NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Charles Darwin's illness

For much of his adult life Charles Darwin's illness repeatedly affected him with an uncommon combination of symptoms, leaving him severely debilitated for long periods of time, incapable of normal life and intellectual production, staying in bed most of the time for months. Charles Darwin wrote that "Constant attacks....makes life an intolerable bother and stops all work". This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... The term symptom (from the Greek meaning chance, mishap or casualty, itself derived from ÏƒÏ…Î¼Ï€Î¹Ï€Ï„Ï‰ meaning to fall upon or to happen to) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: Strictly, a symptom is a sensation or change in health function experienced by a patient. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ...

He consulted with more than 20 doctors, but with the medical science of the time the cause remained undiagnosed. He tried all available treatments, but at best they had only temporary success. More recently, there has been much speculation as to the nature of his illness. For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... In general, a diagnosis (plural diagnoses) has two distinct dictionary definitions. ...

Development of illness and symptoms

As a student of medicine at Edinburgh University Darwin found that he was too sensitive to the sight of blood and the brutality of surgery at the time, so he turned his attention to natural history, an extra-mural interest he developed further when studying at the University of Cambridge to qualify as a clergyman. He then voyaged on HMS Beagle. During this survey expedition he suffered badly from sea-sickness during the eighteen months he was at sea, but he spent much of the 3 years 3 months he was on land in strenuous exploration. In Argentina at the start of October 1833 he collapsed with a fever. He spent two days in bed, then memories of a young shipmate who had died of the fever persuaded him to take a boat down river to Buenos Aires, lying ill in his cabin till the fever passed. On 20 September 1834 while returning from a horseback expedition in the Andes mountains, he fell ill, and spent the month of October in bed in Valparaiso. In his journal for 25 March 1835, while to the east of the Andes near Mendoza, he noted "an attack (for it deserves no less a name) of the Benchuca, a species of Reduvius, the great black bug of the Pampas" which is associated with Chagas' disease. The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583 as a renowned centre for teaching in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now often viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines of integrative organismal biology. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... On its second voyage, much of it chronicled by Charles Darwin in his book, The Voyage of the Beagle, the HMS Beagle crossed the Atlantic towards Tierra Del Fuego, and carried out surveying especially of the West coast of South America, as well as a number of Pacific islands. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1834 (MDCCCXXXIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ... Valparaiso is the name of at least three cities and a village: Valparaíso, Chile Valparaiso, Florida Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso, Nebraska This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Gates of General San MartÃn Park Mendoza is a city in the west of Argentina, and the capital of Mendoza Province. ...

After the voyage ended on 2 October 1836 he quickly established himself as an eminent geologist, at the same time secretly beginning speculations on transmutation as he conceived of his theory. On 20 September 1837 he suffered "an uncomfortable palpitation of the heart", and as "strongly" advised by his doctors, left for a month of recuperation in the countryside. In the spring of 1838 he was overworked, worried and suffering stomach upsets and headaches which caused him to be unable to work for days on end. These intensified and heart troubles returned, so in June he went "geologising" in Scotland and felt fully recuperated. Later that year, however, bouts of illness returned - a pattern which would continue. He married Emma Wedgwood on 29 January 1839, and in December of that year as Emma's first pregnancy progressed, he fell ill and accomplished little during the following year. is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1836 (MDCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Transmutation of species refers to the altering of one species into another. ... The inception of Darwins theory began with a search for explanations of contradictions in current Creationist ideas, and led him to formulate his theory of evolution which was eventually published in his book On the Origin of Species. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Emma Darwin Emma Darwin (nÃ©e Wedgwood, 2 May 1808â€“7 October 1896) was the wife and cousin of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and mother to their ten children. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

