Darwin's Illness
Darwin's Illness
Cite
Abstract
The year 2009 marked the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. From 1840 to his death in 1882, Darwin was constantly plagued by chronic illnesses that allowed him to work only a few hours at a time and by an obsession with his physical health. Was this the psychosomatic product of stress resulting from the development and public reception to his theory of evolution or the result of a disease or parasite obtained during the world traveler's excursions? In 1977, the author of this volume argued persuasively for the former explanation in his book To Be an Invalid: The Illness of Charles Darwin, now out of print, but considered to be one of the century's most important works on Darwin's life. Expanding and reworking his earlier arguments to take into account new information (including Darwin's “Diary of Health”, included as an appendix), this book paints a more intimate portrait of the nature and possible causes of Darwin's lifelong illness, of the ways he and Victorian physicians tried treating it, and how it influenced his scientific work and relations with his family and friends.
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Front Matter
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1 The Illness
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1
“Violent Fatigues,” Bad Lips, and Unwell Hands
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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2
The Beagle Illnesses
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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3
Hard Work, Occasional Unwellness, Discovering the Theory of Natural Selection, and Marriage
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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4
Malaise, Vomiting, and the Beginning of “Extreme Spasmodic Daily & Nightly Flatulence”
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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5.
Moving to Down and Developing a “Profoundly Tranquil” Routine of Work, Rest, and Walks Around the Sandwalk
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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6
Treatments from Father, Father's Death, Prolonged Vomiting, and Treatments from Dr. Gully with Hydropathy at Malvern
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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7
Self-Observation and Doing Dr. Gully's Treatment at Down and Then Self-Observation and Treating Himself
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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8
Working “Too Hard” on Natural Selection and Treatments at Moor Park
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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9
“Dreadfully Up-hill Work” on the Origin of Species and Treatments at Moor Park and Ilkley
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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10
Illness and “Anxious Looking Forward”
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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11
Prolonged Vomiting and Treatments from Doctors Ayerst, Gully, Brinton, and Jenner
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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12
Prolonged Vomiting and Treatments from Doctors Jenner, Chapman, and Bence Jones
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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13
Improved Health and Living in a “Perpetually Half Knocked-Up Condition”
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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14
The Final Illnes
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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15
Darwin's Use of Snuff and Alcohol
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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1
“Violent Fatigues,” Bad Lips, and Unwell Hands
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2 Theories of the Origins of the lllness
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16
Theories of Darwin's Doctors, and of Darwin
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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17
Several Different Theories
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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18
Theories of Keith and Alvarez, and a Comparison of Darwin's Illness with the Illnesses of His Relatives and Children
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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19
Psychoanalytic Theories
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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20
The Possibility of Chagas' Disease
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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21
Medical Theories
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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22
The Possibility of Toxicity from Arsenic, and from Other Medicines
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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23
The Possibility of Illness from Pigeon Allergens
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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24
Two Psychosomatic Theories
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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25
Psychiatric Theories of Bowlby, and of Barloon and Noyes
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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26
The Theory of Dysfunction of the Immune System
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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27
The Possibility of Adrenal Disease
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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28
The Possibility of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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29
A Dermatological Diagnosis
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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30
The Possibility of Systemic Lactose Intolerance
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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31
The Possibility of Crohn's Disease
Ralph Colp Jr. M.D.
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16
Theories of Darwin's Doctors, and of Darwin
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End Matter
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