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List of syphilis cases

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Portrait of Gerard de Lairesse by Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1665–67, oil on canvas. De Lairesse, himself a painter and art theorist, suffered from congenital syphilis that severely deformed his face and eventually blinded him.[1]

This is a list of famous historical figures diagnosed with or strongly suspected as having had syphilis at some time. Many people who acquired syphilis were treated and recovered; some died from it.

Many famous historical figures, including Charles VIII of France, Christopher Columbus,[2] Hernán Cortés of Spain, Benito Mussolini, and Ivan the Terrible,[2] were often alleged to have had syphilis or other sexually transmitted infections. Sometimes these allegations were false and formed part of a political whispering campaign. In other instances, retrospective diagnoses of suspected cases have been made in modern times. Mental illness caused by late-stage syphilis was once a common form of dementia. This was known as the general paresis of the insane.

Name Details
Cesare Borgia (1475–1507), Italian Cardinal Strongly suspected of having syphilis
Gerard de Lairesse (1641–1711), Dutch painter and art theorist Congenital syphilis
Edward Teach (1680–1718), West Indian pirate Better known as Blackbeard. Died in battle against Robert Maynard[3]
Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz (1721–1773), Prussian cavalry lieutenant general Died from syphilis[4]
Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848), Italian opera composer Neurosyphilis[5]
Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867), French poet[6]
Lola Montez (1821–1861), Irish dancer, courtesan, mistress of Ludwig I Died from syphilis[7]
Leland Stanford (1824-1893), American politician & robber baron Retrospectively diagnosed or suspected to have died of syphilis.[8]
Camilo Castelo Branco (1825–1890), Portuguese writer Died by suicide on account of blindness caused by neurosyphilis.
Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910), Russian writer Suspected to have had syphilis[9]
Alphonse Daudet (1840–1897), French novelist
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), German philosopher Cause of death disputed, but syphilis or mercury poisoning from syphilis treatment are leading theories.
Bram Stoker (1847–1912), Irish author Cause of death listed as "Locomotor ataxia 6 months", presumed to be a reference to syphilis.[10][11]
Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893), French writer[12]
Tongzhi Emperor (1856–1875), Emperor of Qing Dynasty Suspected to have had syphilis[citation needed]
Mikhail Vrubel (1856–1910), Russian painter[13]
Frederick Delius (1862–1934), English music composer Died from syphilis[14]
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901), French painter[15]
Eugen Sandow (1867–1925), German bodybuilder Suspected to have had syphilis[16][17]
Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924), Soviet politician Retrospectively diagnosed or suspected to have died of syphilis.[18]
Karen Blixen (1885–1962), Danish writer[19]
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), German dictator Suspected to have had syphilis[20][2][21]
Al Capone (1899–1947), American gangster Died from syphilis[22]
Lavrentiy Beria (1899–1953), Soviet politician & serial rapist Admitted before his execution he had been treated for syphilis.
Alger "Texas" Alexander (1900–1954), American blues singer Died from syphilis[23]
Howard Hughes (1905–1976), American aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, investor, philanthropist and pilot. Diagnosed with neurosyphilis in 1932.[24]
Idi Amin (1928–2003), Ugandan dictator[25]

