Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:56:48.240Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Doctor Gachet, in the kitchen, with the foxglove

Part of: Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Basic Science

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2020

Richard D. Mainwaring Open the ORCID record for Richard D. Mainwaring [Opens in a new window]  and
Stephanie Mainwaring
Richard D. Mainwaring*
Affiliation:
Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Stanford, CA, USA
Stephanie Mainwaring
Affiliation:
Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Stanford, CA, USA
*
Author for correspondence: R. D. Mainwaring MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Falk CVRC, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Tel: +723 0190; Fax: +725 0707. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) is one of the most famous artists in the world. During his 10-year career as an artist, he created more than 850 paintings. These works of art are now displayed in museums around the globe. It is therefore even more surprising that van Gogh sold just one painting during his lifetime. Van Gogh is also well-known for his mental illness. In 1888, at the age of 35, he famously sliced off his left ear. This was followed by multiple mental collapses in early 1889, leading to his admission to a mental hospital. Despite living in the asylum, van Gogh continued to paint and created some of his most beautiful works of art during the year at Saint-Rémy. Tragically, he committed suicide in 1890 at the age of 37. Over the 130 years since his death, there has been much speculation about the underlying illness of Vincent van Gogh. Many of his contemporary physicians felt that he had a form of epilepsy as the cause of his sudden “attacks”. By the last quarter of the 19th century, science and medicine were moving rapidly forward, and there were many medical conditions that had effective treatments. One example is the use of digoxin for the treatment of heart failure, and another is the discovery of potassium bromide for seizures. This paper provides an overview of van Gogh’s mental illness, the treatments that were offered by his contemporaneous physicians, and the role that these factors may have influenced his paintings.

Keywords

Vincent van Goghxanthopsiafoxglovedigitalisepilepsypotassium bromide
Type
Original Article
Information
Cardiology in the Young , Volume 30 , Issue 12 , December 2020 , pp. 1856 - 1865
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Vincent van Gogh Biography. www.vggallery.com/misc/bio.htm Google Scholar
Saltzman, C. Portrait of Dr. Gachet. The Story of a van Gogh Masterpiece: Money, Politics, Collectors, Greed, and Loss. Penguin Books, London, 1998.Google Scholar
From Light to Dark. https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/vincent-van-gogh-life-and-works Google Scholar
Jansen, L, Luijten, H, Bakker, N. Vincent van Gogh—The Letters: The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition. Thames & Hudson, London, 2009 (www.vangoghletters.org).Google Scholar
Bailey, M. Starry Night, Van Gogh at the Asylum. White Lion Publishing, London, 2018.Google Scholar
Costello, A, Storr, E. Artists and the Physicians: Vincent van Gogh and Doctor Paul Gachet. https://www.fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2018.Google Scholar
Aronson, JK, Ramachandran, M. The diagnosis of art: melancholy and the Portrait of Dr. Gachet. J R Soc Med 2006; 99: 373–374.10.1177/014107680609900724CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blumer, D. The illness of Vincent van Gogh. Am J Psychiatry 2002; 159: 519–526.10.1176/appi.ajp.159.4.519CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doiteau, V and Leroy, E. La Folie de Vincent van Gogh, Aesculape, Paris, 1928.Google Scholar
Arenberg, IK, Countryman, LF, Bernstein, LH, Shambaugh, GE Jr. Van Gogh had Meniere’s disease and not epilepsy. JAMA 1990; 264: 491–493.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnold, WN. The Illness of Vincent van Gogh. J Hist Neurosci 2004; 13: 22–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greuner, A. Vincent van Gogh’s yellow vision. Br J Gen Prac 2013; 63: 370–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnold, WN. Vincent van Gogh and the thujone connection. J Am Med Assn 1988; 260: 3042–3044.10.1001/jama.1988.03410200098033CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnold, WN, Loftus, LS. Xanthopsia and van Gogh’s Yellow Palette. Eye 1991; 5: 503–510.10.1038/eye.1991.93CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, TC. Van Gogh’s vision: digitalis toxicity? J Am Med Assn 1982; 245: 727–729.10.1001/jama.1981.03310320049025CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Withering, W. An account of the foxglove and some of its medical uses. Robinson, Birmingham, 1785.Google Scholar
Kanji, S, MacLean, RD. Cardiac glycoside toxicity. Crit Care Clinics 2012; 28: 527–535.10.1016/j.ccc.2012.07.005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawrenson, JG, Kelly, C, Lawrenson, AL, Birch, J. Acquired colour vision deficiency in patients receiving digoxin maintenance therapy. Br J Ophthalmol 2002; 86: 1259–1261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ramlakhan, SL, Fletcher, AK. It could have happened to van Gogh: a case of fatal purple foxglove poisoning and review of the literature. Eur J Emerg Med 2007; 14: 356–359.10.1097/MEJ.0b013e3280bef8dcCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aronson, JK. An account of the Foxglove and its Medical Uses, 1785-1985. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1985.Google Scholar
Gachet, P-F. Étude sur la melancholie. Imprimeur de l’Academie, Editeur de Montpellier Medical, Montpellier, 1858.Google Scholar
Sue Young Histories. Paul Ferdinand Gachet 1828-1909.Google Scholar
Artaud, A. Van Gogh le suicide de la société. (1947).Google Scholar
French Impressionist Haven/ News 24. July 18, 2001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henley, J. The remarkable Dr Gachet. The Guardian 1999 (Jan 27th).Google Scholar
Fells, D. Van Gogh’s Women: His Love Affairs and a Journey into Madness. Carroll & Graf. (2004).Google Scholar
Who Killed van Gogh? https://www.vangoghdeath.com/suspects Google Scholar
Naifeh, S, Smith, GW. Van Gogh: The Life. Random House, New York, 2011.Google Scholar