A Neurological Mystery from History: The Case of Claudius Caesar

2010/07/09 by Ali Murad · 1 citation
Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Ancient history #Cerebral palsy #Classics #Emperor #History #Medicine #Neurology and Historical Studies #Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders #Psychiatry #Psychology #Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments #Tics #Tourette syndrome

paper · doi:10.1080/09647040902872775

openalex publication_date 2010/07/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

The Roman emperor Claudius suffered from a wide range of physical tics and disabilities. Many scholars have explained these symptoms by hypothesizing that Claudius suffered from cerebral palsy. However, this hypothesis is dated and does not take into account all of the evidence available. This article re-examines ancient historical sources in the light of modern medical knowledge in an attempt to retrospectively diagnose the cause of Claudius's problems. In doing so, it suggests that Claudius may have suffered from Tourette's syndrome.

Citations

• Tourette's syndrome and creativity.
• Mozart's scatological disorder.
• Tourette syndrome, associated conditions and the complexities of treatment
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR)

Cited by

• Claudius [wikipedia]

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