For over forty years Darwin suffered intermittently from various combinations of symptoms such as malaise, vertigo, dizziness, muscle spasms and tremors, vomiting, cramps and colics, bloating and nocturnal flatulence, headaches, alterations of vision, severe tiredness /nervous exhaustion, dyspnea, skin problems such as blisters all over the scalp and eczema, crying, anxiety, sensation of impending death and loss of consciousness, fainting, tachycardia, insomnia, tinnitus, and depression. Malaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, an out of sorts feeling, often the first indication of an infection or other disease. ... For other uses, see Vertigo. ... // Pre-syncope is a sensation of feeling faint. ... A spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice. ... For the film see Tremors (film). ... Vomiting (or emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of ones stomach through the mouth. ... A cramp is an unpleasant sensation caused by contraction, usually of a muscle. ... Colic may refer to: Baby colic â€“ a condition, usually in infants, characterized by incessant crying. ... Bloating is any abnormal general swelling, or increase in diameter of the abdominal area. ... Flatulence (expelled through the anus in a process commonly known as farting or emitting gas) is the presence of a mixture of gases known as flatus in the digestive tract of mammals. ... A headache (cephalalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... In psychology, visual perception is the ability to interpret visible light information reaching the eyes which is then made available for planning and action. ... Fatigue is a feeling of excessive tiredness or lethargy, with a desire to rest, perhaps to sleep. ... Dyspnea (R06. ... Beyond overall skin structure, refer below to: See-also. ... For the packaging type, see Blister pack. ... The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the face anteriorly and the neck to the sides and posteriorly. ... For the beetle, see Exema. ... Tears trickling down the cheeks Lacrimation is the bodys process of producing tears, which are a liquid to clean and lubricate the eyes. ... Anxiety is a physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components (Seligman, Walker & Rosenhan, 2001). ... It has been suggested that Central Ischaemic Response be merged into this article or section. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the sleeping disorder. ... Tinnitus (IPA pronunciation: or ,[1] from the Latin word for ringing[2]) is the perception of sound in the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound(s). ... In everyday language depression refers to any downturn in mood, which may be relatively transitory and perhaps due to something trivial. ...

He desperately tried many different therapies, within the limitations of medical science of his time. He took all kinds of medicines, including bismuth compounds and laudanum and even tried quack therapies, such as electrical stimulation of the abdomen with a shocking belt. This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... General Name, Symbol, Number bismuth, Bi, 83 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 15, 6, p Appearance lustrous reddish white Atomic mass 208. ... Laudanum is an opium tincture, sometimes sweetened with sugar and also called wine of opium. ... Pietro Longhi: The Charlatan, 1757 Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe questionable medical practices. ... Functional electrical stimulation (commonly abbreviated as FES) is a technique that uses electrical currents to activate nerves innervating extremities affected by paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury (SCI), head injury, stroke or other neurological disorders, restoring function in people with disabilities. ...

The only procedure that had much effect was a drastic water therapy regimen at Dr James Gully's Water Cure Establishment at Malvern, which he took up enthusiastically and continued for four years. This involved cold showers, vigorous rubbing and body strapping with wet towels, and lots of water drinking. He began the treatment in March 1848, and despite his suspicions of quackery the cure worked. After sixteen weeks at the spa he continued the treatment at home, but the excitement of a meeting of the British Association brought back the sickness and he returned for further treatment. This cycle of treatment and relapse was repeated. At the end of June in 1850 his fears that his illness might be hereditary were reawakened when his nine-year-old daughter Anne Darwin suffered a long illness. She was treated at the spa, but died on 23 April 1851. He had kept records of the effects of the continuing water treatment, and in 1852 stopped the regime, having found that it was of some help with relaxation but overall had no significant effect, indicating that it served only to decrease his psychosomatic symptomatology. He continued to try various experimental therapies without any confidence in their effects, and at times of illness often tried spa treatments with limited success. Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, is probably the oldest form of medical treatment. ... Dr James Manby Gully (1808 - 1883), was a Victorian medical doctor, well known for practising hydrotherapy, or the water cure. Along with his partner James Wilson, he founded a very successful hydropathy (as it was then called) clinic in Malvern, Worcestershire, which attracted many notable Victorians, including such figures as... Malvern is the name of a town in Worcestershire, England. ... Annie Darwin Anne Elizabeth Annie Darwin (2 March 1841_22 April 1851) was the second child and eldest daughter of Charles and Emma Darwin. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... A psychosomatic illness is one with physical manifestations and supposed psychological cause, often diagnosed when any known or identifiable physical cause was excluded by medical examination. ...

Darwin himself wrote of his illness, emphasising that it was brought on by 'excitement':

Possible causes

Medical science has tried repeatedly to pinpoint the etiology, and many hypotheses were made, such as: This article is about the medical term. ...

