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Dante Alighieri (1265–1321): an “infernal” endocrinological observation

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Abstract

The year 2021 marks the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death. Is it appropriate to celebrate this anniversary in a journal of endocrinology? The answer is yes—the motivation for this being found in the giants that Dante, in his Divine Comedy, places around the well that divides Circle 8 from Circle 9 of Hell. The “Supreme Poet” describes one of the giants (Nimrod, a Biblical character) as having a large and elongated face with a body of gargantuan proportions. Such a description immediately calls to mind the characteristics of acromegalic prognathism, the huge stature being the most pathognomonic aspect. Is it possible that the sharp eye of Dante had observed such a feature in people affected by actual gigantism?

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universita Degli Studi Di Parma, Parma, Italy

    Piergiorgio Mandarano, Graziella Masciangelo & Emanuele Armocida

  2. Azienda Ospedaliero, Universitaria Di Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy

    Emanuele Armocida

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  1. Piergiorgio Mandarano
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  2. Graziella Masciangelo
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  3. Emanuele Armocida
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Correspondence to Emanuele Armocida.

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Mandarano, P., Masciangelo, G. & Armocida, E. Dante Alighieri (1265–1321): an “infernal” endocrinological observation. Hormones 21, 185–187 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42000-021-00336-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42000-021-00336-9

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