Fresh evidence supporting the theory that Dante Alighieri’s musings were inspired by narcolepsy is to be published in the medical journal Lancet Neurology later this month, reports The Local.
For one of the paper’s authors, Dr. Francesco Galassi, a man who combs historical texts to try to find evidence of medical disorders throughout history, the words provide further evidence of Dante’s narcolepsy.
“In this famous section Dante gives a very accurate description of a flight or fight response, centuries before the phenomenon had been explained scientifically.” Galassi told The Local. “It suggests that 700 years ago people had a good knowledge of the body’s physiological responses to fear.
