The neurology behind three wounded French artists during the great world war

Abstract

<jats:p>Abstract A unique association joins Guillaume Apollinaire, Blaise Cendrars and Louis Ferdinand Céline. Besides being great exponents of French literature, they were all neurologically wounded during the First World War. Apollinaire had a traumatic brain injury, Cendrars developed phantom limb neuropathic pain and Céline presented radial nerve paralysis. There is quite an evidence that supports that their artistic output was also influenced by acquired neurological conditions during the war. The examples of these three French authors reveal the surprising intimacy Neurology can share with art and history.</jats:p>

Post-stroke aphasia in famous writers: when Neurology left geniuses speechless

“…Aphasia is a frequent and devastating stroke complication 1 . Many famous writers have not escaped this condition 2,3,4 . In these cases, not only one of the highest cognitive functions is suddenly lost but also the act of bringing beauty into the world.…”