Cesare Lombroso, an italian psychiatrist, thougt that being a genius may be the expression of a Degenerative Psychosis ?

Lombroso explained that in his book “”Genius and Insanity“, published in 1864. He tried to prove that such geniuses as Cellini, Goethe, Newton, Tasso, Rouseau, Comte, and many others had experienced attacks of insanity.

He also wrote in his last books that the quality of being a genius is associated with Epilepsy.

For several decades Lombroso had great popularity in Europe, but finally their lack of scientific basis made even Lombroso’s own pupils skeptical about his work.

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(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)