A psychosomatic illness is one with physical manifestations and supposed psychological cause, often diagnosed when any known or identifiable physical cause was excluded by medical examination. ... Panic Disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by reccurring panic attacks in combination with significant behavioral change or at least a month of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks. ... MÃ©niÃ¨res disease (or syndrome, since its cause is unknown) is named after the French physician Prosper MÃ©niÃ¨re, who first reported that vertigo was caused by inner ear disorders in an article published in 1861. ... Arsenic poisoning kills by allosteric inhibition of essential metabolic enzymes, leading to death from multi-system organ failure. ... An allergy is an abnormal, acquired sensitivity to a given substance, including pollen, drugs, or numerous environmental triggers. ... For the anatomical term, see hypochondrium. ...

Psychic causation

Darwin found that his illness often followed stressful situations, such as the excitement of attending a meeting. Having escaped "smoky dirty London" to his country retreat of the former parsonage of Down House at Downe, he became increasingly reclusive, actually fitting a mirror outside the house, so that he could withdraw when visitors were coming around the corner. When he left it was mostly to visit friends or relatives, though he did endeavour to meet his obligations to attend scientific meetings. In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. ... Down House, photo by Richard Carter Down House is the former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. ... Downe is a village in the London Borough of Bromley, England. ...

Diagnosis of panic disorder and agoraphobia

These circumstances are today considered symptomatic of social phobia (fear of social contact) and agoraphobia (in the sense of fear of social gatherings or visitors outside a defined space they feel in control of); this supports a diagnosis of panic disorder. The term symptom (from the Greek meaning chance, mishap or casualty, itself derived from ÏƒÏ…Î¼Ï€Î¹Ï€Ï„Ï‰ meaning to fall upon or to happen to) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: Strictly, a symptom is a sensation or change in health function experienced by a patient. ... Social anxiety, sometimes known as social phobia or social anxiety disorder (SAD), is a common form of anxiety disorder that causes sufferers to experience intense anxiety in some or all of the social interactions and public events of everyday life. ... Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder which primarily consists of the fear of experiencing a difficult or embarrassing situation from which the sufferer cannot escape. ... Panic attacks are sudden, discrete periods of intense anxiety, fear and discomfort that are associated with a variety of somatic and cognitive symptoms[1]. The onset of these episodes is typically abrupt, and may have no obvious trigger. ...

Barloon and Noyes¹ report that as a young man, Darwin had "episodes of abdominal distress, especially in stressful situations". He had a "premorbid vulnerability" which in his youth was referred to as "sensitivity to stress of criticism in his youth." They contend that "variable intensity of symptoms and chronic, prolonged course without physical deterioration also indicate that his illness was psychiatric." Panic disorder usually appears in the teens or in early adulthood with an association with potentially stressful life transitions.² The histories of panic disorder patients often include some type of separation from a person who is emotionally important to them, which may be significant as Darwin's mother died in 1817 when he was eight, though apparently Darwin had a happy childhood overall and was encouraged by his siblings. Bowlby suggested that separation anxiety may help cause the development panic disorder in adulthood and that agoraphobic patients frequently describe parents as dominant, controlling, critical, frightening, rejecting, or overprotective, which matches (disputed) descriptions of Darwin's father as tyrannical (see below). In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. ... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Separation anxiety disorder (or simply separation anxiety) is a psychological condition in which an individual has excessive anxiety regarding separation from home, or from those with whom the individual has a strong attachment. ...

A study by Chambless and Mason³ says that regardless of gender, the less masculine in trait a person afflicted with panic disorder is, the more likely they are to use avoidance (social withdrawal) as a coping mechanism. Individuals who have a more masculine traits often turn to external coping strategies (for example, alcohol). Dr. Bean⁴ wrote that while Darwin had great confidence, at the same time he was neurotic, became nervous when his routine was altered, and was upset by a holiday, trip, or unexpected visitor. Coping (architecture) consists of the capping or covering of a wall. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In modern psychology, the term neurosis, also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, is a general term that refers to any mental imbalance that causes distress, but (unlike a psychosis or personality disorder) does not prevent rational thought or an individuals ability to function in daily life. ...

Colp⁵ disputes a diagnosis of agoraphobia, because Darwin dutifully attended 16 meetings of the Council of the Royal Society and was away from home about 2,000 days between 1842 and his death in 1882, but Barloon and Noyes¹ state that Darwin only left home infrequently, usually accompanied by his wife. They cite Darwin declining an invitation; "I have long found it impossible to visit anywhere; the novelty and excitement would annihilate me". For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Psychosomatic disease, social withdrawal, and isolation may also be a result of some debilitating organic disease. Hypochondria could be present and represent an exacerbation of organic disease. Darwin described in great length and in extreme clinical detail his suffering in his diaries (he went to the extreme of recording daily the volume and quality of his tinnitus). It is hard to tell whether some of his mostly subjective observations were real or imaginary. For the anatomical term, see hypochondrium. ... Tinnitus (IPA pronunciation: or ,[1] from the Latin word for ringing[2]) is the perception of sound in the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound(s). ...

