Diagnosing Giants: Solving the Medical Mysteries of Thirteen Patients Who Changed the World

238 Pages·2013·3.88 MB·English

by  Philip A. Mackowiak

diagnosing giants
This page intentionally left blank
Diagnosing Giants
SOLVING THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES OF THIRTEEN
PATIENTS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
Philip A. Mackowiak, MD, MBA, MACP
director, medical care clinical center
va maryland health care system
professor and vice chairman, department of medicine
university of maryland school of medicine
baltimore, md
1
3
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide.
Oxford New York
Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi
New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
With offi ces in
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Th ailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other
countries.
Published in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
© Oxford University Press 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior
permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law,
by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization.
Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the
Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above.
You must not circulate this work in any other form
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mackowiak, Philip A.
Diagnosing giants : solving the medical mysteries of thirteen patients who
changed the world / Philip A. Mackowiak.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–19–993777–6 (alk. paper)
I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Diagnosis. 2. Famous Persons. 3. Disease. 4. History of Medicine. WZ 313]
LC Classifi cation not assigned
616.07′5—dc23
2012051224
Th is material is not intended to be, and should not be considered, a substitute for medical or other
professional advice. Treatment for the conditions described in this material is highly dependent on the
individual circumstances. And, while this material is designed to off er accurate information with respect
to the subject matter covered and to be current as of the time it was written, research and knowledge
about medical and health issues is constantly evolving and dose schedules for medications are being
revised continually, with new side eff ects recognized and accounted for regularly. Readers must therefore
always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up-to-date published product
information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and
safety regulation. Th e publisher and the authors make no representations or warranties to readers,
express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of this material. Without limiting the foregoing, the
publisher and the authors make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or effi cacy of the drug
dosages mentioned in the material. Th e authors and the publisher do not accept, and expressly disclaim,
any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk that may be claimed or incurred as a consequence of the use
and/or application of any of the contents of this material.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Connie
For love, happiness, and the support that made this book possible.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1. Mummy’s Curse 1
2. Last Repast 18
3. Little Boots 31
4. Noble Enemy 50
5. “Interred at the Least Possible Expense” 65
6. El Sordo 82
7. A Medical Labyrinth 97
8. Old Jack 112
9. Mortal Wound 128
10. Voyage to Invalidism 1 45
11. V essels of Stone 1 61
12. Fatal Zest for Living 1 77
1 3. “ Too Busy to Be Sick” 1 93
epilogue 213
about the author 215
index 217
vii
This page intentionally left blank
Preface
this book, like its prequel, Post Mortem: Solving History’s Great Medical Mysteries ,
traces the history of medicine through the illnesses of some of the most infl uential
fi gures of the past. One might ask, why study history, or more precisely, why study
the history of medicine? Surely there are more than enough facts related to the
medicine of today to satisfy the thirst for medical knowledge of any physician or
interested layperson. A lifetime of dedicated study could not even begin to master
all of the many facets of the science of medicine as it exists at this very moment,
much less the new concepts that like Pelion would be piled upon Ossa during the
course of such study. Why, for that matter, would historians concern themselves
with the history of medicine? Surely there are enough momentous political, socio-
logical, religious, and military events to fully occupy their curiosity.
Th e answer, of course, is that what is past truly is prologue. Our yesterdays have
determined who we are today, and knowledge of our past has the potential to
enhance both our understanding of the present and enlighten our predictions of
the future. Moreover, such knowledge is the ultimate antidote to the hubris that
would have us believe that our generation’s answers to life’s great questions, medi-
cal and otherwise, are totally correct and truly our own.
But why, in particular, study the medical histories of people who in various ways
infl uenced the course of human history? Th e answer is that in many cases their
diseases had potentially profound eff ects on their lives as well as their legacies.
ix