Newer insights to the neurological diseases among biblical characters of old testament

Abstract

Many people over the years have studied the Bible from a medical point of view offering diagnoses for the symptoms and signs that appear to have afflicted numerous individuals in the Bible. We review the biblical characters in the Old Testament and offer newer insights to their neurological diseases. We first look at the battle between Goliath and David. Interestingly, Goliath probably suffered from acromegaly. We propose autism as a diagnosis for Samson which would precede the first known case of autism by centuries. Isaac was a diabetic, and he probably had autonomic neuropathy. Few verses from the books of I Samuel, Psalms, and Ezekiel reveal symptoms suggestive of stroke. Jacob suffered from sciatica, and the child of the Shunnamite woman in II Kings had a subarachnoid hemorrhage. These instances among others found in the Old Testament of the Bible offer newer insights on the history of current neurological diseases.

The Bible, Autism and Other Profound Developmental Conditions: Regulating Hermeneutics

“…Mathew and J.D. Pandian "diagnosed" a number of biblical characters as having what are known today as neurological or psychiatric conditions (Mathew & Pandian, 2010). Among the diagnoses proposed was one of autism: Samson was considered to be autistic, "which would precede the first known case of autism by centuries" (Mathew & Pandian, 2010, p. 164).…”