Some logical thoughts on migraine and painting

By Pamela Richards

There are many works of art in the world.

A work of art can have any subject the artist wishes it to.

Some works of art have traits that bear a resemblance to the experience of a migraine.

Some do not.

Some of the works of art which bear a resemblance to the experience of a migraine are created by migraineurs.

Some of the works of art which bear a resemblance to the experience of a migraine are not created by migraineurs -- they only bear a resemblance to work created by migraineurs.

We cannot distinguish between the last two categories without knowing whether the artist is indeed a migraineur.

The only way to diagnose migraine is to hear the patient/artist's medical history -- their description of their own subjective experience.

Furthermore, some artists who are migraineurs do not choose to create works which resemble the experience of a migraine.

Some do.

So even if we were to prove that ... [an] artist was beyond a doubt a migraineur, based on medical evidence (the patient's history), we must acknowledge that he may have chosen to represent subject matter other than the experience of a migraine in the ... [artwork].

To say that we can diagnose migraine from artwork without knowledge of its provenance, or the medical history of the artist, or a description of the artist's intention in undertaking the work is to invent some sort of a mixture of the above categories without regard to order.

(Pamela Richards, Voynich Manuscript Mailing List HQ, Subject: VMs: Pleiades Occultation Further Date Refinement, January 25, 2005; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

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