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It is named after the famous 19th century French author Stendhal (pseudonym of Marie-Henri Beyle), who gave an early detailed description of experiencing the phenomenon his 1817 visit to Florence, Italy which he published in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio.
Although there are many descriptions of people becoming dizzy and fainting while taking in the art in Florence, especially at the Uffizi, from the early 19th century on, this was not described as a specific syndrome until 1979, when it was written up by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini, who observed and described more than 100 similar cases among tourists and visitors in Florence, the cradle of Renaissance.
There is also a horror film called The Stendhal Syndrome (penned and directed by Dario Argento) in which a policewoman suffering from Stendhal syndrome is trapped by a serial killerSerial killers are individual people who have a history of multiple slayings of individuals usually unknown to them beforehand. The term "serial killer" was first used in describing Ted Bundy. Defining serial murder Although the terms "serial killer" and in a museumA museum is a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evi.