A rare disease that strikes three out of every million persons annually,
may explain how David beat Goliath, says Ben-Gurion University
neurologist, Professor Vladimir Berginer.
by Daniella Ashkenazy
The young David's victory over Goliath - felled with a stone to the
forehead, then slain with his own sword and decapitated - has become not
only a symbol of the triumph of the small over the mighty, but the
subject of endless works of art. But the secret behind Goliath's downfall
may be slightly more down-to-earth: severely impaired peripheral vision.
In Samuel I, Chapter 17 it is written: "And there went out a champion
from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was
six cubits and a span." This is approximately three meters or 9'10" in
today's measurements. "Such extreme height stems from only one malady -
acromegaly," says Professor Vladimir Berginer of the Faculty of Health
Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Acromegaly is a disorder that results in the production of excess growth
hormone. The name "acromegaly" comes from the Greek words for
"extremities" and "enlargement", and the disorder is often manifested in
the abnormal growth of the hands and feet. Those afflicted with the
disease before the normal growth spurts of childhood and adolescence, if
not treated by medication, surgery or radiation, can grow unusually tall
- a condition known as "gigantism". Adults who develop acromegaly can
suffer from internal and external growth if left untreated.
But it was one of acromegaly's "side effects" that was the subject of
lively media attention of late, including a four-page spread in the
weekend magazine of the Hebrew daily Ha'aretz, after Professor Berginer
suggested that Goliath suffered from the disease.
Professor Berginer, who has treated a number of patients with acromegaly,
explains that it is a neuro-endecrinological ailment tied to the
pituitary gland, which produces several important hormones controlling
body functions such as reproduction and metabolism, as well as growth and
development. Large benign tumors cause the gland to release large
amounts of growth hormone, causing abnormal growth of the skeleton and
other tissues. The malady can also trigger a host of other serious
pathological symptoms - from hypertension to diabetes, enlarged organs,
and even death - but impaired peripheral vision, better known as "tunnel
vision", is one of acromegaly's outstanding traits.
If Goliath did indeed have acromegaly and suffered from tunnel vision,
and young David approached the Philistine from the side - "in his blind
spot" - he would not have been observed, Berginer theorizes. In short,
David may have slung his shot at the giant Philistine before Goliath saw
what hit him.
Professor Berginer's theory received substantiation from another source,
of which the neurologist was unaware. Last year, The Times of London
published a piece on advances in the treatment of acromegaly. The article
also hypothesized that Goliath suffered from the disease, but added that
beside "tunnel vision making it difficult for Goliath to see the stone
coming from David's slingshot... in common with other sufferers of the
condition, [Goliath] was probably abnormally weak and more likely to be
felled by a single stone. As he was probably sweating and feeling
nauseous - other symptoms of acromegaly - he would anyway have been in
poor shape for a hand-to-hand combat," wrote The Times.
Professor Berginer emphasizes that his research does not diminish the
heroic feat of David, who probably was not cognizant of Goliath's illness
when he went forth to "face the Philistine". However, it does explain the
outcome of the battle in the light of contemporary medical hindsight.