[Ill-conditioned rules on the throne of Byzantium].

Abstract

Author presents and analyses informations of non-medical texts of Byzantine historians and chroniclers concerning diseases of Byzantine emperors, concluding that diseases were implicated in certain political and military difficulties. Only one third of the emperors died due to natural causes (i.e. illnesses). Some historians, such as Anna Comnena and Michael Psellos had studied medicine, both of them had excellent knowledge of medical theories of their times. Some diseases in Byzantium were widespread and had high morbidity. This material gives an indication that arthritis (resembling gout) tyrannised a great number of emperors. Contemporary historians maintain that the main causes of gout were overconsumption of alcoholic drinks and food. Other very serious conditions were acute and chronic pyelonephritis and urolithiasis. Relatively frequent conditions of the emperors included pestilential diseases (dysentery, typhoid fever, etc.), psychiatric disorders, epilepsy and arteriosclerosis.