FLANK DISEASE: HISTORY, SYMPTOMS, CAUSES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The flank disease or flank disease is the condition described in the film based on Noah Gordon's book, The Physician (1986), but which is also discussed in ancient medical works and chronicles.

Currently, there is a consensus that has determined that side disease refers to appendicitis, due to the symptoms: painful sensation in the thoracic area on one side, fever and cough.

Although the term became popular with Gordon's film and writing, it has also appeared in medical works, such as in the causes of the sudden death of Felipe el Hermoso or as a name for a disease in Mexican indigenous peoples, who generally, They also used to call it the “sea of ​​ijar de Aguascalientes”.

History

The side disease or lateralis pain was a name used during Antiquity and the Middle Ages to indicate the condition with the following symptoms: intense pain located on the side between the rib cage and the belly.

As noted above, lateralis pain served to describe the causes of the death of Felipe el Hermoso who, according to chronicles, after a walk and various outdoor activities, fell ill in the city of Burgos and died several days later.

The Emperor Charlemagne would be another important figure in history who also passed away under the same circumstances. However, it should be noted that the cause of death is described as "pleurisy", a Greek term that refers to pleurisy.

The word comes from the Greek "pleura", which means "side", which describes an inflammation in the covering of the rib cage and in one of the lungs.

Another disease also associated with flank disease is appendicitis, especially since the symptoms also manifest in the lateral area, although the pain can extend to the belly depending on the level of inflammation.

The first medical description of this organ was made in 1522, although there was no clarity on the name or the functions it fulfilled in the body. In the 18th century the first works were carried out to deepen the subject and at the end of the 19th century the scientific name was obtained, as well as its relationship with other intestinal diseases.

Relationship with Der Medicus (The Doctor)

Noah Gordon's celebrated book, The Physician, served as the main plot for Philipp Stölzl's film of the same name, Der Medicus.

It describes the life of Robert Cole, a boy who is orphaned because his mother dies of a side disease. In time, and as a doctor, you will know that the condition is really what is known today as appendicitis.

Both The Physician and Der Medicus describe the medical processes and advances that were made during the Middle Ages.

What is side disease?

Although flank disease is considered to refer to appendicitis, some scholars also associate it with pleurisy.

Appendicitis

It is the inflammation of the appendix, a finger-shaped organ that is part of the large intestine. This inflammation is due to an obstruction produced by feces, mucus or by the presence of parasites.

Although there are no clear causes, it is believed that fecal material is the main source of obstruction of the organ, which causes infection thanks to the parasites and fungi that are found there.

Some of the symptoms are: abdominal swelling, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, constipation, cough, pain in the back that can go from the back to the belly.

Although it can occur at any age, it is more common in people between 20 and 30 years old.

Pleuritis

Inflammation of the parietal pleura (covering that is on the surface of the inner rib cage) and the visceral pleura (covering of the lungs).

It occurs as a consequence of pneumonia or bronchitis, causing sharp, twinge-like pains. It can be due to a viral or bacterial infection, an autoimmune disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis, lung cancer, inherited diseases, or a rib fracture.

Some symptoms related to pleurisy are: chest pain that intensifies when breathing or coughing, minimal capacity for inhalation and exhalation, cough, fever, lack of vigor, chest pain and pain in surrounding areas.

Depending on the type of pleurisy, there may also be bluish or blackish discoloration in some parts of the body, as well as an intense heart rate.

Other civilizations

It should be noted that there are also records of the disease in other civilizations. For example, according to indigenous Mexican peoples, flank disease used to manifest itself in women in the belly or in the womb, also associating them with diseases related to the female organs.

In the case of appendicitis, it received the name of flank disease, characterized by the opposite natural movement of the intestines, due to hardened stools.

Symptoms

According to the description of medical writings and chronicles, some symptoms of flank disease are:

• Cough.
• Fever.
• Abdominal pain in one of the sides.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Uneven pulse

Other related real diseases

Although pleurisy and appendicitis are the diseases most commonly associated with flank disease, others can also be found:

- Bad flank or severe abdominal pain.

- Stomach flu.

-Lobar pneumonia.

-Peritonitis, which is related to appendicitis and occurs when the appendix ruptures and spreads the infection to the rest of the abdomen.

-Renal colic.

-Peptic ulcer.

-Ectopic pregnancy.

-Endometriosis.

-Rupture of an ovarian cyst.

References

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3. Appendicitis. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: February 28, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
4. Flank pain. (sf). In Digital Library of Traditional Mexican Medicine. Retrieved: February 28, 2018. In Digital Library of Traditional Mexican Medicine of medicinatraditionalmexicana.unam.mx.
5. The doctor (novel). (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: February 28, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
6. The doctor. (2013 film). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: February 28, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
7. Bad side. (2017). In Language Laboratories. Retrieved: February 28, 2018. In the Language Laboratory of mecablogs.diariomedico.com.
8. Medieval medicine: from El Médico to Trota, la doctor. (2014). In Learn Latin On-Line. Retrieved: February 28, 2018. In Aprende Latin On-Line at aprendelatinonline.blogspot.pe.
9. Pleurisy. (2016). At Mayo Clinic. Retrieved: February 28, 2018. At Mayo Clinic at mayoclinic.org.
10. Pleuritis. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: February 28, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.