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Review
. 2022 Mar;21(1):185-187.
doi: 10.1007/s42000-021-00336-9. Epub 2021 Nov 9.

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): an "infernal" endocrinological observation

Piergiorgio Mandarano  1 , Graziella Masciangelo  1 , Emanuele Armocida  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): an "infernal" endocrinological observation

Piergiorgio Mandarano et al. Hormones (Athens). 2022 Mar.

Abstract

The year 2021 marks the 700th anniversary of Dante's death. Is it appropriate to celebrate this anniversary in a journal of endocrinology? The answer is yes-the motivation for this being found in the giants that Dante, in his Divine Comedy, places around the well that divides Circle 8 from Circle 9 of Hell. The "Supreme Poet" describes one of the giants (Nimrod, a Biblical character) as having a large and elongated face with a body of gargantuan proportions. Such a description immediately calls to mind the characteristics of acromegalic prognathism, the huge stature being the most pathognomonic aspect. Is it possible that the sharp eye of Dante had observed such a feature in people affected by actual gigantism?

Keywords: Dante; Divine Comedy; Giants; Gigantism; Nimrod; Proganitsm.

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