A Case Report from the Ancient Past
Educational Purpose (only if useful for a systematic review or synthesis)
William H. Adams
Retired, Hobart, NY, USA
Am J Case Rep 2019; 20:1907-1914
DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.919830
Available online:
Published: 2019-12-20
BACKGROUND:
Standard translations of Hippocratic works are sometimes misleading because the translators knew less about their subject than did the ancient authors.
CASE REPORT:
A new translation and explication of a chapter from a Hippocratic work of the fifth century before the Common Era (BCE), Diseases II, describes patients with pituitary apoplexy and subsequent myxedema, the 2 events separated by as much as 14 years.
CONCLUSIONS:
The association of myxedema with an intracranial event that occurred years earlier predates by 2400 years the causal association of a pituitary adenoma with hormonal deficiency.
Keywords: Hippocrates, History, Ancient, Myxedema, pituitary apoplexy