Relationship with father

Rempf⁶ imputes a psychic cause based on the theory of Oedipal complex, proposing that Darwin's illness was "an expression of repressed anger toward his father" (the physician Robert Darwin). Rempf believed that Darwin's "complete submission" to a tyrannical father prevented Darwin from expressing anger towards his father and then subsequently toward others. In a similar diagnosis English psychiatrist Dr. Rankine Good stated, "Thus, if Darwin did not slay his father in the flesh, then he certainly slew the Heavenly Father in the realm of natural history", suffering for his "unconscious patricide" which accounted for "almost forty years of severe and crippling neurotic suffering." Sir Gavin de Beer disputed this explanation, claiming a physical causation.⁸ The Oedipus complex is a concept developed by Sigmund Freud, who was inspired by Carl Jung (he described the concept and coined the term Complex), to explain the maturation of the infant through identification with the father and desire for the mother. ... Psychological repression, or simply repression, is the psychological act of excluding desires and impulses (wishes, fantasies or feelings) from ones consciousness and attempting to hold or subdue them in the subconscious. ... This article is about the emotion. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ... Robert Darwin, from an oil painting by James Pardon. ... This article is about the emotion. ... Patricide is (i) the act of killing ones father, or (ii) a person who kills his or her father. ...

Darwin's autobiography says of his father, "... [he] was a little unjust to me when I was young, but afterwards I am thankful to think that I became a prime favourite with him." Bradbury⁷ quotes J. Huxley and H.B.D. Kettlew; "The predisposing cause of any psychoneurosis which Charles Darwin displayed seems to have been the conflict and emotional tension springing from his ambivalent relations with his father ... whom he both revered and subconsciously resented." and John Chancellor's analysis; "... [Darwin's] obsessive desire to work and achieve something was prompted by hatred and resentment of his father, who had called him an idler and good-for-nothing during his youth." For other uses, see Conflict (disambiguation) In political terms, conflict refers to an ongoing state of hostility between two or more groups of people. ... For other uses, see Emotion (disambiguation). ...

Such psychoanalysis remains controversial, particularly when based only on writings. pychoanalysis today comprises several interlocking theories concerning the functioning of the mind; the term also refers to a specific type of treatment where the analyst, upon hearing the thoughts of the analysand (analytic patient), formulates and then explains the unconscious bases for the patients symptoms and character problems. ...

Relationship with wife, nervousness about being left alone

Peter Brent's biography "Darwin: A Man of Enlarged Curiosity" writes that Charles and Emma Darwin's "ties to each other were linked to childhood and the very beginnings of memory. They had a common history, a joint tradition. It is hard to think their relationship a passionate one, but it was happy, and the happiness had deep roots." Bradbury⁷ - himself a social psychologist - draws on this biography to argue that in Darwin's letters, Emma was "always the mother, never the child, Darwin always the child, never the father." who gave his wife the nickname "mammy", writing "My dearest old Mammy ... Without you, when sick I feel most desolate .. Oh Mammy, I do long to be with you and under your protection for then I feel safe." Brent states that it is difficult to see that that this is a thirty-nine year old man writing to his wife and not a young child writing to his mother. Barloon and Noyes¹ quote Darwin's admission to Dr. Chapman of "nervousness when Emma leaves me" which they interpret as a fear of being alone associated with his panic disorder. Emma Darwin Emma Darwin (nÃ©e Wedgwood, 2 May 1808â€“7 October 1896) was the wife and cousin of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and mother to their ten children. ...

Like his mother, Darwin's wife Emma was devoutly Unitarian. His father, speaking from experience, warned Charles before he proposed to Emma that "some women suffered miserably by doubting about the salvation of their husbands, thus making them likewise to suffer." Darwin did tell Emma of his ideas at that stage, and while she was deeply concerned about the danger to his afterlife expressed in the Gospel "If a man abide not in me...they are burned", she married him and remained fully supportive of his work throughout their marriage. She read and helped with his "Essay" setting out his theory in 1844, long before he showed his theory to anyone else. She went through the pages, making notes in the margins pointing out unclear passages and showing where she disagreed. As his illness progressed she nursed him, restraining him from overworking and making him take holiday breaks, always helping him to continue with his work. Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... Gospel, from the Old English good tidings is a calque of Greek () used in the New Testament (see Etymology below). ... Jan. ...

