Dados do Trabalho

Título

Macbeth and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: the first record of human prion disease

Resumo

Introduction: William Shakespeare, born in 1564, was an English poet, playwright and actor, considered one of the greatest figures in world literature. After more than four centuries of his death, his works continue to be the subject of discussions, due to the more than 712 medical references described in the symptoms of his characters, when the writer did not attend university. These symptoms fulfill the diagnostic criteria of several pathologies, especially neurological disorders such as parkinsonism, dementia, epilepsy, sleep disorders, headache, paralysis and human prion disease. His references to neurological syndromes inspired Jean-Martin Charcot, in the 19th century, to use his literature in neurological teaching sessions. One of the outstanding works is the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth, in which it is believed that there is a possible description of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, through the protagonist's symptoms in a soliloquy, this being the first record of the human variant of prion disease, three centuries earlier of the official record. Objectives: To describe the symptoms portrayed in Macbeth about human prion disease and the importance of literature in the development of neurological clinical thinking. Methods: Clinical, critical and objective analysis of the work Macbeth, through a narrative literature review. Results: Human prion disease is a fatal spongiform encephalitis caused by a mutation that transforms the PrPC protein into PrPSc, which is deposited in tissues, causing dementia, neuromuscular symptoms such as ataxia and myoclonus, and psychiatric manifestations. In Macbeth, the protagonist presents a rapid cognitive deterioration, also presenting involuntary movements, such as myoclonus, visual and auditory hallucinations, and insomnia, symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Another event that confirms the diagnostic hypothesis is the description of the ingestion of necromantic infusions that contained a variety of human and animal organs, such as neural tissues, which is a known form of transmission of infectious prions, which occurred prior to the onset of Macbeth's symptoms. After this event, Macbeth claims to have a strange illness. Conclusion: Shakespearean literature reveals itself, in this way, not only as a literary object of entertainment, but as a vehicle of medical knowledge, which precedes official pathological records and which, in this case, contributes to the neurological teaching and improvement of the clinical view.

Palavras Chave

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease; Macbeth; William Shakespeare; Human Prion Disease

Área

História da neurologia