George III and the Mad Business [Hardcover]

Ida Macalpine (Author), Richard Hunter (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 407 pages
• Publisher: Allen Lane (1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713901063
• ISBN-13: 978-0713901061
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,758,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars 'brain fever"???...the king's doctors got it all wrong!, May 31, 2011

By 

Melissa A. Halliday "book lover" (usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: GEORGE III AND THE MAD-BUSINESS (Paperback)

for people who do not know,king george the third of england(1738-1820),suffered from
a serious genetic disorder called,porphria. unfortunately,the symptoms -which
scared many people around him-made the king seem,"insane"like,non-stop talking,
insomnia,acute stomach pains,nervousness,inablilty to control emotions,lack of
muscle control/weakness in muscles,etc. the king's doctors were at a loss not only
figuring out exactly "WHAT" was wrong but also, how to help him.
in this extensive book(363 pages),the authors delve into the sad world of medicine
in the late 18th/early 19th century. there was really little that doctors could do for king george but to give him "medicines",bleed him,blister him(the doctors
burned his skin to cause blisters!i am not making this up)and to add insult to injury,the king was put through something that(today) we would call either abuse or torture. the king was restrained on a bed or a chair for hours at a time all in
an effort to "cure" him. somehow king george slowly recovered but,sadly he was to
have relapses of his illness over the last fifteen years of his life.
other chapters in the book discuss ancestors of king george who probably had the
same disorder that he had and the last chapter is about,georgian "psychiatry"-
how this era in time dealt with mental illnes,which was no sweet walk in the park for mentally ill people i must say!
this book does have illustrations,although these could have been better by
showing portraits of the people involved. all we get is a profile of king george
and not a very good one. otherwise,a great book for readers wanting to know
about king george and his illness and also a study of treatment of the mentally
ill(who knows if they really were?!?)and what a shame it all was.

5.0 out of 5 stars A good take on "The Royal Disease", May 30, 2000

By 

Amy Milburn (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George III and the Mad Business (Hardcover)

Being Porphric myself, I found this book very well researched and without too much hype.

Very interesting for those of us with :"the Royal Disease" and a good take on history for those who are interested