Religious tension

Darwin had a complex relationship to religion. The Darwin — Wedgwood family were of the Unitarian church, with his grandfather Erasmus Darwin and father taking this to the extent of Freethought, but in the repressive climate of the early 19th century his father complied with the Anglican Church of England. Charles Darwin (1809 â€” 1882), who proposed the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. ... The Darwin â€” Wedgwood family was a prominent English family, descended from Erasmus Darwin and Josiah Wedgwood, the most notable member of which was Charles Darwin. ... Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... This article is about Erasmus Darwin who lived 1731â€“1802; for his descendants with the same name see Erasmus Darwin (disambiguation). ... Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that beliefs should be formed on the basis of science and logical principles and not be compromised by authority, tradition, or any other dogma. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

Charles Darwin's education at school was Anglican, then after in Edinburgh he joined student societies where his tutors espoused Lamarckian materialism. He liked the thought of becoming a country clergyman, and before studying at the University of Cambridge, "as I did not then in the least doubt the strict and literal truth of every word in the Bible, I soon persuaded myself that our Creed must be fully accepted." The clergyman naturalist professors there who became his lifelong friends fully accepted an ancient earth, but opposed evolutionism which they felt would undermine the social order. He did well at theology and in his finals came 10th out of a pass list of 178. At both universities he saw how evolution was associated with radicals and democrats seeking to overthrow society, and how publicly supporting such ideas could lead to destruction of reputation, loss of position and even imprisonment for blasphemy. Charles Darwins education gave him knowledge of medicine as well as the theology of current faith based ideas. ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. ... In philosophy, materialism is that form of physicalism which holds that the only thing that can truly be said to exist is matter; that fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions; that matter is the only substance. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The term Radical (latin radix meaning root) has been used since the late 18th century as a label in political science for those favoring or trying to produce thoroughgoing political reforms which can include changes to the social order to a greater or lesser extent. ...

At Cambridge he was convinced by William Paley's writings of design by a Creator, but on the Voyage of the Beagle his findings contradicted Paley's beneficent view. On his return his deepening speculations led to the inception of Darwin's theory, and he increasingly disbelieved in the Bible, gradually becoming what was later termed an agnostic. William Paley William Paley (July 1743 â€“ May 25, 1805) was an English divine, Christian apologist, utilitarian, and philosopher. ... A teleological argument, or argument from design, is an argument for the existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order, purpose, design and/or direction in nature. ... A watercolor by the HMS Beagles draughtsman, Conrad Martens. ... The inception of Darwins theory began with a search for explanations of contradictions in current Creationist ideas, and led him to formulate his theory of evolution which was eventually published in his book On the Origin of Species. ... Agnosticism (from the Greek a, meaning without, and Gnosticism or gnosis, meaning knowledge) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claimsâ€”particularly metaphysical claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of God, gods, deities, or even ultimate realityâ€”is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism...

Darwin was clearly worried by the implications of his ideas and desperate to avoid distress to his naturalist friends and to his wife. When first telling his friends he wrote "it is like confessing a murder", and his writings at the time of the publication of Darwin's theory suggest emotional turmoil. What is unclear is whether this was anxiety about disgrace and damage to his friends, or about his loss of faith in Christianity, or indeed a rational fear of the harsh treatment he had seen meted out to radicals and proponents of evolutionism. The publication of Darwins theory followed on from the development of Darwins theory of evolution and culminated in the publication of his book On the Origin of Species. ...

