According to various Greek and Latin texts, several Roman emperors died of “apoplexy”. This paper presents a systematic collection and evaluation of these sources. The contents of the texts are compared with contemporary knowledge as well as present-day perspectives. In retrospect, few of the “royal cases” can be classified as cerebrovascular disorders.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BanklH. Woran sie wirklich starben. Krankheiten und Tod historischer Persönlichkeiten (3rd edn). Wien: Wilhelm Maudrich, 1992: pp. 99–120.
2.
NorrisJWStalin's stroke. Neurology1994;44:765–6.
3.
FishbeinM. Strokes. 2. American presidents who had strokes. Postgraduate Medicine1965;37:200–8. See also GilbertRE. The Mortal Presidency. Illness and Anguish in the White House. New York: Fordham University Press, 1998.
4.
MarmorMFWilson, strokes, and zebras. New England Journal of Medicine1982;307:528–35.
5.
ShapiroAPWeinsteinEAMarmorMFLetters [re Marmor MF, op. cit. ref. 4]. New England Journal of Medicine1983;308:163–4.
6.
Lange-EichbaumWKurthW. Genie, Irrsinn und Ruhm. Genie-Mythus und Pathographie des Genies (6th revised edn). München: Ernst Reinhard, 1967: p. 498.
7.
MidelfortHCEMad Princes of Renaissance Germany. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1994: pp. 94–8.
8.
LascaratosJManduvalosV. Cases of stroke on the throne of Byzantium. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences1998;7:5–10.
9.
KarenbergAMoogFPDie Apoplexie im medizinischen Schrifttum der Antike. Fortschritte der Neurologie und Psychiatrie1997;65:489–503.
10.
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. Vitellius, 3, 1. In: RolfeJC, trans. Suetonius, Vol. II.London/Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann/Harvard University Press, 1914: p. 253.
11.
CassiusDio. Historiae, 68, 33. In: CaryE, trans. Dio's Roman History, Vol. VIII.London/Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann/Harvard University Press, 1925: p. 423.
12.
Galen. In: KühnCG. Claudii Galeni opera omnia, Vol. XIX.Leipzig: Car. Cnobloch, 1830: p. 18.
13.
Historia Augusta: Verus, 9, 11. In: HohlE. Scriptores Historiae Augustae, Vol. I (5th edn). Leipzig: Teubner, 1971: p. 82. English translation here and elsewhere by Moog FP, Karenberg A (except refs 33 and 39).
14.
Scriptores Historiae Augustae, Vol. I: Marcus Aurelius, 14, 8. In: HohlE (op. cit. ref. 13): p. 60.
15.
St Hieronymus. Chronicon. In: SchoeneA. Eusebi chronicorum libri duo, Vol. II.Berlin: Weidmann, 1866: p. 171.
16.
Eutropius. Breviarium ab urbe condita, 8, 10, 3–4. In: RuehlF. Eutropi breviarium ab urbe condita. Stuttgart: Teubner 1985 (reprint of 1887/1919 edn): p. 57.
17.
OrosiusPaulus.Historiae adversum paganos, 7, 15, 3. In: Arnaud-LindetMP. Orose, Histoires (Contre les Païens), Vol. III.Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1991: p. 48.
18.
KarenbergA. Reconstructing a doctrine: Galen on apoplexy. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences1994;3:94.
19.
Pseudo-AureliusVictor. De vita et moribus imperatorum, 16, 5. In: FestyM. Pseudo-Aurélius Victor: Abrége des Césars.Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1999: p. 26. (Many ancient texts are presented in their original language by Festy.).
20.
AdlerA. Suidae Lexicon, Vol. I.Leipzig: Teubner, 1928: p. 314.
21.
Historia Augusta: Verus, 9, 1 (op. cit. ref. 13).
22.
For the present paper, the Suda is the only source that was written in Greek.
23.
Galen. In: KühnCG. Claudii Galeni opera omnia, Vol. XIV.Leipzig: Car. Cnobloch, 1827: p. 650.
24.
Hippocrates. Diseases, 3, 3. In: PotterP. Hippocrates, Vol. VI.Cambridge, MA/London: Harvard University Press/William Heinemann, 1988: pp. 10–11.
25.
Herodian. Ab excessu Divi Marci, 2, 1, 3. In: MüllerFL. Herodian, Geschichte des Kaisertums nach Marc Aurel …. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1996: pp. 78–9.
26.
Herodian, Geschichte des Kaisertums nach Marc Aurel …: 2, 2, 6, pp. 82–3.
27.
Constantine VII Porphyrogenirus. Excerpta de insidiis. In: De BoorC. Excerpta de insidiis. Berlin: Weidmann, 1905: pp. 88–9.
28.
Galen. In: KühnCG. Claudii Galeni opera omnia, Vol. XVII B. Leipzig: Car. Cnobloch, 1829: pp. 617–18. For more information, see Karenberg A, Moog FP (op. cit. ref. 9): p. 494.
29.
Socrates. Historia ecclesiastica, 2, 47, 4. In: HusseyR. Socratis Scholastici ecclesiastica historia, Vol. I. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1853: p. 373.
30.
Photius. Bibliotheke, 483 b. In: HenryR. Photius, Bibliothèque, Vol. VIII.Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1977: p. 35.
31.
VictorPseudo-Aurelius. De vita et moribus imperatorum (op. cit. ref. 19, p. 48).
32.
ZonarasJohannes. Epitome historion, 13, 11. In: DindorfL. Ioannis Zonarae epitome historiarum, Vol. III.Leipzig: Teubner, 1870: p. 207.
33.
MarcellinusAmmianus. Res gestae, 21, 15, 2–3. In: RolfeJC, trans. Ammianus Marcellinus, Vol. II.London/Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann/Harvard University Press, 1940: pp. 171–3.
34.
St Hieronymus. Chronicon (op. cit. ref. 15, p. 198).
35.
OrosiusPaulus. Historiae adversum paganos, 7, 32, 14 (op. cit. ref. 17, p. 87).
36.
Socrates. Historia ecclesiastica, 4, 31, 5–6. In: HusseyR. Socratis Scholastici ecclesiastica historia, Vol. II.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1853: p. 555.
37.
Zosimos. Nea historia, 4, 17. In: MendelssohnL. Zosimi comitis et exadvocatifisci historia nova. Leipzig: Teubner, 1887: p. 172.
38.
Ammianus Marcellinus (op. cit. ref. 33). See also KarenbergAMoogFP. Der Tod des römischen Kaisers Valentinian I. Einemißglückte neurologische Notfalltherapie im Jahre 375 n. Chr. Schriftenreihe der Deutschen Gesellschafl für Geschichte der Nervenheilkunde1998;4:171–9.
39.
Ammianus Marcellinus. Res gestae 30, 6, 3–6. In: RolfeJC, trans. Ammianus Marcellinus, Vol. III.London/Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann/Harvard University Press, 1952: pp. 349–51.
40.
LewinL. Die Gifte in der Weltgeschichte. Toxikologische, allgemein-verständliche Untersuchungen der historischen Quellen. Berlin: Julius Springer, 1920: p. 194.
41.
FrohneDPfänderHJGiftpflanzen. Ein Handbuchfür Apotheker, Ärzte, Toxikologen und Biologen (4th revised edn). Stuttgart: Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, 1997: p. 312.
42.
Hippocrates. Aphorisms 2, 42. In: JonesWHS. Hippocrates, Vol. IV.Cambridge, MA/London: Harvard University Press/William Heinemann, 1931: pp. 118–19.