Customer Reviews

Pox: Genius, Madness, and the Mysteries of Syphilis

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a brilliant analysis of the course of a debilitating disease and its influence on its sufferers and, in some cases, world history. By correcting the ignorance of science and medicine (to say nothing of rational thought) that plagues much historical writing and literary criticism, this book illuminates aspects of the acts and works of many pre-penicillin "celebrities".

More significant, however, is what this book implies in terms of public affairs in the current day. One must ask if there are major public figures in this age of modern medicine whose bizarre behavior may be the product of undetected and untreated syphilitic disease. The author herself places such figures as Joseph Stalin and Idi Amin in this category, but what of Pol Pot, Mao Tse Tung, and Saddam Hussein, to name a few? How many tyrants and madmen of the recent past and present are affected by neurosyphlis? How many will flame forth to scar the world in the future?

The book ends with the application of penicillin; however, if primary and secondary syphilis are not appropriately treated (and in some cases, even when they are) there intervenes a long period of smoldering dormancy in which the disease cannot reliably be detected serologically (by Wasserman and more modern tests). The idea that a major political figure could today be a long-term syphilitic is entirely possible, especially given the lack of education modern physicians from all nations receive in the diagnosis and management of the long-term characteristics of the disease.

Think about it...

And read the book.

In POX, Deborah Hayden presents the most thoroughly researched, best balanced, most lucid and convincing account of luminary syphilitic devastation that I recall reading during a half-century career in epidemiology. Hayden's incisive historical examination of the powerful role of syphilis in shaping the lives and works of fifteen pre-penicillin lminaries, points the need and way for analogous examination of thousands of other historical events and figures actually scourged by syphilis; but which -- without the syphilis key -- have remained largely inexplicable.

To the American syphilis casualty list of historic figures has been added the tragic death of Meriwether Lewis, whose suicide on the Natchez Trace in 1809, because of paresis and looming madness due to syphilis acquired in the line of duty on a dangerous mission for his President and country, was an act of ultimate courage, shielding himself, other Expedition principals and family from syphilitic disgrace (Epidemiology May 1994).

Many analagous historical enigmas await the research of talented researchers like Deborah Hayden, to lift the veil of time and acquaint current generations with the horrific depredations of syphilis before penicillin.

Until the mid-twentieth century, when it was shown that penicillin was an effective treatment, syphilis was one of the most common diseases in Europe and North America. Though the point is still debated, it seems likely that syphilis was the one epidemic Native Americans were able to give to their conquerors in the face of smallpox, measles and the rest that devastated their populations. Unlike the European diseases, however, which were quickly and disproportionately deadly, syphilis, after its sudden and sweeping introduction, quickly mutated into a chronic illness. Though ultimately fatal in some cases, syphilis often allowed carriers to live for many decades after the initial infection, slowly tearing the body apart. It is the story of this disease that has become largely ignored in modern scholarship that Ms. Hayden tells in Pox.

There is much of interest in this book, particularly in the first section. Here, Ms. Hayden recounts what is known of the introduction of syphilis into Europe, including a lively discussion indicating that Columbus himself may have been among the first syphilitics. Even more interesting is her description of the disease itself from the signs of initial infection to the often gradual, extensive and painful deterioration that accompanies the progress of the disease ending in madness and death. She notes that there are two key problems in an analysis of syphilis: the fact that syphilis is "the great imitator" (meaning that its extensive symptoms are often easily mistaken for other diseases, especially as these symptoms may occur decades after the initial infection) and the fact that patients admitting to syphilis was rare because of the social stigma attached. So understanding the full impact of syphilis on Western culture is problematic. And here is where the book becomes less compelling.

The last two sections of the book take us through the biographies of some important syphilitics like the Lincolns (Abraham & Mary Todd), Oscar Wilde, Nietzsche, Beethoven and van Gogh. If they are syphilitics. In many cases it's not known for sure though Ms. Hayden attempts to make the case. And, proved or not, she attempts to show how syphilis--if that's what it was--would have had important impact on their lives and work. Her most extensive and controversial case surrounds that of Adolf Hitler as having been infected as a young man (possibly by a Jewish prostitute) and how the last years of World War II saw his deterioration.

The problems with these biographies are two-fold. First, is the simple matter of the difficulty in writing something interesting about each person. These biographies are extraordinarily repetitious: infection and illness, latency and then steadily worsening heath problems as the spirochetes take over. Second, they are filled with so much speculation. Even in the rare case where syphilis is a known infection, as Ms. Hayden admits, there is no guarantee that the following health problems are syphilitic in nature. They might be. All of this speculation begins to make the reader wonder if this is all fact or fiction.

Still, Ms. Hayden often makes a compelling if not entirely convincing case. Certainly, she makes the case that it is a subject that deserves more interest, especially from biographers of these various subjects. There is no doubt that illness can have a great impact on a person's life, art and politics and Ms. Hayden deserves credit for bringing this important disease back to light.

I just happened to see this book in the store as I was walking through but I stayed up all night reading it. It discusses the mostly hidden impact of syphillis on a number of famous individuals and through them, and with them, the world. There have been other attempts of this sort, but I've never picked up one so compulsively readable. It reminded me of the fact that except for the brief period between World War Two and the advent of AIDS, sex has always been tied into a tight knot with death. Anyone interested in history or disease, should read this.

