Genetic diseases in religious painting

Abstract

The attention paid to Trisomy 21, a genetic condition described by Langdon Down in 1866, is due to concerns about establishing the age of this pathology during evolution. Due to the synergy between medicine and art history, it is possible to reconstruct the diseases that have characterized the most a certain historical period, as well as the perception of the population towards them. Using iconodiagnosis, namely studying works of art through medical imaging, it was found that in Europe, during the Renaissance, Trisomy 21 was represented by Italian and Flemish painters in religiously inspired paintings.