TY - JOUR T1 - Frida Kahlo JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 646 LP - 647 VL - 55 IS - 517 AU - Graham Watt Y1 - 2005/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/55/517/646.abstract N2 - When Frida Kahlo was 18 years old and preparing to study medicine, she was already a high-achieving and free-thinking spirit in male-dominated Mexican society. It seemed clear that she would go far. But then, a horrific and mutilating traffic accident shattered both her spine and her plans. From then on, her talents and spirit were set on an entirely new path.Bored by long hospital stays, she took up painting, and became the most famous female painter of all time. Some 30 years, and as many orthopaedic operations, later she died and became an icon, adopted by feminists, leftists and Mexicans, inspired by the several examples of her life. She married and had affairs with great men, including Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky, but lived a life marred by pain, disability, isolation and loss.It was a large, extraordinary life, the facts of which are covered in … ER -