[Stigmata: From Saint-Francis of Assisi to idiopathic haematidrosis]. / Les stigmates: de Saint-François d'Assise à l'hématidrose idiopathique.

"Religious" stigmata describe body marks and sores that reflect the crucifixion wounds of Christ (hands and wrists, feet, flank, back, shoulders, forehead) and which are transferred to an individual through fervent prayer. "Non-religious" stigmata usually describe spontaneous episodes of bleeding with no identifiable cause outside any religious context. Irrespective of the setting in which they occur, such lesions are extremely striking. This review intends to summarize what is currently known about stigmata in the light of current medical knowledge, while stressing that the "spontaneous" nature of these lesions does not rule out a genuine medical cause.

Auricular hematoma and cauliflower deformation of the ear: from art to medicine.

Auricular hematoma and cauliflower deformation of the ear are unique in several respects. Knowledge about it began, in antiquity, through artists, particularly Greek and Roman, and then Japanese in the 18th century with their representation of cauliflower deformation of the ear on sculptures and paintings of pugilists and wrestlers. It is only in the 19th century that physicians began to make substantive progress in understanding this abnormality. It was first thought to be associated with mental disease, but by the beginning of the 20th century, its etiology was recognized as being caused by trauma and was then named auricular hematoma. The second step in the understanding of this affliction was the observation that auricular hematoma progresses toward cauliflower deformation of the ear, which was named cauliflower ear. Recognition of this evolution led to the development of therapies. During the second half of the 20th century, different treatments were developed. They included various hematoma drainage techniques with special bandages to prevent hematoma recurrence and ensuing progression to cauliflower ear. In summary, cauliflower deformation of the ear is an old artistic affliction that has only recently received medical attention.

Old familiar faces: some aspects of the asylum era in Britain. Part 1.

Conditions which had an historical association with Asylums in the years 1850-1950, but which are no longer commonly seen in psychiatric practice, are reviewed. These include: Asylum pellagra, Erysipelas, Insane Ear and Fractured Ribs. The history of each condition and its manifestation is reviewed in the context of its relationship with mental illness and its treatment as seen by authorities writing when these conditions were prevalent. It is not clear why these conditions became common, why they had a particular association with Asylums, or why they have largely disappeared.