Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, In-charge, Rheumatology Clinic, R. G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata – 700 004, India. Email: [email protected]
REFERENCES 1. 2.
Mahendranath KM. Musculoskeletal and rheumatic disorders in performing artists. Indian J Rheumatol 2009; 4: 25–6. Louie JS. History, the arts, and rheumatic diseases. In: Rheumatology Secrets, 2nd ed, West SG (ed), Hanley and Belfus (an imprint of Elsevier), Philadelphia, 2002, pp. 654–8.
Authors’ reply Dear Editor, This is in reference to the letter regarding my article “Musculoskeletal and Rheumatic Disorders in Performing Artists.” I based my information regarding Beethoven on the reference 1 which I had quoted in my article. I am indeed aware of the Rheumatic problems of Renoir, Dufi, Klee and Henry de toulos. However, my article was about “Performing artists” only and not about painters. I shall definitely write on Musculoskeletal and Rheumatic problems in Indian performing artists as soon as I have enough material.
Dr. KM Mahendranath Samarpan Health Centre, Bangalore, India. Email: [email protected]
REFERENCE 1.
Greer JM, Panush RS. Musculoskeletal problems of performing artists. Bailliere’s Clin Rheumatol 1994; 8: 103–35.