History of medicine: ocular disorders of the mona lisa (strabismus) and other famous paintings in the louvre, paris.

Abstract

The History of Medicine and Medical Specialties such as Ophthalmology, and the Subspecialty of Strabology extend back to the beginning of recorded history. Before there was photography to record physical abnormalities of living creatures, there was art and artists who did the recording in their works. Fortunately, many such recordings have been preserved, usually in museums, such as the Louvre, in Paris, France. They provide the graphic evidence of the same medical problems which our ancestors suffered and survived which we still do but now understand and can ameliorate better. The purpose of this paper is to provide several examples of these art works, to illuminate these historical aspects of medicine.