Charles Darwin, Napoleon, and Moliere: health biographies reviewed in The Posture Theory

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Health Biographies of Darwin, Napoleon, Nightingale, Moliere, and 12 other famous people reviewed in The Posture Theory

John Keats
Howard Hughes

Don Dunstan
Moliere
Queen Anne

Some years after writing the original Posture Theory I examined the possibility that many famous people in history may have had health problems which were related to their posture, and, or may have had health problems which had them diagnosed as hypochondriacs, so when I found clues to this from the descriptions or their portraits, I examined their biographies to determine if I could use the information to support The Posture Theory. There are now more than a dozen brief health biographies in the 11th edition of The Posture Theory, and three more in The Health Biographies Of Alexander Leeper, Robert Louis Stevenson, And Fanny Stevenson. Some of that information is summarised on this webpage.

Charles Darwin appears to have had a stooped spine and sloping shoulders. When he was young he was healthy, robust and athletic, and when he toured the world as an explorer he climbed mountains and rode horses for 12 hours a day and sometimes out-rode the local guides. However, after returning to England in 1836 his activities were entirely sedentary, and he spent most of his time compiling a large volume of research notes. He moved into Down House in 1839 and purchased an oversized armchair for his study. He then had a carpenter instal a writing plank across its arms and has been described as writing The Theory Of Evolution while cramped behind this writing platform. He suffered from health problems from 1837 until his death in 1882. These included headaches, lumbago (low back pain), chronic abdominal pain and fatigue, and although there is the possibility that they may have been related to a viral illness incurred on his long journey, or viral illnesses back in England, it is also possible that a combination of his stooped physique and his cramped writing posture caused or contributed to his chronic health problems

Lewis Carroll suffered from haemorrhoids. To avoid aggravating this painful condition he wrote Alice In Wonderland while standing upright.

Frederick Matthias Alexander had problems with voice loss which was jeopardising his career as a recitalist, and there was no effective treatment available so he studied the problem for himself. He noticed that as he spoke he altered the angle of his head and neck, so he developed a method for improving his posture and cured his voice disorder. He then noticed that the throat and chest disorders, and various other ailments which he had suffered from since childhood were also relieved. He started teaching his method to other people and it became known as the Alexander Technique. He remained in good health until he died at the age of 86. The Alexander Technique is still taught around the world today, particularly to public speakers, actors, and singers who need good voice production as part of their occupation. When the head and neck are projected forwards there is pressure on the vocal chords, whereas good posture involves a straight neck and spine which removes the pressure from the vocal chords, the chest (and diaphragm), and the abdomen.

Queen Anne wanted to produce an heir for the British throne, however she had 13 miscarriages, 4 of her children died in infancy, and her only surviving child died at the age of 10. Her portraits reveal that she wore V-shaped stays which were tightest at the lower abdomen and would have compressed and deformed her womb, and caused her pregnancy problems. Queen Anne also had chronic ill health.

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Other Health Biographies

Robert Burton Robert Burton was a 17th century monk who suffered from the symptoms of hypochondria throughout his life. His portraits indicate that he had a stooped spine, and he describes sideways curvature of the spine as a typical feature of hypochondriacs and mentions that the problem was exclusive to sedentary workers (who sat at desks all day) and rare in farm laborers. He also wrote a book called 'The Anatomy of Melancholy' which contained a biochemical explanation for human disease and was the most famous and widely read medical theory of his time, and remains one of the most influential theories of medical history. (today melancholy means sad, but in the 17th century the correct meaning referred to a body chemical, black bile, from the words melan = black and choly = bile)

Donald Dunstan Don Dunstan had been a South Australian Premier for 10 years when he was advised by his doctors to resign from politics and take a long rest and never ever return to the stressful work of political life. The true nature of his ailment was obfuscated by the media but he developed the chronic fatigue syndrome, a primary symptom of hypochondria. I once observed him at a public event and he was wearing his typical safari suit and had his characteristic sloping shoulders, and when I saw him from the side view he had an extreme hump in his upper spine. His postural problem and several viral illnesses probably contributed to his ailment.

Howard Hughes Howard Hughes, the famous American billionaire, was an athlete and military test pilot when he was young. After a plane crash he developed chronic back pain and was prescribed morphine to relieve it. He has been generally portrayed as a whinging hypochondriac and a diet fanatic, but in fact, he was suffering from severe pain, and constipation is one of the side-effects of morphine, and he tried to treat it with a vegetarian diet. He employed and sacked three personal physicians in succession for the reason that he regarded them as incompetent fools, and he paid them not to discuss their opinions about his health with anyone. A plane crash, poor posture, back pain, and constipation -the side effects of medication, are features of his health.

John Keats The C-shaped spine and a chest infection.

Moliere Posture and a chest disease, and medications and side effects.

