Cesare Lombroso, cortical dysplasia, and epilepsy: keen findings and odd theories.

To the Editor: I read the interesting article by Chio et al. concerning the Italian neuropsychiatrist Cesare Lombroso, his “keen findings” of developmental cerebral cortex lesions in epileptics, and his “odd theories” supporting a relationship between criminality, epilepsy, and genius.1 In addition to his work on epilepsy and criminology, Lombroso further developed and widely promoted the corn toxin theory of pellagra that had been initiated by others in Italy in the first half of the 19th century.2–5⇓⇓⇓ Lombroso wrote much in support of the concept that pellagra was caused by “an intoxication produced by poisons developed in spoiled corn through the action of certain micro-organisms in themselves harmless to man,” akin to ergotism produced by …