{"id":1269,"date":"2021-02-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/protherics2.aazzxx.com\/insights\/did-digitalis-affect-van-goghs-painting\/"},"modified":"2022-11-15T11:14:47","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T11:14:47","slug":"did-digitalis-affect-van-goghs-painting","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/serb.com\/nl\/insights\/did-digitalis-affect-van-goghs-painting\/","title":{"rendered":"Did digitalis affect Van Gogh\u2019s painting?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1890, Vincent Van Gogh painted what would become one of his most revered artworks. The Portrait of Dr. Gachet<\/a><\/i> depicts a swirling vision of Van Gogh\u2019s homeopathic doctor, who treated the artist following a stint at an asylum in Saint-R\u00e9my-de-Provence.<\/p>\n

But the painting also contains a clue to what some say may have contributed to Van Gogh\u2019s late style: a foxglove plant resting on the table at which Dr. Gachet sits.<\/p>\n

Why? Because the medication digitalis \u2013 now used to treat congestive heart failure and heart dysrythmias \u2013 is extracted from foxglove and was once used to treat a variety of illnesses, including Van Gogh\u2019s epilepsy. In rare cases \u2013 due to the way the medicine interacts with enzymes in the retina\u2019s cone cells \u2013 those who are over-exposed to digitalis can experience xanthopsia, which means everything they see is tinged with yellow.<\/p>\n

Thus, some have argued <\/a>that Van Gogh\u2019s predilection for yellow \u2013 especially in later works like Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers<\/i><\/a> (1888) and The Reaper <\/a><\/i>(1889) \u2013 may have stemmed from his taking digitalis. Some have even used one of his most recognized paintings, Starry Night <\/i><\/a>(1889) as a classic portrayal of the characteristic \u201cyellow halos\u201d described in medical texts and journals.<\/p>\n

Yet while this is undoubtedly a convenient hypothesis, it\u2019s just that, a hypothesis \u2013 and an unlikely one at that. An article <\/a><\/i>in the British Journal of Medical Practice provides several counterarguments: that Dr. Gachet knew the potential side effects of the drug; that Van Gogh would have likely not been able to paint with digitalis levels high enough to induce xanthopsia; that his paintings prior to taking the drug already showed a preference for yellow; and that Dr. Gachet later tested the artist\u2019s vision and found it perfectly satisfactory.<\/p>\n

At the same time, however, others have suggested <\/a>that it might\u2019ve been easy to overdose on digitalis back then. After all, \u201cthe therapeutic dose is miniscule, and it is very close to the level that can also produce digitalis intoxication.\u201d<\/p>\n

That may explain why, even with more than a century\u2019s worth of medical advances, potentially life-threatening toxicity (or overdose) can still occur in patients being treated with digitalis.<\/p>\n

While an artist with yellow vision makes for a dramatic story, today clinicians identify potentially life-threatening digoxin toxicity from specific clinical signs, including:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Cardiac dysrhythmias
\n<\/b>\u2022 Severely elevated serum potassium level <\/b>(hyperkalemia)
\n\u2022 Evidence of end-organ dysfunction from hypoperfusion <\/b>(such as kidney failure, altered mental status, abdominal pain)<\/p>\n

Luckily, an antidote <\/a>now exists to treat this condition. With treatment, patients won\u2019t see yellow \u2013 as Van Gogh did, even if digitalis had nothing to do with it \u2013 but more importantly it can negate the potentially life-threatening risks of digoxin toxicity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1890, Vincent Van Gogh painted what would become one of his most revered artworks. The Portrait of Dr. Gachet depicts a swirling vision of Van Gogh\u2019s homeopathic doctor, who treated the artist following a stint at an asylum in Saint-R\u00e9my-de-Provence. But the painting also contains a clue to what some say may have contributed to Van […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1365,"template":"","subjects":[99,105],"class_list":["post-1269","insights","type-insights","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","subjects-critical-care","subjects-digoxin-toxicity"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDid digitalis affect Van Gogh\u2019s painting? - SERB Pharmaceuticals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/serb.com\/insights\/did-digitalis-affect-van-goghs-painting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Did digitalis affect Van Gogh\u2019s painting? - SERB Pharmaceuticals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 1890, Vincent Van Gogh painted what would become one of his most revered artworks. 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