Journal of medical biography

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• J Med Biogr · Nov 2013

  Biography Historical Article

  Arnault Tzanck (1886-1954), founder of the first blood centre worldwide.

  Arnault Tzanck was at the origins of French transfusion and the founder of the first blood centre worldwide. This article retraces his career and personal itinerary and that path which led him to give his build the country's first organized and modern blood transfusion structure.

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• J Med Biogr · Nov 2013

  Biography Historical Article

  A retrospective diagnosis of epilepsy in three historical figures: St Paul, Joan of Arc and Socrates.

  It has been suggested that undiagnosed epilepsy profoundly influenced the lives of several key figures in history. Historical sources recounting strange voices and visions may in fact have been describing manifestations of epileptic seizures rather than more supernatural phenomena. Well-documented accounts of such experiences exist for three individuals in particular: Socrates, St Paul and Joan of Arc. ⋯ Finally, Joan of Arc gave a detailed narrative on the voices she heard from childhood during her Trial of Condemnation. Her auditory hallucinations appear to follow sudden acoustic stimuli in a way reminiscent of idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features. By analysing passages from historical texts, it is possible to argue that Socrates, St Paul and Joan of Arc each had epilepsy.

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