# François Rabelais and his dystonic giants

## TL;DR

This paper explores how a 16th-century French writer's work inspired the term and understanding of cervical dystonia.

## Contribution

It highlights the historical and cultural influence of Rabelais' literary work on the medical terminology and perception of cervical dystonia.

## Key findings

- The term 'torticollis' originated from Rabelais' literary work.
- Rabelais' description influenced the medical understanding of cervical dystonia.
- Art inspired by Rabelais impacted poetry, art, and photography.

## Abstract

Spasmodic torticollis
was an early designation used for cervical dystonia. The origin of this name is attributed to French physician and writer François Rabelais in the mid-sixteenth century. This early description of torticollis in the book
Pantagruel
was an inspiration for the understanding of cervical dystonia. The art expressed in Rabelais' literature ‒ which was immortalized by the drawings of Gustave Doré ‒ influenced poetry, art, and photography, and led to the adoption of the term
torticollis
in the neurological sciences.