Document Detail


The blindness, deafness and madness of King George III: psychiatric interactions.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20503691     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Recent research has thrown considerable doubt on the claim that King George III suffered from variegate porphyria, but indicates that he suffered recurrent attacks of mania as part of his bipolar disorder. George III's last episode of ill health occurred during the final decade of his life (1810-20). This has been diagnosed as chronic mania with an element of dementia. During this period the king was blind and possibly deaf, which may have contributed to his psychiatric condition. His blindness was due to bilateral cataracts; serious consideration was given at the time to surgery, but this was not carried out. The possible contribution of the king's blindness to his illness is discussed with respect to the roles of his medical attendants. It was also claimed that George III showed progressive deafness and this claim has been re-examined. However, the medical reports by the attending physicians and psychiatrists (mad doctors) do not support this claim.
Authors:
T J Peters; A Beveridge
Publication Detail:
Type:  Biography; Historical Article; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh     Volume:  40     ISSN:  1478-2715     ISO Abbreviation:  J R Coll Physicians Edinb     Publication Date:  2010 Mar 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-05-27     Completed Date:  2010-06-08     Revised Date:  2010-12-10    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101144324     Medline TA:  J R Coll Physicians Edinb     Country:  Scotland    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  81-5     Citation Subset:  QIS    
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, University of Birmingham. timothy@ironlock.f2.com
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Bipolar Disorder / history*
Blindness / history*
Cataract / history
Deafness / history*
Dementia / history
England
Famous Persons*
History, 19th Century
Humans
Male
Personal Name Subject
Personal Name Subject:
King George III

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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