References

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  1. ^ The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Summer 2007, pp. 55–56.
  2. ^ a b c Hayden, Deborah (4 August 2008). Pox: Genius, Madness, And The Mysteries Of Syphilis. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0786724130. OCLC 50725392.
  3. ^ Sands, K.; Dennis, M.; Venkatesh, R. (2020). "Fr02-06 Down the Chute". The Journal of Urology. 203 (203): 293–294. doi:10.1097/JU.0000000000000851.06. S2CID 218949508.
  4. ^ Lawley, Robert Neville (1852). General Seydlitz, a Military Biography. W. Clowes & Sons, pp 178–179.
  5. ^ Peschel, E.; Peschel, R. (1992). "Donizetti and the music of mental derangement: Anna Bolena, Lucia di Lammermoor, and the composer's neurobiological illness". The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. 65 (3): 189–200. PMC 2589608. PMID 1285447.
  6. ^ C. Pichois and J. Ziegler, Charles Baudelaire, new edition, Paris: Fayard, 2005, p. 224–229; M. Monnier, "La maladie de Baudelaire", in C. Pichois ed., Baudelaire: études et témoignages, Neuchâtel, 1976, p. 219–238.
  7. ^ Cannon, M. (1974). "Montez, Lola (1821–1861)". Montez, Lola (1818–1861). Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 5. Australian National University. https://web.archive.org/web/20121126203945/http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/montez-lola-4226
  8. ^ Kinyon, Jon (January 1, 2022). "Leland Stanford: The Robber Baron's Troubling History". Powerless Press. Leland's sudden demise, considered to be the result of untreated syphilis
  9. ^ Wilson, A. G. (2001). Tolstoy: A Biography. New York: Norton. ISBN 0-393-32122-3.
  10. ^ Davison, Carol Margaret (1 November 1997). Bram Stoker's Dracula: Sucking Through the Century, 1897–1997. Dundurn. ISBN 9781554881055 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "100 years ago today: the death of Bram Stoker". OUPblog. 20 April 2012.
  12. ^ Maupassant died at age 43 of syphilis he had acquired 16 years previously. (Bruno Halioua, "Comment la syphilis emporta Maupassant", La revue du praticien, 30 June 2003.) When he first learned he had caught the disease Maupassant actually rejoiced, writing to a friend: "I have the pox! Finally! The big one! [J'ai la vérole! enfin! la vraie!] ... I have the pox [...] and I am proud of that by God! And I have the greatest contempt for the bourgeois." (Guy de Maupassant, Letter to Robert Pinchon aka LaToque, 2 March 1877.)
  13. ^ V.M Domiteeva (2014). Vrubel. Zhizn' zamechatel'nykh liudei (in Russian). Moscow: Molodaia Gvardiia. p. 413. ISBN 978-5-235-03676-5.
  14. ^ "Frederick Delius Biography Sublime Music, Tragic Life". Favorite Classical Composers. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  15. ^ "Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec Biography". toulouse-lautrec-foundation.org. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  16. ^ Tithonus, Pednuad, J. "Eugen Sandow—Father of Bodybuilding". The Human Marvels. Retrieved 2008-09-17. At the time of his death in 1925, a cover story was released stating Sandow died prematurely at age 58 of a stroke shortly after pushing his car out of the mud. The actual cause of death was more likely due to complications from syphilis.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Tom Pendergast and Sara Pendergast (2000). St. James encyclopedia of popular culture. St. James Press. ISBN 978-1-55862-404-7. ... speculates that the strongman's death may have been the result of an aortic aneurysm brought about by syphilis.
  18. ^ Chivers, C. J. (June 22, 2004). "A Retrospective Diagnosis Says Lenin Had Syphilis". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Donelson, Linda (1998). Out of Isak Dinesen in Africa. Coulsong. ISBN 0-9643893-9-8.
  20. ^ "Did Hitler Have Syphilis?". Medical News Today. Retrieved 2010-10-02. An encounter with a Jewish prostitute in Vienna in 1908 may have given Hitler neuro-syphilis and provided the 'deadly logic and blueprint for the Holocaust' as well as giving him a reason to attempt to eliminate the mentally retarded, according to evidence presented at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
  21. ^ Retief, Francois; Wessels, A. (22 December 2005). "Did Adolf Hitler have syphilis?". South African Medical Journal. 95 (10): 750–753. PMID 16341329.
  22. ^ Bergreen, Laurence (1994). Capone: The Man and the Era. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-684-82447-5.
  23. ^ "Texas Alexander". Thebluestrail.com. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  24. ^ Brown and Broeske 1996, p. 183–185
  25. ^ Idi Amin The Guardian, Obituaries, 18 August 2003: "It's no secret that Amin is suffering from the advanced stages of syphilis, which has caused brain damage".

Bibliography

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  • Brown, Peter Harry and Pat H. Broeske. Howard Hughes: The Untold Story. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. ISBN 0-525-93785-4.
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