The Year: 1559

The glorious reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England has just begun. A tragic accident kills King Henri II of France. So begins the long, agonizing decline of the Valois dynasty. This program, "Vesalius, Paré, and the Death of Henri II -- A Historical Case of Head Trauma and a Modern Parallel, " focuses on the following six points:

THE RISK taken by the chief executive of one of Europe's most powerful governments in a dangerous medieval military ritual.

THE FAILURE of the most brilliant physicians and surgeons of the time, including Andreas Vesalius and Ambroise Paré to heal his injury, caused by a lance splinter penetrating the eye.

THE TREATMENT and diagnosis of the King's injury with the available state-of-the-art medical practices of the day.

THE BRAWL in which a modern-day American war veteran is pierced in the eye with a pool cue, creating a parallel victim -- but one who survives.

WHETHER King Henri II might have been saved with the brain scans and antibiotics of today's medical arsenal.

HOW examination of historic cases can improve our clinical judgment and research insight.

Pre-Modern Approaches to head trama include:

• Contrecoup and its interpretation.
• Uses and misuses of autopsy data.
• The classical concept of the Vulnus Chironium and its application in the 16th century.
• Vesalius' use of a diagnostic test developed by late medieval surgeons.
• Contrasting understandings of cerebral tissue necrosis.
• Medications including mixtures of wine, sage, and powdered human mummy.
• Indications and contraindications for trepanation.
• Contrast between modern imaging and ancient concepts.
• Misconceptions about meningeal influence on cerebral function.

VESALIUS, PARE AND THE DEATH OF HENRI II probes these complex issues with an extraordinary sense of historical and cultural context. The royal case is examined in a richly woven narrative overflowing with period illustrations, paintings, letters, and reenactments complete with an ominous prediction by Nostradamus.

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