Historical Figures Who Suffered From Horrible Diseases

The greatest humans are sometimes brought down by the smallest things. Illness is no respecter of person. Many historical personalities who, in some cases, fundamentally altered the course of human history battled or died from horrible illnesses that were once thought to be incurable. In many cases, the cause for their passing was diagnosed posthumously. Here are five illustrious personalities of the past who suffered from dreadful illnesses.  \r \r 1. Darwin Couldn’t Keep Anything Down\r \r Charles Darwin experienced a strange illness that plagued him for the rest of his life about a year after his lengthy Beagle journey. He experienced horrible nausea and excruciating stomach pain around three hours after eating. He often threw up all he had eaten. The illness continued to progress and got so bad that he was practically rendered helpless. A medical professional identified him as having Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome but the root cause wasn’t diagnosed. Could it have been related to his experience at sea?\r \r 2. Lenin’s Brain was Turning to Stone\r \r Vladimir Lenin was only fifty-three-years old when he passed away. He suffered numerous strokes which consequently led to his passing. No one knew exactly what was wrong with him. Russian physicians initially suspected that he was suffering from mental fatigue and lead poisoning. They later accepted syphilis which was seen at the time as a horrible French disease. An autopsy was conducted and it was revealed that his brain was slowly turning to stone. In fact calcium deposits had accumulated in his cerebral arteries to a point where they almost solidified.\r \r 3. Edgar Allen Poe Had Rabies\r \r Edgar Poe’s passing in 1849 was quite unique. This poet, from Richmond, Virginia went missing for over a week before he was found almost incoherent in a gutter in Baltimore. After a few days, he sounded delirious, had hallucinations, lost his mind and passed away. No one knew the cause of his passing or the circumstances that led to it. In 1996, Dr. Michael Benitez reviewed Poe’s case at a medical conference and he explained that the patient had rabies. During the nineteenth century, rabies was common but Poe didn’t possess all the typical symptoms.\r \r 4. Beethoven Was Born with Syphilis\r \r Beethoven was a renowned composer who is credited with creating some of the most outstanding music in history even while being deaf. In the mid-1790s he had a buzzing sound in his ear. He had serious hearing loss by the time he was thirty. It was believed that Beethoven’s deafness was due to syphilis. Deafness is one of its many symptoms. It was thought that his father was a victim of this disease and this helped explain how Beethoven contracted it. This was mere speculation as there was no evidence to support these claims.\r \r 5. King Herod Had Terrible Ailments\r \r King Herod presented with symptoms such as fever, itching of the entire skin, pains in his intestines, rotting body parts, tumors of the feet, and inflammation of the abdomen. Along with having limb spasms, he also had bad breath that could peel paint. While at the time his illness wasn’t diagnosed, it is now known as Fournier’s Gangrene. Doctors have explained that it is one of the most painful and gruesome illnesses anyone can experience before their passing. It is believed that this disease wasn’t what claimed Herod’s life but it was one of his many complications. It is now thought that the Biblical king passed away from chronic kidney disease.