Illness hidden in famous art masterpiece

American experts found the mysterious disease of a woman in Christina's World, a picture that is considered a symbol of American painting.

According to Discovery News, the masterpiece of art by artist Andrew Wyeth portrays a woman living next to his house, Christina Olson. Wyeth inspired the painting after observing from the window of the scene of Christina crawling through the field. The painting is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, USA.

During the 23rd Clinical Clinical History Conference held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, experts confirmed that a young woman suffers from a genetic neurological syndrome that affects both motor and emotional nerves. feeling. In the painting, Christina's legs were folded in a strange corner under her body. "The limbs, especially the arms, are very thin , " Discovery News quoted Marc Patterson, professor of neurology, pediatrics and genetics at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Christina's World Masterpiece by drawing artist Andrew Wyeth.(Photo: Wikipedia).

After reviewing the pathological history of Christina Olson and studying the portrait picture of Wyeth, Patterson concluded that Christina had Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease , hereditary genetic mutation caused a defect in nerve proteins. . This disease damages nerves and affects motor function.

Christina revealed weakness in her ankle from early childhood. This weakness is growing in an ominous way. At the age of 26, she could not move her arms and only walked 3-4 steps without help. Christina visited Boston City Hospital, but the tests did not help make a diagnosis.

At the end of her 50s, Christina lost her ability to stand up and was forced to crawl when she wanted to go somewhere. Her mind was still clear, but she also had a loss of sensation, leading to a severe burn while sleeping at the age of 56.

At the age of 74, she had to sit in a wheelchair and died shortly thereafter."The medical record clearly shows the existence of a progressively slow peripheral neuropathy, associated with normal lifespan , " Patterson said.

People with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease experience weakness in the muscles of the feet and lower thighs. They can suffer foot deformity as very thin feet or bends. Today, the incidence of this syndrome is about 1 / 2,500 people in the United States. The disease has no cure, but some can help patients move more easily.

According to Patterson, Christina's case is very interesting."This picture has long been my favorite work, and Christina's disease is a fascinating medical mystery. I think her case is very similar to Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome , " Patterson. share.