Spasmodic torticollis was an early designation used for cervical dystonia. The origin of this name is attributed to French physician and writer François Rabelais in the mid-sixteenth century. This early description of torticollis in the book Pantagruel was an inspiration for the understanding of cervical dystonia. The art expressed in Rabelais' literature ‒ which was immortalized by the drawings of Gustave Doré ‒ influenced poetry, art, and photography, and led to the adoption of the term torticollis in the neurological sciences.
Uma designação inicial usada para distonia cervical era torcicolo espasmódico. A origem desse termo é atribuída ao médico e escritor francês François Rabelais em meados do século XVI. Essa descrição inicial do torcicolo no livro Pantagruel foi uma inspiração para a compreensão da distonia cervical. A arte exibida na literatura de Rabelais ‒ imortalizada pelos desenhos de Gustave Doré ‒ influenciou a poesia, a arte e a fotografia, e levou à adoção do termo torcicolo nas ciências neurológicas.
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