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St. Catherine of Siena suffered from an extreme form of holy fasting, a condition classified as anorexia mirabilis (also known as inedia prodigiosa). Historical and medical scholarships alike have drawn a comparison between this primaeval type of anorexia with a relatively common form of eating disorder among young women in the modern world, anorexia nervosa. St. Catherine's condition was characterised by a disgust for sweet taste, a condition also described in anorexia nervosa, and characterised by specific neurophysiological changes in the brain. St. Catherine's case may be considered one of the oldest veritable descriptions of altered gustation (dysgeusia). Moreover, a more compelling neurophysiological similarity between anorexia mirabilis and anorexia nervosa may be proposed.

Normal ageing is often accompanied by loss of appetite and decrease in food intake. Weight loss of senescence is called anorexia of ageing. As an outstanding scientist and physician of Traditional Persian Medicine, Avicenna has introduced an unconventional approach to seniors. He also believed that the elderly should consider special schemes in order to maintain their health. These schemes include consideration of nutrition, mental states, sleep, bathing, and physical activities, and even choosing some appropriate hobbies. The elderly should consume foods and fruits with laxative and stool-softening properties to prevent constipation. They would also do better to decrease the amount of food eaten at meals, but at the same time increasing the number of meals to compensate for low food intake. Moreover, they should maintain their vital force and avoid any activities that tax the body. Furthermore, considering the principles of hifz-al-sehah can help secure long and healthy lives for the elderly.

Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) is a lethal but poorly defined involuntary wasting disorder. Loss of skeletal muscle and fat distinguishes it from starvation. Cachexia has been described as a clinical syndrome since ancient times, and the poor prognosis has long been acknowledged. In this article we have reviewed historical perspectives on cancer cachexia, and commented on modern definitions. In cancer cachexia, most historical descriptions included anorexia, wasting and a pale complexion. Other associated symptoms, such as fatigue, early satiety and taste changes, were inconsistently described. Newer descriptions have not significantly expanded the clinical picture.Today, there is still no consensus definition, hindering research on early diagnosis and effective therapy. The language descriptors used to characterise the syndrome are important. For example, the word 'cachexia' itself may mislead; perhaps cancer-related wasting syndrome is more accurate. Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome is a disorder associated with high morbidity and mortality, and deserves greater attention in both clinical and translational research.

Background: Older people have suffered from loss of weight since the dawn of history. This research is unique in character, as it combines contemporary medical knowledge with the presentation of a case taken from Ancient History., Objective: To analyze from a modern perspective the biblical description of a geriatric patient who suffered from weight loss., Methods: Biblical texts associated with the aged were examined and passages relating to geriatric patients who suffered from loss of weight were closely studied. This study is based on the evaluation of the biblical passages, and not on the interpretations of various rabbis and scholars., Results: Passages such as: ". I forget to eat my bread" and "My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh failed of fatness" and ". my bones cleave to my skin" indicate anorexia, fasting, extreme loss of weight, and subsequent cachexia. Among the numerous causes associated with weight loss, malignancy, social problems such as loneliness, social isolation and neglect by others, and psychological causes including depressed mood were most likely responsible. With regard to malignancy, it seems that the King was affected by primary carcinoma of the prostate or kidney with subsequent metastases to bones., Conclusion: This report demonstrates that the roots of geriatric medicine can be traced to biblical times.

As has been shown and explained, the stigmata and other mortifications of the flesh can serve as survival tools for someone who has been severely traumatized, devout Christian or unbeliever alike. When Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed, this nonreligious woman came to be regarded by her admirers as a popular saint who wanted nothing more than to help and serve others. Despite her wealth, she became a waif in the popular imagination, and like many others who suffered great psychic pain, she too inflicted further pain and suffering on herself through starving herself, binging and purging, and cutting herself. This suffering was her visible stigmata, inspiring great popular devotion. When she died, millions cried, carrying candles in the streets as they listened to Elton John's song to this suffering woman whose light flickered "like a candle in the wind".

The essay analyzes representations of anorexia in French, English and German medical literature from 1870 to 1900, paying specific attention to rhetorical patterns. Unlike other nervous diseases, anorexia was considered a somatic illness. Rather than subjects, patients were regarded simply as skeletal bodies. Most medical case histories enact the transformation of an emaciated body into a nubile woman-slender, perhaps, but ready for marriage. The patients are described as studious girls who 'devour' literature instead of food. This metaphor is taken from etiology to therapy, when the so-called "Mastkur" in the sanatorium replaces 'enormous' amounts of literature with 'enormous' amounts of food to be eaten.