The Chagas hypothesis

Advanced for the first in time in 1959, by eminent Israeli specialist in tropical medicine, Dr. Saul Adler, from Hebrew University, the hypothesis of Chagas disease was based partly on the fact that during the Voyage of the Beagle Darwin was bitten by the insect vector of this disease near Mendoza to the east of the Argentinian Andes while on one of his land exploration trips. According to his own words, in the journal for 25 March 1835: Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that either occur uniquely in tropical and subtropical regions or are either more widespread in the tropics or more difficult to prevent or control. ... Saul Adler (17 May 1895, Liverpool-25 January 1966, Jerusalem) was a fellow of the Royal Society. ... The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים) is one of Israels biggest and most important institutes of higher learning and research. ... A watercolor by the HMS Beagles draughtsman, Conrad Martens. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera... In epidemiology, a vector is an organism that does not cause disease itself but which spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another. ... Gates of General San MartÃn Park Mendoza is a city in the west of Argentina, and the capital of Mendoza Province. ... Motto En uniÃ³n y libertad(Spanish) In Union and Freedom Anthem Himno Nacional Argentino Capital (and largest city) Buenos Aires Official languages Spanish Demonym Argentinian, Argentine Government Federal republic - President NÃ©stor Kirchner - Vice President Daniel Scioli - Chief of Cabinet Alberto FernÃ¡ndez Independence from Spain - May Revolution 25... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Arguments for the Chagas hypothesis were mainly his gastric symptoms and some of his nervous signs and symptoms (caused in Chagas by an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system), malaise and fatigue, as well as his ultimate cause of death, which seems to have been chronic cardiac failure (present in ca. 20% of Chagas patients, with cardiomegaly and ventricular tip aneurysm), accompanied by lung edema. Subfamilies Harpactorinae Peiratinae Tegeinae Triatominae etc. ... Subfamilies Harpactorinae Reduviinae Stenopodainae Emesinae Apiomerinae Ectrichodiinae Peiratinae Tegeinae Triatominae etc. ... This article is about the lowland plains in South America. ... Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ... In anatomy, the stomach is a bean-shaped hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication. ... For other uses, see Brain (disambiguation). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Cardiomegaly is a medical condition wherein the heart is enlarged. ... Post surgical photo of brain aneurysm survivor. ... Pulmonary edema is swelling and/or fluid accumulation in the lungs. ...

Recently, unsuccessful attempts were made to test Darwin's remains for T. cruzi DNA at the Westminster Abbey by using modern PCR techniques, but were met with a refusal by the Abbey's curator. The attempt was the subject of a recent documentary of Discovery Health Channel. Megacolon is an abnormal dilatation of the colon (a part of the large intestines) that is not caused by mechanical obstruction. ... Megaesophagus is a condition in dogs where peristalsis fails to occur properly and the esophagus is enlarged. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Remission is the state of absence of disease activity in patients with known chronic illness. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ... The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral (and indeed often mistaken for one), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A curator of a cultural heritage institution (e. ... Discovery Health Channel (or DHC), launched on August 2, 1999, is a U.S. cable television network dedicated to programming that highlights various aspects of health and wellness (and unwellness as well). ...

Ménière's disease

The hypothesis of Ménière's disease has gained some unjustified popularity. A diagnosis of Ménière's disease is based on a series of symptoms, including some which were present in Darwin's case, such as tinnitus, vertigo, dizziness, nausea, motion sickness, vomiting, continual malaise and tiredness. The fact that Darwin did not suffer from hearing loss and that 'fullness' of the ears is never mentioned practically excludes Ménière's disease. The definition of this disease is however not very solid and some form of 'a-typical Ménière's disease' remains a remote possibility. Motion sickness was present throughout his life, and became apparent very early, when he suffered horribly of sea sickness during the whole Beagle voyage. Darwin himself had the opinion that most of his health problems had an origin in his 4-years bout with sea sickness. Later, he could not stand traveling by carriage, and only horse riding would not affect his health. Psychic alteration often accompanies Ménière's and many other chronic diseases. An argument put forward for a diagnosis of Ménière's is that Darwin hunted a lot when he was young and could have damaged his inner ear with the repeated noise of shooting. While it is not unlikely that the noise damaged the inner ear and caused tinnitus, it can not have caused Ménière's disease. While Ménière's disease patients suffer during vertigo attacks from sickness and vomiting, the 'dyspepsia' problems of Darwin have nothing to do with it. One of the diagnoses that he received from his physicians at the time was that of "suppressed gout"; the idea that this was an early name for Ménière's lacks any ground. MÃ©niÃ¨res disease (or syndrome, since its cause is unknown) is named after the French physician Prosper MÃ©niÃ¨re, who first reported that vertigo was caused by inner ear disorders in an article published in 1861. ... This article is about the hunting of prey by human society. ... For other uses, see Ear (disambiguation). ...

