The Sickly Stuarts: The Medical Downfall of a Dynasty [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Frederick Holmes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2003

This ground-breaking medical history of an entire royal house shows the impact the physical weaknesses of the Stuart Dynasty had on the political turmoil of the time.

Editorial Reviews

From The New England Journal of Medicine

Frederick Holmes, physician and professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, took a sabbatical leave in 1991 to study British history and became enamored with the Stuart family of 17th-century kings and queens (Figure). The result is this generously illustrated, well-written book, which ought to interest medical professionals who want to know more about how prominent people of the past -- in this case, a ruling family of Scotland and England -- were treated for disease. Focusing on the dynasty's health, Holmes concludes that "disease and disability brought down the Stuart dynasty," because "Parliament gained power each time Stuart rule faltered because of sickness and infirmity." Using original diagnostic measurements that he labels certain, possible, doubtful, or of uncertain meaning, along with an eclectic mix of primary and secondary sources, Holmes considers the lives and deaths of these royal patients. His diagnoses provide the strongest and most entertaining part of the narrative, sometimes agreeing with traditional assumptions and at other times decrying historical judgments that, in his view, need revision -- notions such as that James II's nosebleeds might have cost him the throne or that George III and his ancestors suffered from porphyria. Holmes bravely attributes Charles II's death to poisoning by mercury inhaled from the toxic experiments in which the king engaged with the Royal Society, and he argues that Queen Anne succumbed to systemic lupus erythematosus. However, he is less successful in analyzing the Stuarts' philosophies of ruling, attributing their political missteps to mental defect or delusion, rather than to principled if unpopular policy. Although Holmes may be qualified to speculate on the illnesses that beset four generations of Stuarts, his amateurism as a historian shows too clearly. Even though this book was written for a general audience, not for specialists in the period, it lacks citations in places where they are obviously needed, especially to support arguable pronouncements. When he does cite a work, it is often a survey textbook or an unremarkable encyclopedia, which is a faux pas no professional historian would commit. Holmes relies on too many dated biographies, gossipy "social" histories written in the 19th century, and even the romance novelist Barbara Cartland's Private Life of Charles II: The Women He Loved (London: F. Muller, 1958). The chapter on the state of medicine in Stuart England could have profited from the recent scholarship of Andrew Wear, Harold Cook, and the late Roy Porter. Holmes's appendix on physicians to the Stuarts omits the Whig doctor to William and Mary, James Welwood, as well as controversial quacks such as Anne's oculist, William Read, and Charles II's "feverologist," Robert Talbor. Had Holmes read Talbor's Pyretologia (1672), he might have stumbled on another possible reason for the alarming rate of miscarriage among the Stuart elite: Talbor, who had a royal monopoly on Jesuits' Bark (cinchona) in England, prescribed double doses of quinine for pregnant women. There are also problems with Holmes's rather narrow focus on monarchical health, not the least of which is the absence of mention of any noteworthy activity, political or religious, that occurred apart from the family, as if the Stuarts were in some sort of vacuum. Perhaps the death of Prince Henry in 1612 was a calamity that led inexorably to the reign of Charles I and the Civil War, but the forces opposing the government's foreign and domestic policies were already bringing change. Charles I did die in 1649 -- not because he was sick but because he was executed. Indeed, everybody dies of something, and the Stuarts were no more prone to debilitating disease or reproductive woes than were the Tudors -- who got only three generations of monarchs out of their dynasty -- or, for that matter, other early modern denizens of the British Isles. One could argue that the death of Oliver Cromwell, regicide and Lord Protector, was more important in the scheme of things, precipitating the restoration of the Stuarts, than the passing of William III, whose anti-French wars were continued by Queen Anne. Elizabeth Lane Furdell, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

About the Author

Frederick Holmes is Edward Hashinger Distinguished Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Kansas Medical Centre and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing; illustrated edition edition (October 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750932961
• ISBN-13: 978-0750932967
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,911,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the dead boring royals exciting, January 14, 2005

By 

P. Trieb (South Dakota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sickly Stuarts: The Medical Downfall of a Dynasty (Hardcover)

When broadcast news of "the Royals" assaults my ears, I tend to flee the room. I never dreamed I'd read a book on English royalty, much less their maladies. I confess, the only reason I bought "The Sickly Stuarts" was that I personally know the author. But am I glad I did! What a fascinating, well-researched page-turner. Who needs fiction when the real stuff reads so well. It is penned in an engaging and witty style, neither condescending to the non-medical, or overly simplified for the author's peers. One benefit I had unavailable to most readers: in my mind I could hear Dr. Holmes' rich bass voice as I read these fascinating tales of the disease, disability and death of a dynasty. A helpful index, thorough footnotes, enlightening appendices, and an exhaustive bibliography strengthen the scholarship of this book. I have only one suggestion for a subsequent edition, that for those of us unschooled in the history of British royalty, an appendix include a chart showing the relationships between all the historical characters described. And it should include a health warning: Reading of this volume could lead to sleep loss.

4.0 out of 5 stars Why I'm Glad I Was Born in the 1950s, not the 1650s, December 13, 2011

By 

Deborah (North Texas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sickly Stuarts (Paperback)

I found this book fascinating. I can't agree with the premise that the Stuart dynasty's loss of power and the corresponding increase in parliamentary power was primarily caused by the Stuarts' various health problems; however, I've no doubt those health problems did play a significant role. Of primary importance was the failure of Catherine of Braganza to provide Charles II with a legitimate heir and the failure of Mary II and Anne to produce heirs.

One of the reasons I find this book so interesting is that the author, Frederick Holmes, not only has a Master's degree in History, but he is also a medical doctor, a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Royal Society of Medicine. Because of this, his diagnoses of the medical conditions of various members of the Stuart family carries more weight. He admits "there is always arrogance in making diagnoses on another physician's patient, particularly at a remove of time." He qualifies his diagnoses as `certain', `possible', `doubtful' and `uncertain meaning'. For example, take William III, who was only a Stuart on his mother's side but was also married to a Stuart. Holmes states a diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia as the cause of William III's death is `certain'. The causes of his failing health before his death--pernicious anemia, hypothyroidism and or sub-acute bacterial endocarditis--are `possible'. There are cases, such as the reason why William and Mary did not have children that cannot be determined from the information available.

I do recommend this book for the information on the practice of medicine in the 17th century and on the health of the Stuart dynasty.The Sickly Stuarts: The Medical Downfall of a Dynasty