Napoleon Napoleon was the French Emperor who postponed the battle of Waterloo because he was suffering from hemorrhoids after riding his horse to the battle ground. Overnight reinforcements arrived to support his enemy and he was defeated. While imprisoned by the British he had chronic problems with abdominal pain. His own doctors diagnosed stomach cancer, but for political purposes or because of incompetence the British doctors diagnosed him as a whinging hypochondriac. He died under suspicious circumstances and was buried without an autopsy being done. Many years later traces of arsenic were found in his corpse's hair so he probably died of stomach cancer caused by arsenic poisoning. This poisoning may have been due to the side-effects of arsenic which was used as a medication to treat various illnesses, or it may have been the result of the British doctors deliberately poisoning him as an act of murder, with the pretentious explanation that he died of natural causes. His portraits show him as an athletic young man, but a stooped and pot bellied older man. He copied the fashions of Beau Brummel and wore very tight waisted trousers which would have compressed his abdomen so that by middle age he would have had a severely displaced stomach which would cause abdominal pain, and was probably the cause of his hemorrhoids which would have been aggravated by the jolting movements of his horse as he rode to the battleground.

Florence Nightingale Tight corsets, cholera, faintness and chronic fatigue.

Samuel Pepys Posture, chills, and the common cold.

Claire Weekes Posture, palpitations, and agoraphobia..

The Posture Theory homepage

The health problems of Alexander Pope

A summary of The Health Biographies Of Alexander Leeper, Robert Louis Stevenson, And Fanny Stevenson

	Health Biographies of Darwin, Napoleon, Nightingale, Moliere, and 12 other famous people reviewed in The Posture Theory
John Keats		Howard Hughes

Don Dunstan	Moliere	Queen Anne

Robert Burton	Robert Burton was a 17th century monk who suffered from the symptoms of hypochondria throughout his life. His portraits indicate that he had a stooped spine, and he describes sideways curvature of the spine as a typical feature of hypochondriacs and mentions that the problem was exclusive to sedentary workers (who sat at desks all day) and rare in farm laborers. He also wrote a book called 'The Anatomy of Melancholy' which contained a biochemical explanation for human disease and was the most famous and widely read medical theory of his time, and remains one of the most influential theories of medical history. (today melancholy means sad, but in the 17th century the correct meaning referred to a body chemical, black bile, from the words melan = black and choly = bile)
Donald Dunstan	Don Dunstan had been a South Australian Premier for 10 years when he was advised by his doctors to resign from politics and take a long rest and never ever return to the stressful work of political life. The true nature of his ailment was obfuscated by the media but he developed the chronic fatigue syndrome, a primary symptom of hypochondria. I once observed him at a public event and he was wearing his typical safari suit and had his characteristic sloping shoulders, and when I saw him from the side view he had an extreme hump in his upper spine. His postural problem and several viral illnesses probably contributed to his ailment.
Howard Hughes	Howard Hughes, the famous American billionaire, was an athlete and military test pilot when he was young. After a plane crash he developed chronic back pain and was prescribed morphine to relieve it. He has been generally portrayed as a whinging hypochondriac and a diet fanatic, but in fact, he was suffering from severe pain, and constipation is one of the side-effects of morphine, and he tried to treat it with a vegetarian diet. He employed and sacked three personal physicians in succession for the reason that he regarded them as incompetent fools, and he paid them not to discuss their opinions about his health with anyone. A plane crash, poor posture, back pain, and constipation -the side effects of medication, are features of his health.
John Keats	The C-shaped spine and a chest infection.
Moliere	Posture and a chest disease, and medications and side effects.
Napoleon	Napoleon was the French Emperor who postponed the battle of Waterloo because he was suffering from hemorrhoids after riding his horse to the battle ground. Overnight reinforcements arrived to support his enemy and he was defeated. While imprisoned by the British he had chronic problems with abdominal pain. His own doctors diagnosed stomach cancer, but for political purposes or because of incompetence the British doctors diagnosed him as a whinging hypochondriac. He died under suspicious circumstances and was buried without an autopsy being done. Many years later traces of arsenic were found in his corpse's hair so he probably died of stomach cancer caused by arsenic poisoning. This poisoning may have been due to the side-effects of arsenic which was used as a medication to treat various illnesses, or it may have been the result of the British doctors deliberately poisoning him as an act of murder, with the pretentious explanation that he died of natural causes. His portraits show him as an athletic young man, but a stooped and pot bellied older man. He copied the fashions of Beau Brummel and wore very tight waisted trousers which would have compressed his abdomen so that by middle age he would have had a severely displaced stomach which would cause abdominal pain, and was probably the cause of his hemorrhoids which would have been aggravated by the jolting movements of his horse as he rode to the battleground.
Florence Nightingale	Tight corsets, cholera, faintness and chronic fatigue.
Samuel Pepys	Posture, chills, and the common cold.
Claire Weekes	Posture, palpitations, and agoraphobia..