Probably the most ridiculous book I have ever (half-)read! It seems to have been written by a sensationalist for sex-obsessed, screwed-up voyeurs. Who can seriously think that a diagnosis of syphilis in case of Christopher Columbus could be scientifically/medically based? Perhaps he had a chicken pox? But that would not be sensationalist enough for Ms Hayden, would it?
Also, references are fiddled with to suit the most absurd hypothesis that genius must have syphilis to realise his full potential. Thomas Mann pales into insignificance with his Romantic (albeit ill-informed) ideas. Authoress - think first, and only then write, if you must!

I am a medical doctor and long-term student of VD in American history. Ms. Hayden has succeeded in a difficult task: writing convincingly about a medical subject when she is not a medical person. She enlisted help from the best of the best, such as my old professor Dr. Eugene Farber, and learned well from their teachings.

Without retrospective blood tests, it is impossible to PROVE that a person before 1900 had syphilis, but the combined wisdom of generations of doctors can give us reasonable certainty, and this Ms. Hayden has given us.

Some reviewer has asserted that Beethoven could not have had syphilis, because he wrote great music. (Perhaps logic and epistemology are no longer taught in our schools.)

I give thumbs up to this book for breaking new ground in an informative and thoroughly researched way.

This is the best book I have read this year, and probably the best book I have read in five years. Not only is the information critical for understanding a number of historical personages, but Hayden's writing is stimulating. Her words work their way through your system the same compelling way syphilis worked its way through such a huge portion of the population until the development of penicillin. That is, her message can't be ignored. The need for society to put syphilis in the closet is surely as strong a statement as the impact of the infection itself on genius, madness, and creativity. Given its unusual subject matter, this is a detective book that is hard to put down once you start it.

Pox is an astounding book. a superb book of medical detection in which the author -both sleuth and scholar at the highest level- uncovers how syphilis has laid low some of the greatest figures of the last two centuries including many of our greatest creators (Joyce, Van Gogh, Beethoven, Schumann, Flaubert), statesmen (Abraham Lincoln) Explorers (Columbus) as well as our greatest destroyer - Adolf Hitler. Will change forever about how you think about so many towering figures of the last two centuries. And Hitler - one has to be astounded that so many many scholars missed or concealed his syphilis. Well researched, engaging, and superbly written. A must read. from a San Francisco reader

PERSPECTIVE: physician with interest in infectious diseases

Ms. Hayden's thesis here is an interesting one - not only did syphilis afflict many well-known historical figures, but its late-stage effects on the mind (as she terms it, "syphilitic euphoria") contributed to the creative zenith of authors and aritists, as well as shaping the lives and deeds of the powerful and influential. The first section of the book deals with the historical origins (and controversies) surrounding the origins of syphilis outbreaks in the late 1400's, as well as a reasonably adequate lay description of the disease. The main section deals with several figures from the 19th and 20th century, including well-known composers, philosophers, authors, artists, and political figures, none of whom have been confirmed to have syphilis, but suspected of such to greater or lesser degrees. In each case, she makes an argument for their infection and its effect on their lives and work, based on available historical documents, medical records, etc... The final sections include brief paragraphs discussing confirmed famous syphilitics, a list of general clues the author used in analyzing each case, and a reproduction of a 1926 case study on a patient.

Overall, the novel is flows well, and is easy and entertaining to read. Ms. Hayden's research is extensive and well-documented, and while she is not formally medically trained, she has certainly pored over medical texts from previous centuries up to today in order to educate herself and her readers.

Despite this, there are several issues of note. The "syphilitic euphoria" as a genesis for works of genius, medically, seems a bit of a strech in both its existance (as she characterizes it) and influence. It seems as though she loses her focus at some point - while earlier chapters, such as those on Schubert and Nietzsche, seem goal-oriented towards proving the presence of the infection, and its role in their work, other chapters (Lincoln and Hitler, notably) seem more like meandering discussions that, while interesting, ultimately come to no real conclusion as to the role of the disease. Additionally, while she seems convinced herself that each subject indeed had syphilis, and she works to makes a good case for each, some of her leaps of fact and logic seem a bit long. Ms. Hayden does occasionally make factual medical errors when discussing certain symptoms and their associations. Along those lines, she seems much more comfortable discussing such facts in the less precise medical terminology of "days gone by" than in present-day terms - this may be rooted in both her supposition that modern physicians know nothing of true end-stage syphilis (because we've been able to treat the infection early, successfully, with antibiotics for many decades, although how she can read the same old syphilis texts that physicians can, and be better than them at its diagnosis is a bit of a mystery to me) and that less-specific terminology allows her to make her cases better. The last sections also strike me as "fluff," of mild interest only.

FINAL WORD: The above quibbles aside, there is a lot to enjoy here, especially given Ms. Hayden's excellent historical research and entertaining writing style. A worthwhile read, but keep in mind that a lot of the author's conjectures are just that - conjectures. Buy it, check it out from the library, or buy it and donate it to your local library.

This fascinating book combines social history and medical mystery. Hayden presents an abundance of evidence that some of the great thinkers and creators of Western Civilization (and Hitler, too) had syphilis. Yet, she never forces her point of view. One wonders how this terrible disease (and she demonstrates how debilitating it really was)changed the history of the world. Intriguing.