O wodogłowiu w XVI wieku

Abstrakt

ABOUT HYDROCEPHALUS IN THE 16TH CENTURY

The basis of this publication is a translation from the Latin original text of the fragment of Jan Chrościejewski’s textbook published in 1584, which addresses hydrocephalus in children, a problem that remained an unresolved medical issue at the time. For both the author and his mentor, teacher, and lecturer, this was a topic of unclear and inexplicable dilemmas. Even the cited literature of recognized medical authorities from ancient times, the Middle Ages, and their contemporary Renaissance era failed to resolve the complex, even breakneck, attempts to explain the causes of hydrocephalus as a childhood condition. Attempts to determine the prognosis for this condition also proved unsuccessful. The causes of the disorders leading to hydrocephalus were not understood, and no treatment prescription was offered. Ignorance and helplessness prevailed among medieval, Greek-speaking and Arabic authors. The text is part of an original work, originating from the transcription of lectures by Professor Hieronymus Mercurialis, a renowned and widely respected Paduan scholar and physician in the 16th century. Some of the author’s substantive observations should be considered current. These include the observations that very large heads occur in infants, that hydrocephalus affects newborns, and that it is congenital. The information about the constant interrelationships of intracranial components, as the sum of the volumes of three elements – cerebrospinal fluid, blood remaining in the blood vessels, and brain tissue – is consistent with the 19th-century Monro-Kellie Doctrine. The numerous issues raised demonstrate the author’s excellent practical insight and careful use of available bibliography. Despite numerous factual errors and inappropriate remarks, which we approach with due understanding and indulgence for the archaisms of ancient medicine, we can conclude that Jan Chrościejewski’s 16th-century medical study remains relevant for congenital and early infantile hydrocephalus.