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Congenital anomalies of the limbs in mythology and antiquity

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Abstract

Congenital anomalies of the limbs have been observed since ancient human civilizations, capturing the imagination of ancient physicians and people. The knowledge of the era could not possibly theorize on the biologic aspects of these anomalies; however, from the very beginning of civilization the spiritual status of people attempted to find a logical explanation for the existence of such cases. The next logical step of the spiritual and religious system of the ancients was to correlate these anomalies with the Gods and to attribute them to a different level of existence in order to rationalize their existence. In these settings, the mythology and religious beliefs of ancient civilizations comprised several creatures that were related to the observed congenital anomalies in humans. The purpose of this historic review is to summarize the depiction of congenital anomalies of the limbs in mythology and antiquity, to present several mythological creatures with resemblance to humans with congenital anomalies of the limbs, to present the atmosphere of the era concerning the congenital anomalies, and to theorize on the anomaly and medical explanation upon which such creatures were depicted. Our aim is to put historic information in one place, creating a comprehensive review that the curious reader would find interesting and enjoyable.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Department of Orthopaedics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece

    Andreas F. Mavrogenis

  2. Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Konstantinos Markatos

  3. Second Department of Orthopaedics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece

    Vasilios Nikolaou

  4. Department of Philosophy, University of Ioannina, School of Philosophy, Ioannina, Greece

    Ariadne Gartziou-Tatti

  5. Orthopaedic Research & Education Center, ATTIKON General University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece

    Panayotis N. Soucacos

Authors
  1. Andreas F. Mavrogenis
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  2. Konstantinos Markatos
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  3. Vasilios Nikolaou
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  4. Ariadne Gartziou-Tatti
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  5. Panayotis N. Soucacos
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Correspondence to Andreas F. Mavrogenis.

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Mavrogenis, A.F., Markatos, K., Nikolaou, V. et al. Congenital anomalies of the limbs in mythology and antiquity. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 42, 957–965 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-018-3776-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-018-3776-3

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