Other possible causes

Evidence for familial systemic lactose intolerance syndrome was that vomiting and gastrointestinal symptoms usually appeared 2-3 hrs after meals, and that apparently Darwin got better when he stopped taking milk or cream [6]. A glass of cows milk. ... Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of raw milk before homogenization. ...

Food intolerance and lactase deficiency may also be confused with food allergies. Symptoms include difficulty swallowing and breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Upon reaching several other organs in the body, allergens can cause hives, eczema, lightheadedness, weakness, hypotension, etc. This has been proposed as the source of Darwin's illness, but the hypothesis is improbable, because, as with lactose intolerance, its temporal and causal relationship with food is easily established, and this was not always the case. A food allergy is an immunologic response to a food protein. ... Urticaria or Hives is a relatively common form of allergic reaction that causes. ... For the beetle, see Exema. ... In physiology and medicine, hypotension refers to an abnormally low blood pressure. ...

Chronic arsenic poisoning (arsenicosis) has been considered too. This hypothesis has been advanced by John H. Winslow, who published a book arguing that Darwin took arsenic at low dosages as a remedy and that there was "a very close match" between his symptoms and those of arsenicosis. However, it is highly improbable too, due to the long duration of the illness (40 years), the abruptness of symptoms, the cause of his death, the absence of many symptoms and signs of this kind of poisoning (persistent weight loss and diarrhea, the appearance of dark brown calluses on the palms and the soles of the feet and of skin, known as hyperpigmentation). Arsenicosis is a chronic illness resulting from drinking water with high levels of arsenic over a long period of time. ... General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 4, p Appearance metallic gray Standard atomic weight 74. ... Weight loss, in the context of medicine or health or physical fitness, is a reduction of the total body weight, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and/or lean mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon and other connective tissue. ... Types 5-7 on the Bristol Stool Chart are often associated with diarrhea Diarrhea (in American English) or diarrhoea (in British English) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent watery, loose bowel movements (from the Greek word Î´Î¹Î¬ÏÏÎ¿Î¹Î±; literally meaning through-flowing). Acute infectious diarrhea is a common cause... This article is about calluses and corns of human skin. ... In dermatology, hyperpigmentation is the darkening of an area of skin or nails caused by increased melanin. ...

Combined causes

From a clinical point of view, perhaps Darwin suffered from more than one disease, and had many psychosomatic complications and phobias arising from his debilitating condition. This is known to happen with many patients today, such as in severe cases of panic disorder, usually accompanied by hypochondria and depression.

Dr. Peter Medawar has supported the diagnosis that Darwin's health problems were part organic, part psychological. Colp⁵ concluded that Darwin's illness consisted most probably of panic disorder without agoraphobia, psychosomatic skin disorder, and possibly Chagas disease of the stomach" which he suggested "was first active and then became inactive, permanently injuring the parasympathetic nerves of his stomach and making it more sensitive to sympathetic stimulation and hence more sensitive to the "psychosomatic impact of his anxieties. An organic impairment best explains the lifelong chronicity of many of his abdominal complaints." Thus, the psychological aspects of Darwin's illness might be both a cause and an effect of Darwin's illness. D.A. B. Young noted in a Royal Society journal a 1997 that today the psychogenic view of Darwin's sickness "holds the field" . The proponent of Chagas disease, Dr. Saul Adler, stated that Darwin may have suffered both from Chagas diseas and from "an innate or acquired neurosis". Sir Peter Brian Medawar (February 28, 1915 â€“ October 2, 1987) was a Brazilian-born English scientist best known for his work on how the immune system rejects or accepts organ transplants. ...

Hereditary disease

Many of Darwin's children suffered from similarly vague illnesses for much of their early lives [7], but it has been speculated that part of this may have been simply because he encouraged a household where sickness was a form of attention and socialization. Darwin himself — concerned with heredity — wondered if he had passed on his general infirmary condition to his children, and was especially interested if his marriage to Emma Wedgwood, a cousin, was not perhaps also responsible (his concerns later in life with the effects of inbreeding were potentially motivated by this personal aspect as well). See Heredity (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... Emma Darwin Emma Darwin (nÃ©e Wedgwood, 2 May 1808â€“7 October 1896) was the wife and cousin of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and mother to their ten children. ... It has been suggested that inbreeding depression be merged into this article or section. ...

