Overweight, workaholic, and a caffeine abuser, Honoré de Balzac lived a life of excess. He prematurely died at the age of 51 owing to gangrene associated with congestive heart failure. Textual sources allow us to take a glimpse into his last 3 months of life. Because of ventricular hypertrophy, Balzac's respiratory conditions were appalling and he developed severe leg edemas and possibly stasis dermatitis. Here we report on Balzac's demise and provide first evidence of a pioneering medical treatment applied to save his life: the use of a trocar to drain leg edema. Based on the empirical observation of the benefits derived from an accidental leg drainage, Balzac's physicians anticipated the invention of the “Southey tube”, whose use evolved in the following century to treat obstinate edema in heart failure patients. Unfortunately, following the daily maneuvers for trocar insertion and in the absence of adequate disinfection measures and antibiotics, bacteria infected the open wound and gave rise to the gangrene, which caused the writer to die within 24 hours of its onset.

Perciaccante, A., Riva, M., Coralli, A., Charlier, P., Bianucci, R. (2016). The Death of Balzac (1799–1850) and the Treatment of Heart Failure During the Nineteenth Century. JOURNAL OF CARDIAC FAILURE, 22(11), 930-933 [10.1016/j.cardfail.2016.09.005].

The Death of Balzac (1799–1850) and the Treatment of Heart Failure During the Nineteenth Century

RIVA, MICHELE AUGUSTO
Secondo
;
2016

Abstract

Overweight, workaholic, and a caffeine abuser, Honoré de Balzac lived a life of excess. He prematurely died at the age of 51 owing to gangrene associated with congestive heart failure. Textual sources allow us to take a glimpse into his last 3 months of life. Because of ventricular hypertrophy, Balzac's respiratory conditions were appalling and he developed severe leg edemas and possibly stasis dermatitis. Here we report on Balzac's demise and provide first evidence of a pioneering medical treatment applied to save his life: the use of a trocar to drain leg edema. Based on the empirical observation of the benefits derived from an accidental leg drainage, Balzac's physicians anticipated the invention of the “Southey tube”, whose use evolved in the following century to treat obstinate edema in heart failure patients. Unfortunately, following the daily maneuvers for trocar insertion and in the absence of adequate disinfection measures and antibiotics, bacteria infected the open wound and gave rise to the gangrene, which caused the writer to die within 24 hours of its onset.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
19th century France; Heart failure; septicemia; trocar;
19th century France; Heart failure; septicemia; trocar; Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
English
2016
22
11
930
933
none
Perciaccante, A., Riva, M., Coralli, A., Charlier, P., Bianucci, R. (2016). The Death of Balzac (1799–1850) and the Treatment of Heart Failure During the Nineteenth Century. JOURNAL OF CARDIAC FAILURE, 22(11), 930-933 [10.1016/j.cardfail.2016.09.005].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/171542
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