Abstract

BAILE AYENSA, José I.  and  GONZALEZ CALDERON, María J.. Did Anorexia Nervosa exist in the fourteenth century?: the case of Saint Catherine of Siena. Rev. Mex. de trastor. aliment [online]. 2012, vol.3, n.2, pp.80-88. ISSN 2007-1523.

This paper presents the analysis of a possible case of anorexia nervosa in the fourteenth century, the Saint Catherine of Siena's one. Firstly, we briefly review her biography, including some original texts in which her anorexic behaviours are supposedly evident. Subsequently, we try to outline her psychological profile. Secondly, the current available documentary sources regarding this case are critically discussed because they may have been biased as they date back to 600 years ago and some of them were written to exalt the figure of this saint. Finally, we examine whether the case of Saint Catherine could have been an anorexia nervosa case or not, or whether she might have suffered from another psychological disorder that included some eating behaviour problems. We conclude that this should not be considered a true case of anorexia nervosa, but an unspecified eating disorder instead. We also recognize the value of the historical studies which help us better understand eating disorders.

Keywords : Anorexia nervosa; bulimia; history; review; eating disorders.

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