?On 31 January 2010 Michael Sylvester wrote: >Darwin was a vegetarian and this could have exaggerated >his health problems…
As I recall, the last time Michael stated that Darwin was a vegetarian I asked him for evidence for this. And if my memory serves me right, answer came there none. >If we are to believe reports that he stuttered, this also suggest that >some psychological conflicts was underlying his interpersonal >communication. When Michael mentioned this on previous occasion, and I queried it, Stephen Black cited one of Darwin's sons saying that in certain circumstances he had a slight speech impediment for one sound. Had stuttering been a more general characteristic of his speech, it is unlikely that it would have gone unremarked (as far as I'm aware) in writings by anyone else among his family, friends and acquaintances. As for stuttering being a sign of psychological conflicts, I suspect that this notion (as a generalisation) has probably gone the way of many another psychodynamic notion. (That's not to say that emotive situations may not exacerbate the problem, just as organic physical illnesses can be exacerbated by anxiety and emotional distress.) Chris Green wrote: >He seemed to have some real medical condition, which >various people have attempted to retroactively diagnose >in myriad ways (almost always, and ironically, ignoring >the evolutionary fact that all the diseases of Darwin's time >may not map perfectly well on to the diseases of today). I don't see how that applies to such attempted retrospective diagnoses as Chagas' disease, lactose intolerance, or Crohn's disease. Incidentally, the author of *To Be An Invalid: The Illness of Charles Darwin* (1977), Ralph Colp, resurrected the Chagas' disease thesis in the form of a "secondary Chagas' disease" in an article "To Be An Invalid: Redux" published in the Journal of the History of Biology in 1998. In his recent book *Darwin's Illness*, Colp writes that since that article was published "about half the individuals with whom I have discussed Darwin's illness have thought that he could have had Chagas'." >One of Darwin's best biographers, Janet Browne, has, >quite reasonably, suggested that Darwin would sometimes >exploit his frequent bouts of "unwellenss" to keep at bay >prospective visitors whom he did not really want to see. Of course "reasonably" is in the eye of the beholder. :-) My reaction to that sentence in Browne's book was different from Chris's. Darwin found almost any exertion brought on symptoms of his illness, and he lost huge amounts of valuable working time because of it. That he also found that the effort involved in socialising was liable to bring on symptoms of his illness is consistent with his finding virtually any other exertion did so, and my reaction to Browne's comment is that it may or may not have been the case, but it remains pure speculation. Rick Froman cited an article by one Laura Miller in Salon.com in which she wrote in relation to the book under review (Brian Dillon, *The Hypochondriacs: Nine Tormented Lives*): "Above all, the mysterious illnesses afflicting Darwin and the other figures portrayed in 'The Hypochondriacs' provided an excellent excuse to avoid doing what they didn't want to do." As a commentary on Darwin I think this is superficial in the extreme. It is so easy to label someone as a hypochondriac, and in Darwin's case set aside the fact that his illness afflicted almost every aspect of his life, and most importantly lost him massive amounts of working time. This he frequently bemoaned, as in a letter to Owen in 1849, where he wrote that he had "lost for the last 4 or 5 months at least 4⁄5 of my time" and that he intended to spend two months trying out the water cure at Malvern, "which will cause a sad delay in my Barnacle work". This reminds me of the words on the headstone of the comedian Spike Milligan: "I told you I was ill." Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org -------------------------------------------------------- From: michael sylvester <msylves...@copper.net> Subject: Re: Was Darwin Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:57:56 -0500 Having posed the question "was Darwin a hypochrondiac?" Paul Brandon replied with a flat "NO",but provided no references to back up his answer.However, a program on NPR aired last week claimed that Darwin exaggerated his symptoms which can viewed within the hypochrongiacal paradigm. His illness may not have been imaginary, but exaggerations and pre-occupations with one's health status can be viewed as signs of hypochrondiasis.Darwin apparently had a body image problem.His nose was of discomfort to him.As a matter of fact he almost did not make the trip on the HMS Beagle since the captain did not like his nose and he was sickly looking. Darwin was a vegetarian and this could have exaggerated his health problems.People need meat for protein and muscle especially as one ages.Beef is essential for overall health-beans and rice won't cut it.So Darwin's health problems could have been self-imposed. If we are to believe reports that he stuttered,this also suggest that some psychological conflicts was underlying his interpersonal communication.Since water treatments were standard medical practice at that time I am curious if he was water boarded. As usual I stand corrected. Michael "omnicentric" Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida Christopher D. Green <chri...@yorku.ca> Subject: Re: Was Darwin Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:08:58 -0500 We don't know. He seemed to have some real medical condition, which various people have attempted to retroactively diagnose in myriad ways (almost always, and ironically, ignoring the evolutionary fact that all the diseases of Darwin's time may not map perfectly well on to the diseases of today). One of Darwin's best biographers, Janet Browne, has, quite reasonably, suggested that Darwin would sometimes exploit his frequent bouts of "unwellenss" to keep at bay prospective visitors whom he did not really want to see. If that counts as "hypochondira," so be it. Regards, Chris Rick Froman <rfro...@jbu.edu> Subject: Re: Was Darwin Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:50:16 -0600 This article may be what was being referenced: http://tinyurl.com/yej2k6j Rick Rick Froman rfro...@jbu.edu<mailto:rfro...@jbu.edu> --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=149 or send a blank email to leave-149-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
