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Many world-renowned scientists and artists had autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We suggest that the French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) also had ASD. As a boy, he demonstrated his mastery of language, mathematics and science. He showed single-mindedness and obsessive interests in the pursuit of science in his younger years and later he pursued with religion with the same determination. Pascal neglected social interactions; he was cold and aloof and had an obsessive revulsion to any expression of emotional attachment. As shown by his funerary mask and the autopsy report Pascal had craniosynostosis (primary nonsyndromic oxycephaly) with atrophy of the right half of the face. Congenital facial asymmetry due to craniosynostosis has a genetic basis. This suggests that Pascal's facial deformity may betray his propensity to suffer from genetically determined diseases including ASD. Despite the intrinsic limitations of a diagnosis based only on biographical information, we surmise that Pascal had the three key symptoms (obsessive interests, difficulty in social relationship and problems in communicating) that characterize ASD individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent paleopathological cases have shown the usefulness of interdisciplinary odontological studies in the investigation of historical figures., Observation: A macroscopic examination of the mandible of Saint-Louis (13th c. AD), conserved in the cathedral of Notre-Dame (Paris, France) was carried out, and compared with biographical data about the life and death of the King, and contemporaneous cases of infectious/inflammatory diseases. We found post-mortem tooth loss associated with moderate signs of infectious and inflammatory diseases, which precise diagnoses are discussed facing historical chronicles and sources: main diagnosis is scurvy, potentially associated with bacterial infection., Discussion: Our results support the identification of the relics, and improve the knowledge about the saint's circumstances of death related to metabolic deficiencies and infections., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as Lobstein's syndrome or Vrolik's syndrome, comprises a heterogeneous group of rare genetic connective tissue disorders. It is characterized by increased bone fragility, low bone mass, and susceptibility to bone fractures of variable severity. Originally named "osteomalacia congenita," the condition was first medically described in a family by Ekman in 1778. Here, we report a 17th century medical account from France, which predates Eckman's doctoral dissertation by about a century. Medical analysis of this anatomical presentation indicates a precise diagnosis of Type I OI. Clin. Anat. 30:128-129, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)