BLIND SERBIAN RULERS AND FAMOUS PERSONS

History and medicine were an integral part of life-being of blind serbian acters. One of the main actors was half-blind serbian ruler, Stefan of Decani and whose name was associated with first ophthalmologic hospital and precursor of the eye’s injuries care. After, national reputation as Stefan Blind Righteous, ruler of the Serbian despot between 1458. and 1459. (member of Brankovic’s dinasty), and he was blinded by eye injuries burns. The famous national was also Filip Visnjic, as blind minstrel and authentic creator of serbian folk traditions, with sequels as a child, by bilateral infective panuveitis.


INTRODUCTION
Authors looked through domestic historical references in proposed future research and challenges and the connection between Serbian history and blindness (caused by personal injuries or diseases of the eye). Authors have analyzed the aspects of war-interest known, of blind Serbian rulers and historical figures, through the results of their injuries or diseases of the eye. Do you, for example, believe that Serbian history has properly recognized the importance of people (rulers, poets) who were deprived of sight? Or do you think that blindness of certain people had an impact on decision-making or events important for Serbian history and medicine? These and similar questions are left to readers that they themselves have to try to find possible answers.
The significance of this work certainly has a clear meaning, given the historical and/or medical context. The most well-known facts, set of analysis and set goal of this paper is hopefully reached in part through the efforts of all authors.
The aim of this study was to draw attention to the problem of blindness in important people throughout our history and medicine. Original thought is that perhaps we are not always aware of how important people in our history and church were blind, but still performed some of their life's work at the nation's best and now deserves more attention.

