Supplementary Material for: Thyroid Swelling: A Common Phenomenon in Art?

Representations of thyroid swelling, intended as an enlarged anterior neck region, in the artworks of various periods are sporadically reported in the scientific literature, and different intents may be hypothesized. A comprehensive review of the international literature was performed on PubMed, Embase, and ResearchGate with the aim to analyze the modalities of representation of thyroid swelling through the ages by different artistic movements. Thyroid swelling is frequently represented in the artworks of many stylistic periods and seems to be a known condition even by the earliest cultures. Thyroid swelling may be considered a common finding among forms of art distant in time and style. It is not always possible to define whether thyroid swelling is a realistic representation or a detail added by the author. Although the function of the gland was discovered only at the end of the 19th century, thanks to the artworks of authors in many cultures, it is nowadays possible to formulate hypotheses about the distribution of thyroid diseases over the centuries.

不同时期艺术作品中所呈现的甲状腺肿（thyroid swelling，即颈部前区肿大）表现，在科学文献中偶有报道，且其创作意图存在多种可被推演的可能。本研究通过PubMed、Embase及ResearchGate数据库对国际文献开展全面综述，旨在剖析不同艺术流派在历史长河中对甲状腺肿的表现手法。甲状腺肿在诸多风格时期的艺术作品中频繁出现，甚至早在最早期的人类文明中，该病症就已为创作者所认知。在时空跨度与艺术风格迥异的各类艺术作品中，甲状腺肿的描绘均可视为常见的表现题材。但往往难以界定，此类甲状腺肿的描绘究竟是基于现实的写实呈现，还是创作者自行添加的细节修饰。尽管甲状腺的生理功能直至19世纪末才被探明，但借助诸多文明背景下创作者的艺术作品，如今我们已可就数个世纪以来甲状腺疾病的分布情况提出相关假说。