- NEW!
by Joel Lyons on April 24th, 2005
To be precise, it was the lobe of his left ear which he put into an
envelope and gave to a brothel wench named Rachel with
these words: "Guard this object carefully." After he tried to
drink a quart of turpentine in his studio, he was sent to the
asylum at Saint-Remy on May 7, 1889. The doctors began to
treat him with hydrotherapy for acute mania and epilepsy. A
precise diagnosis of Van Gogh's illness is still unavailable,
despite hundreds of conjectures. We do know a few facts:
Van Gogh suffered from syphilis contracted from prostitutes
off the docks at Antwerp; there was also a history of mental
illness in his family. Some physicians now believe Van Gogh
may have had a congenital brain lesion that was aggravated by
absinthe.
Where did Andrew Wyeth attend college?
by Answerbag Staff on May 18th, 2011
| 1 person likes this
Where did vincent van gogh go to school for paintings?
by Answerbag Staff on May 15th, 2011
| 1 person likes this
What is a sable brush?
by Answerbag Staff on May 14th, 2011
| 1 person likes this
What art is important, if any?
by Mister_Bromide on January 26th, 2012
| 1 person likes this
For anyone who is an "artist', do any of you suffer from some form of mental illness? Whether officially diagnosed or not.
by Pez-fx on January 22nd, 2012
| 3 people like this
You're reading Why did Vincent van Gogh cut off his ear?
Your favorite Q&A site is on Facebook! Become a fan to connect with the ever-growing community of Answerbaggers, share your thoughts and find out what Answerbag's up to next!
Comments
Being an art major I'd have to agree that you hit the nail right on the head!
by Anonymous on April 24th, 2005
Excellent answer!
by Astaroth on April 25th, 2005
He was nuts. Being nuts myself I'd say Joel did good research. Absinthe makes the lobe fall farther.
by notmrjohn on April 28th, 2005
fantastic answer! bravo
by babatunde odunlami on May 2nd, 2005
Yep, thats right. That absinthe is some gooooood stuff
by mike blair on December 7th, 2005
mike blair....is a retard.
by annnanomis on December 2nd, 2006
He also ate his paints, which couldn't have helped.
by Halskiisaklink on July 7th, 2007
vangoh was awesom but fucking crazy
by josh fox on February 2nd, 2009
van gogh has awsome art but needed alot of metical attention
by blondie on October 22nd, 2009