"Gauguin was not present at the supposed self-mutilation, " he told Le Figaro newspaper in France.

BBC: Gauguin 'cut off Van Gogh's ear'

At PatientsLikeMe, there are forums where people discuss experiences with AIDS, supranuclear palsy, depression, organ transplants, post-traumatic stress disorder and self-mutilation.

WSJ: 'Scrapers' Dig Deep for Data on the Web