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Abstract

Bell's palsy fully recovers in the great majority of cases. What may not be sufficiently appreciated is how distressing it can be. This Perspective recounts a personal experience; describes an unrecorded puzzling physical sign; and details the interest the experience generated in Charles Bell and in the infamous Robert Knox, whose paths crossed. Both deserve to be better known than just for a palsy or a murder-for-bodies scandal. Bell made a seminal contribution to neurophysiology, regarded by some as important as Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood. He was also a very accomplished artist, his paintings of wounded soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars among the best-ever artistic depictions of the mutilations of war. Knox published seven books and over 100 scientific papers and is a more multidimensional and interesting character than popularly portrayed.

Keywords

Bell's palsy facial nerve seventh cranial nerve Sir Charles Bell Dr Robert Knox

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