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Harald Feldmann, MD
University of Münster (Federal Republic of Germany)

JAMA. 1991;265(6):722-723.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

Arenberg et al¹ contend that Vincent van Gogh had Meniere's disease and that tinnitus drove him to cut off his ear and commit suicide. The evidence they bring forth is anything but convincing. A thorough, unbiased study of the extant documents proves that van Gogh did not have a serious ear problem of any kind.

In Meniere's disease, tinnitus and hearing loss are present continuously and increase during attacks of vertigo. Patients having distressing tinnitus will describe their sensations repeatedly using words like humming, roaring, hissing, and whistling to make others understand what they are enduring. As an example, Martin Luther,² who actually suffered from Meniere's disease, used half a dozen different words to describe his tinnitus.

Van Gogh was a brilliant letter writer capable of poetical diction. In all his letters,³ however, there is only one passage indicating auditory sensations (B 592, May . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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