STEFAN DECANSKI -SERBIAN HISTORICAL RULER
The domestic history scene and the ophthalmic pathology were presented through the first of the three epoch-making historical figures. St. King Stefan of Decani was one of the best known Saints of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He was born as the oldest son of the saintly King Stefan Uros II Milutin and his wife Elizabeta, a Hungarian princess. Living at the court of his parents, and as the heir-apparent, he received good education, exercised studying of the languages and writings of Serbian people, and so his heart strengthened by study of the Holy Scripture, and the teachings of the Orthodox Faith. Since he was the half-blind, and the first ophthalmologic hospital for the eye injuries in Serbia, maybe took his name (it is assumed  Figure 1). His father blinded him in 1310, because of his revolting, and then sent him to the monastery of Christ Pantocrator, which was also forerunner of the hospital for the treatment of blinds. He ruled from 1321-1331, when he was over from the throne in the civil war by his son Dusan. Foreign sources said that he had been strangled by Dusan. He was executed in the tomb, which he raised on the south side of the nave in Visoki Decani of Kosovo. After the vision of a monk's tomb was opened and found his body incorrupt and the relics placed in the casket and now it can be found in the monastery. His cult, born during his life; it was followed by blind people in that time. His title "saint emperor" was found for the first time on the one cross in 1330, and it was kept in its endowment. Bulgarians during the First World War took his body, but after that, they had to return it (2).
Archbishop Danilo II, in literary work "Lives of the Serbian kings and archbishops" wrote, that Milutin's son had offered to negotiate, and that Stefan moved by this act, he went to his father and begged him for his forgiveness. When Milutin put hands on Stefan, he had no mercy. Stefan was shackled and sent to Skopje where he was blinded, and later sent off to Constantinople. Stefan, in the fear of his father, wore the black blindfold almost for the rest of his life. He was only partially blinded, with a hot iron. He removed it many years later in his reign.
In Istanbul, former ruler of that time the Emperor Andronicus had sympathy for the young and sacrificed prince, because of death of his own young son. So, he didn't want to make his miserable fate even worse (2).
The death of Stefan, half-blind Serbian giants was linked to the legend of the curse of Dusan's descendants and later the entire Serbian state. Stefan, when they came to kill him, cursed his son and his descendants. Although, the curse did not fur field on the son, it fell on his grandson Uros, who lost all military kingdom. This legend has lasted for many centuries, and they all remembered the curse, when Emperor Lazar with his warriors felt in Kosovo and Serbia felt under the Turks (3).
Serbian medieval medicine had the characteristics as western medicine of those times in terms of practical medical science, whereas the ancillary medical branches were under Byzantine influence. Besides the compositions of Christ's miracles and paraboles were underlying part of the fresco-painting, the scenes of Christ's miraculous recoveries had an important place in the Christian iconography of the New Testament events. One of the most impressive cycles of Christ's miracles in the Serbian and Byzantine medieval art was painted in 1340, in the church dedicated to the Ascension of Lord Christ at Decani Monastery (constructed between 1327 and 1335). A considerable number of 22 frescoes of different artistic value and technique displayed the miraculous recovery of patients afflicted by various chronic ailments: handicapped -as blind, lame and deaf, and paralytics, lepers, etc (4). The King Stefan Uros Decanski III founded the hospital in the Decani Monastery, as a purely medical institution for providing treatment. This hospital was organized and modeled by the hospital in Pantocrator Monastery in Constantinople. His biographer Gregory Camblak described that this hospital took patients suffering from epilepsy and serious nervous disorders, lepers, cripples, paralytics and the eye diseases (the injuries) (4). This was supported as the certain that masters painted even some of patients from Monastery Hospital.
The scenes of Christ's miraculous recovery in the Decani Monastery were undoubtedly significant for both: the military history and the Serbian medieval medicine. This considerable cycle of the monumental painting and frescoes with medical matter, constituted the basis for research of the Serbian medicine of the Middle-Ages. Today, as the Serbian people suffer through another turbulent chapter in their history, they would do well to have on mind such exemplary character of their Martyred King Stefan Uros III (Decanski) (4,5). He was crowned 6 January 1322 by the Archbishop of Serbia as Stefan Uros III Decanski, King of Serbia. In 1323, he defeated and killed his half-brother Konstan- tin, retaking of Zeta (5). Having in the true Christian manner endured the grievous trials and afflictions which he met through the years, the King deserved to live out the rest of his life in peace. But, it was only fitting that he who suffered as martyr in life should be granted an opportunity to receive in death a martyr's crown. Dusan's successes on the field of battle had given him the appetite for power and glory, and encouraged by his entourage of nobles, so he decided to hasten his father's death. St. Stefan was taken to prison to a fortress in the town of Zvecan and cruelly murdered (by some data he was hung, according to another he was strangled) (6,7,8). Dusan earnestly and tearfully repented of his treachery, and the next year, on the feast of the Holy Apostles, Petar and Pavle, he had his father's remains transferred from Zvecan to Decani, where they were placed in the marble tomb. In 1339 the tomb was opened, and his body was found to be incorrupt. On that day people saw many miracles of the healing: especially that the holy king proved to heal diseases and injuries of the eye, and at his relics blind people received their sight (9, 10, 11). The medical analysis of illnesses and causes of death of Serbian rulers in the Middle-Ages was difficult. King Stefan Uros II Milutin (1282-1321) died as a seventy years old man. His biographer, Archbishop of Pec, Danilo II wrote about a sudden onset of the disease. King Milutin was paralyzed and aphasic. In the terminal stage, he was unconscious and insensible (12).
The first written Serbian medical records could be found in the Middle Ages (XIII century) when the Serbian state was very well organized. St. Save was the son of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja (1171-1196), founder of the Serbian independent state and of the powerful dynasty that ruled Serbia for two centuries. At that time, the first hospital service was established, as well as the social program which regulated the relationship between marriage and family, and the kind of therapy, under the church and state control (13). The famous Hylandar place was perhaps the first of Medical Codex as the most famous reminder of Serbian medical sciences (14). The enviable level of health culture and social care of the ill and debilitated people of the Serbian medieval state was far advanced for that time (15,16,17). Favorable conditions for the development of medieval medicine was linked with the arrival of the Nemanjic's dynasty to the throne of the Serbian medieval state, i.e. Stefan Nemanja, and later with the life and work of his son Prince Rastko Nemanjic -Saint Sava (18,19). The wide field of activity of the Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja included the creation of stable and independent state with the significant and shrewd political activity, building of churches, defender of the Orthodox Christianity, foundation of the first Serbian hospital outside of borders of Serbian, state in Hylandar monastery (20,21).  (about 1417 years). In his childhood, Stefan was blessed in every good mannered: he gained a great intellect and piety, obedience to parents, so that faith, wisdom and courage of many overcame, and its natural physical beauty. But the most important features Blessed Stefan lied in his commitment to the will of God, pure life and fidelity to the Church and the Orthodox faith. When the Turks attacked the capital of Smederevo, Grgur was captured and taken to Adrianople, where they were, on the orders of the Sultan Murat, and without knowledge of sister Sultana Mara, cruel both blinded by the Turks, on Easter Sunday in 1441. The one of the main reasons for this blindness of Serbian nobles was turkey envy, for their beauty and chivalry and fear that they did not become heirs and Serbian rulers of the country. A few years after the suffering of the innocent, blissful and much suffering Stefan sighted and blinded his brother Gregory. Sultan Murat returned to Serbia and lived surrender father despot Giurgiu. Turks were forced to make peace and to return to live despot Giurgiu's sons, and the entire city of Smederevo and despotism. Sadly was the scene when they met the blind father and his children: children went into the arms of his father, but the old despot roared like a wounded lion and tumbled to the ground unconscious.  (26). "Opinions about the rule of despot Stefan blind today are divided. Some believe that he never should take charge, while others think it was the last ruler who then sincerely defended Serbia from the Turks. Serbian Church has never forgotten the role of the ruler who was given the title of saint. Stefan Blind was remembered as the person, who strongly believed that Orthodoxy was the only thing that could have saved Serbians, throughout the Turkish invasion" (27).

