The study, carried out by two Italian medical doctors, examined ancient sources to reconstruct Da Vinci’s health from 1517 until his death in 1519 aged 67.
“The diary of Louis d’Aragona’s journey, written by Antonio de Beatis, tells us that Leonardo had a right hand’s paralysis when he was 65 years old,” Antonio Perciaccante, at the department of medicine of Gorizia hospital, told Discovery News.
“Nevertheless, the ancient document reports Da Vinci continued to paint, draw, and teach,” he added.
Perciaccante and co-author Alessia Coralli, at the department of surgery of Civita Castellana hospital, noted the account indicates that Leonardo suffered from a right hand’s paralysis with partial physical, but not cognitive, consequences.
Da Vinci’s health must have however deteriorated, following the report of 15th-century painter, architect and writer Giorgio Vasari.
In his 1550 book “Lives of the Artists,” Vasari described Leonardo as a sick and bedridden man, unable to stand up without being “supported by the arms of his servants and his friends.”
“He was ill for many months,” Vasari wrote.
According to Perciaccante and Coralli, something happened that compromized the general autonomy of the Renaissance genius.
“Our hypothesis is that a first stroke caused the hand’s paralysis. Other stroke events then followed, deteriorating Da Vinci’s health and motor activity,” Perciaccante said.
Da Vinci died in Amboise, France, on May 2, 1519, in the arms of King Francis I of France, according to Vasari. He attributed the death to a “paroxysm.”
“The term refers to a sudden attack or increase of symptoms of a disease that often recurs. Thus, it can adequately describe a stroke,” Perciaccante said.
According to the researchers, the hypothesis of a recurrent stroke is supported by medical literature.
Read more at Discovery News
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