Contribution to Darwin's work

Interestingly enough, it seems that Darwin's maladies actually may have contributed a lot to what many believe was a long and fruitful creative process in science. George Pickering in his book, "Creative Malady" (1974) wrote that isolated from social life and obligations of a "normal" scientist, such as administrative and teaching work, Darwin had ample time and material comforts for researching, thinking, and writing extensively, which he did. Despite the long periods of unproductivity caused by ill health, Darwin produced much research. Darwin often complained that his malady robbed him of a half lifetime, but even so, many believe that his scientific contributions can be compared favorably to those of such figures as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Sir Isaac Newton FRS (4 January 1643 â€“ 31 March 1727) [ OS: 25 December 1642 â€“ 20 March 1727][1] was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, and alchemist. ... â€œEinsteinâ€ redirects here. ...

Darwin himself wrote about this, in his autobiographical "Recollections of the Development of my Mind and Character" (1876) [8]:

Conclusions

The exact nature of Darwin's illness or illnesses remain mysterious at this time. Unless sophisticated molecular probing of his biological remains is allowed, no definitive diagnosis can be reached. At the same time, historical investigations are probabilistic. There appears to be increasing support for the diagnosis that both organic and psychological ailments combined to cause his illness.

The issue has become embroiled in the creation-evolution controversy, with allegations that Creationists are drawing attention to interpretation of the illness to damage Darwin's reputation, and counter-allegations that admirers of Darwin refuse to accept faults in the man. The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs. ... Creationism is generally the belief that the universe was created by a deity, or alternatively by one or more powerful and intelligent beings. ...

References

External links

Notes and source

Categories: Charles Darwin | Ailments of unknown etiology Renato M.E. Sabbatini Renato Marcos Endrizzi Sabbatini, Brazilian biomedical and computer scientist, educator, science writer, entrepreneur and administrator, born in Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil, on 20 February 1947. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... On its second voyage, much of it chronicled by Charles Darwin in his book, The Voyage of the Beagle, the HMS Beagle crossed the Atlantic towards Tierra Del Fuego, and carried out surveying especially of the West coast of South America, as well as a number of Pacific islands. ... The inception of Darwins theory began with a search for explanations of contradictions in current Creationist ideas, and led him to formulate his theory of evolution which was eventually published in his book On the Origin of Species. ... The Development of Darwins theory began with a search for explanations of contradictions in current faith based ideas, and led him to formulate his theory of evolution which was eventually published in his book On the Origin of Species, a turning point in the history of evolutionary thought. ... The publication of Darwins theory followed on from the development of Darwins theory of evolution and culminated in the publication of his book On the Origin of Species. ... The reaction to Darwins theory came quickly after the publication of Darwins theory which had followed twenty years of development of Darwins theory of evolution. ... The life and work of Darwin from Orchids to Variation followed the reaction to Darwins theory which ensued after the publication of Darwins theory following twenty years of development of Darwins theory of evolution. ... The life and work of Darwin from Descent of Man to Emotions was the next stage after the work of Darwin from Orchids to Variation. ... The life and work of Darwin from Insectiverous plants to Worms followed after the work of Darwin from Descent of Man to Emotions. ... The Darwinâ€”Wedgwood family was a prominent English family, descended from Erasmus Darwin and Josiah Wedgwood, the most notable member of which was Charles Darwin. ... Charles Darwin (1809 â€” 1882), who proposed the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. ... This is a partial list of the writings of Charles Darwin, including his main works. ... A watercolor by the HMS Beagles draughtsman, Conrad Martens. ... The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Under the Command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the Years 1832 to 1836 is a 5-part book published unbound in nineteen numbers as they were ready, between February 1838 and October 1843. ... Two scientific papers; On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties by Alfred Russel Wallace and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection by Charles Darwin were presented to the Linnean Society of London in 1858 that first publicised Darwin — Wallace theory of evolution... Charles Darwins Origin of Species (publ. ... Title page of the first edition of Charles Darwins The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. ... The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals is a book by the British naturalist Charles Darwin published in 1872, on how animals and humans express and signal to others their emotions. ... The Power of Movement in Plants is an 1880 book by Charles Darwin and his son Francis on phototrophism in plants, i. ... The Autobiography of Charles Darwin is the autobiography of the British naturalist Charles Darwin which was published in 1887, five years after his death. ... Charles Darwin in 1854 The British naturalist Charles Darwin had correspondence with numerous other scientific luminaries of his age and members of his family. ...

Contents

Development of illness and symptoms GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");