Medical checkup for Gollum "Lord of the Rings" in the British Medical Journal

In its issue " British Medical Journal " (BMJ ) , Gollum , the creature in the dual personality born from the imagination of Tolkien , the author of " Lord of the Rings " , the subject of a rigorous medical analysis concludes this character suffers from a schizoid personality disorder .
A group of thirty medical students at University College London was asked to advance an explanation for strange behavior of Gollum , based on scenes from the movie that Peter Jackson has learned from Tolkien's trilogy .

The fact that this character has two personalities , Gollum and Smeagol - did think the majority of students (25 ) is suffering from schizophrenia, while three of them have rather discussed a multiple personality disorder .

However, Dr. Elisabeth Swanson, the lead author of this case study explains why these two possibilities must be discarded in favor of a diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder .

According to her , schizophrenia can not be mentioned because you can qualify hallucinations delusions of Gollum , since " in Middle-earth , the power of the Ring is a reality " and not an illusory belief.

Similarly , as Gollum and Smeagol and coexist side by side , each being aware of the presence of the other , the diagnosis of multiple personality disorder must be excluded , since in this condition , a personality takes over on each side and is unaware of the other .

This solitary figure , the tortured and evil behavior, strange centers of interest, which can barely build friendships and shows often whimsical, nervous and paranoid , " fills seven of the nine criteria for schizoid personality disorder ," says Dr. Elisabeth Swanson BMJ. This diagnosis seems most able to summarize the health problems suffered by Gollum , she says.

Moreover , the fact that Gollum does not seem to need a lot of sleep , as his bulging eyes , suggest that it is also affected by hyperthyroidism .

Apart from this case study of a character in Middle-earth , the number of this BMJ including a series of epidemiological studies investigating the link between the political system of a country and the health of its people (through the example of Nazi Germany, communist China , or countries of the Eastern bloc during their transition from communism to democracy ) .

Another study defined on the basis of available data on the beneficial effects of seven food on health , diet , called the " Polymeal " , which would reduce 76% of cardiovascular mortality and significantly increase the expectancy of life of people who adopt .

Combining wine , fish, dark chocolate , fruits and vegetables , almonds and garlic and consumed every day in certain amounts (except for the fish should not be included in the recipe four times a week ) the Polymeal "promises to be an effective means non - pharmacological , safe and tasty to increase life expectancy and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, " the researchers conclude the Dutch department of Public health, Faculty of Medicine, Rotterdam who wrote this article.