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Query: UMLS:C0018991 (hemiplegia)
 3,997 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We present the English translation of a remarkable case report from the 13th century. A collection of miracles ascribed to St. Francis contains the story of a young monk suddenly afflicted by a neurological disorder characterized by hemiplegia, speech problems and confusion. St. Francis' appearance led to complete recovery. From a theological and literary point of view, the text includes many allusions to the miracles performed by Jesus and to pagan traditions from Asclepius to Ovid. Retrospective neurological diagnoses range from a prolonged ischemic neurological deficit (PRIND) to psychogenesis. This case history is a rare example of faith healing in its contemporary context.
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PMID:St. Francis came at dawn--the miraculous recovery of a hemiplegic monk in the Middle Ages. 1287 49

Ancient and medieval literature contain few case reports of specific syndromes. But there is no lack of such accounts in theological literature, with its long tradition of gathering and documenting individual case studies involving miracle cures--a practice which stretches from the ancient sanctuaries of Asclepius to today's places of pilgrimage. Among the many miracles attributed to St. Francis, complied around 1260 by his biographer, St. Bonaventura, is the case of a young monk afflicted by a sudden hemiplegia accompanied by aphasia and mental confusion. According to legend, he was miraculously and completely healed by the appearance of St. Francis. The report can be interpreted from a number of different approaches: medical, theological, literary or even autobiographical. Neurologists may treat this "case history" as an early description of a "prolonged ischaemic neurological deficit" (PRIND).
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PMID:[A report of St. Bonaventura in the mirror of the history of neurology]. 1563 Aug 6