{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T03:33:49Z","timestamp":1773804829317,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,26]],"date-time":"2025-09-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758844800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,26]],"date-time":"2025-09-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758844800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["International Orthopaedics (SICOT)"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We examined\n                      <jats:italic>The Seven Works of Mercy<\/jats:italic>\n                      , painted by the Master of Alkmaar in 1504, through the lens of orthopaedic pathology. This study approaches the panels from a medical perspective, aiming to uncover visual indicators of disease and disability. The findings offer insight into how physical abnormalities were observed and depicted in the early sixteenth century. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore orthopaedic pathology in the\n                      <jats:italic>Seven Works of Mercy.<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      An interdisciplinary analysis of\n                      <jats:italic>The Seven Works of Mercy<\/jats:italic>\n                      was undertaken, with a focus on the visual representation of illness and physical disabilities. The seven panels were examined to identify physical abnormalities. The findings were compared with clinical features of the suggested illnesses and disabilities and with known medical conditions prevalent in the fifteenth and sixteenth century in Europe.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Several depicted orthopaedic disabilities were suggested in the panels of\n                      <jats:italic>The Seven Works of Mercy<\/jats:italic>\n                      . Possible underlying conditions included clubfeet, spinal tuberculosis (Pott\u2019s disease), syphilis, poliomyelitis, ergotism, and genu recurvatum. The physical deformities, depicted with remarkable anatomical detail, were cross-referenced with known clinical presentations. In several cases, assistive devices and posture supported the proposed diagnoses.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:italic>The Seven Works of Mercy<\/jats:italic>\n                      by the Master of Alkmaar is a mirror of society in the early sixteenth century, in which a number of depicted orthopaedic conditions were identified. While artistic interpretation must be considered, several physical deformities and disabilities are reproduced with remarkable detail. The artist captured in this masterpiece, a gallery of orthopaedic pathologies common in his time.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00264-025-06653-7","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,26]],"date-time":"2025-09-26T07:36:09Z","timestamp":1758872169000},"page":"2733-2739","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Orthopaedic portrayals in The Seven Works of Mercy painted by a Dutch master in the year 1504"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"49","author":[{"given":"Stella A.","family":"Bult","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pien E.J.","family":"de Ruiter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pieter-Paul A.","family":"Vergroesen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thomas M.","family":"van Gulik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"6653_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"de Bruyn CJ, Kops (1975) \u2018De Zeven Werken van Barmhartigheid van de Meester van Alkmaar gerestaureerd\u2019, Bulletin van het R\u00ffksmuseum, 23(4):203\u2013226","DOI":"10.52476\/trb.21020"},{"key":"6653_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Charlier P et al (2023) \u2018Iconodiagnosis: Guidelines and recommendations\u2019, Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, 31:100951, Dec. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jemep.2023.100951","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jemep.2023.100951"},{"key":"6653_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Gibbons PJ, Gray K (2013) Update on clubfoot. J Paediatr Child Health 49(9):E434\u2013E437. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jpc.12167","DOI":"10.1111\/jpc.12167"},{"key":"6653_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Dibello D, Di Carlo V, Colin G, Barbi E, Galimberti AMC (Jun. 2020) What a paediatrician should know about congenital clubfoot. Ital J Pediatr 46(1):78. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13052-020-00842-3","DOI":"10.1186\/s13052-020-00842-3"},{"key":"6653_CR5","first-page":"171","volume":"34","author":"MP Nguyen","year":"2014","unstructured":"Nguyen MP, Lawler EA, Morcuende JA (2014) A case report of bilateral mirror clubfeet and bilateral hand polydactyly. Iowa Orthop J 34:171\u2013174","journal-title":"Iowa Orthop J"},{"key":"6653_CR6","unstructured":"Aufderheide AC (1998) The Cambridge encyclopedia of human paleopathology. Cambridge; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, Accessed: Apr. 24, 2025. Available: http:\/\/archive.org\/details\/cambridgeencyclo0000aufd"},{"key":"6653_CR7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Rajasekaran S (2013) \u2018Natural history of Pott\u2019s kyphosis\u2019, Eur Spine J, 2(Suppl 4):634\u2013640, Jun. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00586-012-2336-6","DOI":"10.1007\/s00586-012-2336-6"},{"key":"6653_CR8","unstructured":"\u2018Zadelneus (saddle nose) bij syphilis\u2019. Accessed: Apr. 24, 2025. Available: https:\/\/www.huidziekten.nl\/zakboek\/dermatosen\/ztxt\/zadelneus-saddle-nose.htm"},{"key":"6653_CR9","unstructured":"\u2018Acromegaly\u2019, Accessed nhsuk Apr. 24, 2025. Available: https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/acromegaly\/"},{"key":"6653_CR10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Menant JC, Gandevia SC (2018) \u2018Chapter 21 - Poliomyelitis\u2019, in Handbook of Clinical Neurology, B. L. Day and S. R. Lord, Eds., in Balance, Gait, and Falls, , Elsevier, 159:337\u2013344. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/B978-0-444-63916-5.00021-5","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-444-63916-5.00021-5"},{"issue":"6","key":"6653_CR11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1088","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clindermatol.2021.07.009","volume":"39","author":"A Grzybowski","year":"2021","unstructured":"Grzybowski A, Pawlikowska-\u0141ag\u00f3d K, Polak A (2021) Ergotism and saint anthony\u2019s fire. Clin Dermatol 39(6):1088\u20131094. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.clindermatol.2021.07.009","journal-title":"Clin Dermatol"},{"key":"6653_CR12","unstructured":"\u2018Ergotism - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics\u2019 Accessed: Jun. 24, 2025. 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No ethical approval is required.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval"}},{"value":"This is a review article and does not involve any human participants; therefore, informed consent was not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent to participate"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}]}}