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The Cure of Folly

Article  in  Archives of General Psychiatry · January 2005

DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.61.12.1187 · Source: PubMed

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 MEN AND BOOKS

The cure of folly

Neil H. McAlister,* London, Ont.
Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516 approx.) rocks in his head". It is interesting to Clearly the fellow who is perform-
is best remembered as the "mad genius" speculate that the modern expression ing this procedure is not a "master"
who painted the famous triptych that might easily be a direct continuation of of the healing arts, but rather a dan¬
is popularly called "The Garden of the tradition of Bosch's day. gerous charlatan. The funnel he wears
Earthly Delights".1 This disturbing and
sinister painting, sometimes called an
example of "schizophrenie art", has
overshadowed Bosch's other works.
Of perhaps even more interest to
medical history is another painting by
the same artist, known best in the
English-speaking world as "The Cure
of Folly", and also as "The Operation
for the Stone" and "The Stone of
Insanity" (Fig. 1). On close examina¬
tion it can be seen not only that this
picture is curious but also that it is
highly symbolic, reflecting many of
the attitudes towards medicine, quack-
kery and mental illness that were pre¬
valent in northern Europe during the
late 15th century. The picture is cir¬
cular in form. Since the ball or globe
was a 15th century symbol of crea¬
tion* this tondo style was commonly
used to illustrate moralistic themes,
the roundness supposedly imparting a
sense of universality to the message.
But what is the message in this
painting? A fat old fellow tied to a
chair and looking quite apprehensive is
nevertheless saying:
Meester, snijt die keie ras.
Mijne name is Lubbert Das.
(Master, hurry up and cut the stone out.
My name is Lubbert Das.)8
The "stone" he refers to is the "stone
of folly", which in the folklore of the
day was held responsible for everything
from simple-mindedness to lunacy. Of
course the operation to remove the
"stone" was performed only in fiction,
not in fact. Although no sophisticated
person believed in the existence of such
a stone, it seems that many were apt
to refer to it in the same way that we
might say that a foolish person "has
?Undergraduate student in the Faculty of
Medicine, Ont.
University of Western Ontario,
London,
Reprint requests to: Mr. Neil H. FIG. 1.-"The Cure of Folly" (about 1475) by Hieronymus Bosch. Courtesy of
465 Hale St., London, Ont. N5W McAlister,
1G6 the Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.
1380 CMA JOURNAL/JUNE 22, 1974/VOL. 110
on his head (a derivative of the ancient nun looks on with a bored expression. against the mentally ill was by no
Funnel of Wisdom, and the antecedent She idly balances either a Bible or a means confined to the times of Hieio-
of the modem dunce's cap) here sym- medical volumen of learning on her nymous Bosch. A more recent artistic
bolizes fraud.4 It appears from the head where, symbolically and in fact, example of this same attitude is to be
rich quality of the surgeon's garments she cannot see it.' found in the famous series by Hogarth,
that his "cures" are at least profitable Even the victim is something of a "The Rake's Progress", in which a
if not efficacious. His evident pros- conspirator in this pathetic scene of wayward young man falls from a life
perity brings to mind a few lines from abject folly. His compliance with the of ease to "Bedlam" Asylum as a
Erasmus' treatise "In Praise of Folly" procedure makes him culpable, and direct consequence of his numerous
(1508): the artist has consequently portrayed vices.
Theologians go hungry, astronomers him in unflattering terms. Physically Now the moral that Hieronymus
go bare, chemists are laughed at, logi- he is old and fat. His very name, Bosch has illustrated becomes as clear
cians are ignored, but still, as in "Lubbert Das", is far from compli- to us as it would have been to the
Homer's day, a leech is worth many mentary. Various translations include Bishop of Utrecht, who displayed this
another man.5 gelded badger"," "castrated dachs- painting in 1524.16 Here sits Lubbert
hund", 11 and even "tricked, cuckolded
Lacking a firm scientific foundation, impertinent hound".11 Whatever the Das, a sinner portrayed as a fool, in
medicine was quite correctly seen by precise the clutches of an unscrupulous quack,
Bosch, Erasmus and others as the plicationmeaning of his name, the im-
is that this fellow is an ever-
agent of the Devil, and a corrupt
Church. The artist makes a statement
prime example of easily perpetrated lasting dupe, a gullible simpleton in regarding the vanity of worldly healing
fraud.6 Even those physicians who were the pejorative sense.13 The mean-
sincere in their efforts were at best ing most would have been clear to Hiero-
and the powerlessness of our medicine.
According to Hieronymus Bosch, ar-
fools: Sebastian Brandt, in his famous nymus Bosch's artistic audience. From tist of the 15th century, the true "Cure
contemporary poem "The Ship of the word "lubbert" derives our word of Folly" is not earthly, but divine; not
Fools" (Stultifera Navis), devoted a i.e. a stupid person.14
special chapter to the physician. Even lubber", a surgical procedure, but rather a
Paracelsus (1493?-1541), himself a in Why his
would the artist treat the victim
painting so scathingly? The as-
cure of the sick soul.
well-known man of medicine; was wont similation of a sinner to a madman was
to make quite cynical statements about such a common metaphor during the
the state of the art in his day: "The 15th century that any person References
best of our popular physicians are the ture would have instantly recognized of cul-
ones who do the least harm."7 The in- it. The insane, the dull and the foolish 1. HIGHET G: The mad world of Hieronymus
sincerity of the "doctor" in Bosch's received Bosch. Horizon 12: 66, 1970
2. COMBE J: Iheronlmus Bosch. Paris, Pierre
painting is manifest in the fact that he were alsolittle sympathy, since they Tisue, 1946 p 8
is producing a tulip from the head of and wicked.consideredScripture
to be unclean 3. DELEVOY Ri: Bosch. Geneva, Editions d'Art,
1960 p 24
his patient, presumably for dramatic to support this belief: could be cited 4. DE TCOLNAY C: Hieronymus Bosch. London
Methuen, 1966, p 53
effect. Another lies on the table. The 5. ERASMUS D: in Renaissance Culture, edited
by Mates et al, New York, Braziller, 1966,
flower may be of symbolic significance I applied mine heart to know, and p 329
since the old Dutch words for "tulip" to search, and to seek out wisdom, and 6. LINFERT C: Hieronymus Bosch. New York,
Abrams, 1971, p 46
and "stupidity" were similar.8 An the reason of things, and to know the 7. PAucELsus, quoted in INGLIS B: A HistorY
wickedness of folly, even of foolishness of Medicine. New York, World Pub, 1965,
empty jug, signifying hollow vanity and madness.
p 76
and Satan, hangs from the surgeon's 8. GIBSON WS: Hieronymus Bosch. London,
Ecclesiastes VII, 25 Thomas and Hudson, 1973, p 40
belt. 9.
10.
COMBE J: op cit
DE TOLNAY C: op cit
Notwithstanding the falseness of this Since it was believed that "the wages 11. MARTIN G: The Complete Paintings of Bosch.
charlatan's treatment, the Church is of sin is death", it followed that mad- New York, Abrams, 1966, pp 86-87
12. LINFERT C: op cit
standing by to give its official sanction ness, the spectre of a kind of death in 13.
14.
COMBE J: op cit
DELEVOY RL: op cit, p 27
to his ministrations. A priest raises his life,15 might easily be the consequence 15. FOUCAULT M: Madness and Civilization.
hand in a dramatic gesture while a of sin. This kind of discrimination New York, Random, 1965
16. MARTIN G: op cit

CMA JOURNAL/JUNE 22, 1974/VOL. 110 1383

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