Risus sardonicus
Risus sardonicus or rictus grin is a highly characteristic, abnormal, sustained
execution by hanging.[medical citation needed
]
The condition's name, associated with the
sardonic
or malevolent to the lay observer, displayed by those experiencing these muscle spasms.
Causes
It is most often observed as a sign of tetanus.[3] It can also be caused by poisoning with strychnine[4] or Wilson's disease.
In 2009, scientists at the University of Eastern Piedmont wrote that they had identified hemlock water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) as the plant historically responsible for producing the sardonic grin.[5][6] This plant is the most likely candidate for the "sardonic herb", which was a neurotoxic plant used perhaps for the ritual killing of elderly people in pre-Roman Nuragic Sardinia.[7]
See also
- Sardonicism
- Trismus
- Mr. Sardonicus
- The Man Who Laughs (1928 film)
- Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, a 1970 music album by Spirit
- Joker (character)
- Smile (2022 film)
References
- ^ "Tetanus: Clinical Presentation". Medscape.
- PMID 28875124.
- ^ "Tetanus". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1560326120.
- ^ News Scan Briefs: Killer Smile, Scientific American, August 2009
- PMID 19245244.
- ^ Redazione (2023-01-23). "Il sacrificio degli anziani nella Sardegna antica, tra mito e tracce storiche". Query Online (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-07-22.