Pain and its management: Dante's Divine Comedy

Raffaella Bianucci; Iacopo Lanini; Simon Donell; Donatella Lippi

doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2021-140058

Pain and its management: Dante's Divine Comedy

Postgrad Med J. 2023 May 22;99(1170):259-264. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2021-140058.

Authors

Raffaella Bianucci¹, Iacopo Lanini², Simon Donell³, Donatella Lippi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
² Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy.
³ Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
⁴ Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.

PMID: 37227981
DOI: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2021-140058

Abstract

Dante Alighieri died in 1321; therefore, 2021 is the 700th anniversary of his death. His best known work is the Divine Comedy, which explores Dante's journey through the three realms of the underworld. Each realm is associated with three different sensations: Inferno, bodily (pain); Purgatorio, acoustic (music); and Paradiso, visual (light). The progression of the painful experiences and the resolution through music and light mirror the modern understanding of pain and its management. Music has both direct and indirect benefits and can help with coping. Sunlight promotes well-being and self-awareness.

Keywords: medical education & training; medical history; pain management.

MeSH terms

Humans
Pain Management*
Pain*