FILIP VISNJIC -SERBIAN HISTORICAL MINSTREL
Another historical and national character, Filip Visnjic (1767-1834), was one of the most famous Serbian minstrels and authentic creator of Serbian folk songs and traditions. He was born in Majevica, at village of Gornja Trnova in Ugljevik. As he turned blind after being sick from smallpox and the sequels as a child by panuveitis (complicata), he had become a professional Serbian singer with old fiddle in hand he traveled throughout the Bosnian pashadom. At the monastery councils he sang for Serbs, and passing through the towns narrated in the courts of the Turkish rulers. Two audiences were looking for different poems, so Visnjic had two different repertoires, one for the Christian and the other for the Muslim audience (28). His poems about Saint Sava were characteristic of the monastery, hagiographic repertory of total blind singer. Filip Visnjic was the creator of new poems. Thirteen poems "Karadjordje's time" along with several other less important poems of other poets make the last and insurrectionary cycle of Serbian folk epics. The most important moment in the life of Filip Visnjic was his move to Serbia in 1809. Direct contact with the insurrectionist events was the moment of his birth as the famous Serbian and military poet. After the collapse of the First Serbian Uprising, Visnjic has moved to Srem and settled in the village Grk, now Visnjicevo. Main place occupied the Serbian rebel poems, which he sang by himself (28). In monastery Sisatovac in 1815, he met Vuk Karadzic, who had written seventeen of his songs, four old and thirteen new poems. In Sisatovac, Filip Visnjic had often been the guest at then leading Serbian poet and famous person to Lucian Musicki. To these meetings of "Serbian Homer" and "Serbian Horace" authors owed information about Visnjic's life and work. Musicki told how he had created the songs: he asked the warriors when they returned from battlefield which was in head, where they were beaten, who died, against whom they were going. Songs from the first group were more artistically built, mainly "Start uprising against Dahias" and the first part of the song "The Battle of Misar", while in the second group the songs of value and importance of Ivo Knezevic. With his liberation enthusiasm Visnjic was most similar to Petar Petrovic Njegos (II), with whom he was bound trough the number of common features (29). Although he worked in the traditional framework of national epics served by standard formulas and cliches, he had largely outgrown the boxes and in the best moments of the epics made a new type of rebellion, liberation, revolutionary songs, with the strong individual and blind Serbian feature (30). With completely blind Serbian minstrel and poet, the great Serbian folk words trough heroic poems have recorded epochal Serbian history, art, culture and medicine traditions (Figure 3).

CONCLUSION
It should be noted that the Serbian historical and medical scenes from the perspective of the eye injuries and the eye diseases of the blindness, has not been fully understood by now. However, with the attitude towards the critical ophthalmic thinking, we are on the right path in shedding the light on the new discoveries.