The Mona Lisa had thyroid
problems that account for her yellow skin, thinning hair and a
possible goitre on her neck, two US researchers say.
In a paper published in the September 2018 issue of the Mayo
Clinic Proceedings, Brigham and Women's Hospital researcher
Mandeep Mehra and University of California, Santa Barbara's
Hilary Campbell said that clinical hypothyroidism is a more
likely diagnosis than previous hypotheses including a lipid
disorder and heart disease.
"The enigma of the Mona Lisa can be resolved by a simple
medical diagnosis of a hypothyroidism-related illness," Dr.
Mehra said.
"In many ways, it is the allure of the imperfections of
disease that give this masterpiece its mysterious reality and
charm."
Had Lisa Gherardini suffered from heart disease and a lipid
disorder, it's unlikely she would have lived to such an advanced
age given the limited treatments available in 16th century
Italy.
Dr. Mehra cited the Mona Lisa's thinning hair, yellow skin,
and possible goitre as visual evidence of hypothyroidism.
"The diet of Italians during the Renaissance was lacking in
iodine, and resulting goiters (swollen thyroid gland) were
commonly depicted in paintings and sculptures of the era," he
said.
"Additionally, Lisa Gherardini gave birth shortly before
sitting for the portrait, which indicates the possibility of
peripartum thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid after
pregnancy)."
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