ABSTRACT The association between memory loss and Hodgkin's lymphoma has been given the eponym of Ophelia syndrome, in memory of Shakespeare's character in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Nevertheless, there are differences between the disease and the character. Objective: To review the origins and uses of the eponym through an original article by pathologist Ian Carr, its relation to the character Ophelia, and the related autoantibodies. Methods: Historical narrative review. Results: Besides an eloquent description in the original article, Carr presaged the presence of autoantibodies, before they had been thoroughly researched. Since then, five different autoantibodies (mGluR5, Hu, NMDAR, SOX, PCA2) have been associated with Hodgkin's disease. It is interesting to note the divergent outcomes of Shakespeare's character and the patient in the original description by Carr, the latter recovering to lead a normal life, and the former deceased. Conclusions: Although there is little relationship between the fictional character and the syndrome, both imply the unintentional trigger of self-harm (suicide in one case, autoimmunity in the other), thus remaining associated.

RESUMO El síndrome de Ofelia describe la asociación entre pérdida de memoria y enfermedad de Hodgkin, en memoria del personaje de La Tragedia de Hamlet, Príncipe de Dinamarca, de William Shakespeare. Sin embargo, existen diferencias entre ambos. Objetivo: Revisar los orígenes y usos del epónimo a través del artículo original, su relación con el personaje y los autoanticuerpos relacionados. Métodos: Revisión narrativa histórica. Resultados: Además de una descripción elocuente, el artículo original prefigura los autoanticuerpos, cuando no se buscaban de rutina. Desde entonces, cinco distintos (mGluR5, Hu, NMDAR, SOX, PCA2) han sido asociados. Cabe destacar, que el desenlace del personaje y del paciente fueron diametralmente opuestos, el primero falleció y el segundo se recuperó, llevando una vida normal. Conclusiones: A pesar de la poca relación entre el personaje y el síndrome, ambos implican el desencadenamiento no intencional de daño auto-inflingido (suicidio en un caso, autoinmunidad en el otro), manteniendo así la adecuacía.

The works of Argentinian scholar Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) have captivated physicians. An assiduous reader, he was given, with magnificent irony, “books and the night”. Borges suffered from chronic and irreversible blindness, which influenced much of his work and has been the subject of different literary and diagnostic analyses from the ophthalmological point of view. However, the characteristics of his visual impairment have escaped the neurological approach, which is why we reviewed his work looking for data suggesting a concomitant brain injury. On his autobiography, he recounts how, during an episode of septicemia, he suffered hallucinations and loss of speech; in addition, in some poems and essays he describes data that suggest “phantom chromatopsia”, a lesion of cortical origin. After that accident, Borges survived with a radical change in literary style. Although a precise diagnosis is impossible, his literary work allows recognizing some elements in favor of concomitant brain involvement.