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Henry & His Health
July 4, 2011
2:04 am
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Lorraine
Warwickshire
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I have been reading allot of Henry VIII and his treatment towards Anne.  One thing I have always considered about Henry is Porphyria.  His health problems match way too closely with all the symptoms that Porphyria represents.  We know that it is hereditary – Mary Queen of Scots was
also known to have this disease and although it has been attributed to
the Madness of King George there is too much, way too much, evidence from
Henry's health problems to dismiss the Porphyria theory!

That should not, nor should it ever mitigate his behviour, but it is a considered theory as to his mad rages and paranoia.

July 4, 2011
6:58 pm
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MegC
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It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure I agree 100%, though I could be more convinced.

A quick search of Wikipedia turns up no fewer than nine different types of porphyria classified by the organs they primarily affect.

Out of those nine, Henry cannot have possibly had 7 of those types.  One of those types is found only in infants who receive UV light treatment for jaundice.  Five of the remaining six are characterized by photosensitivity.  Three of those include photosensitivity so severe the patient exhibits skin lesions or blisters of some sort.  Henry was very athletic in his youth and known to be outdoors frequently hunting or something of the sort.  Someone would have noticed blisters and commented on it–probably not to Henry, but to someone else.  One of the remaining three with photosensitivity also includes developmental delay as a symptom and Henry was clearly not developmentally delayed.  Even without all that, of all the complications and issues involved in Henry's health, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone mentioning even simple photosensitivity and it seems like people with porphyria have pretty severe photosensitivity.  So, we're down to two remaining possible types of porphyria:  one of these is an X-linked porphyria which, in and of itself doesn't disqualify it as a contender.  But it is an erythopoietic porphyria, and it doesn't seem that symptoms of any of the erythropoietic porphyrias include neurological or psychiatric symptoms.

So, the only porphyria remaining on the list is acute intermittent porphyria which IS a possibility.  I don't know much about the chief physical complaints Henry had in the late years of his life and most of the symptoms (except for the purple urine and the psychotic episodes) are pretty typical of many older people.  My chief hang-up with this one is that it is autosomal dominant.  Unless Henry had a spontaneous genetic mutation (which is ENTIRELY possible!), one of his parents would have also had to have the condition.  Maybe someone who knows more about Henry VII can convince me because I honestly know very little about H8's parents.

"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"

July 5, 2011
1:06 am
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Lorraine
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His mother was known to suffer from Porphyria, Elizabeth of York, and it also straddled over the family line with Mary Queen of Scots having the condition as well.

It could also explain the massive loss of babies through miscarriages and dying in the first few weeks of their lives, if the genetic mutation was quite bad.  Henry blames his wives, for their failure, also his son the young King Edward VI died aged 16 years was known to be a sickly child all of his life.

July 5, 2011
5:06 am
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Anyanka
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Lorraine said:

His mother was known to suffer from Porphyria, Elizabeth of York, and it also straddled over the family line with Mary Queen of Scots having the condition as well.

It could also explain the massive loss of babies through miscarriages and dying in the first few weeks of their lives, if the genetic mutation was quite bad.  Henry blames his wives, for their failure, also his son the young King Edward VI died aged 16 years was known to be a sickly child all of his life.


If Elizabeth suffered from porhyria, then Mary could have inherited it from her grandmother Margaret Tudor.

 

However Edward showed very few signs of ill-health until his last year.

It's always bunnies.

July 5, 2011
6:15 am
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Lorraine
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There are various different points on Edwards VI's health most notably one taken from the letters that Elizabeth I wrote to her half brother when he suffered smallpox as a child. Elizabeth was also prevented from seeing her brother while he lay dying with tuberculosis.

“Always a sickly child, Edward VI had become king at the age of nine. By
1533 he had contracted tuberculosis and his declining health made it
clear to all that the 16-year-old king would die without producing an
heir of his own”.

The problem is of course, that as he died at aged 16 years not enough is really known about him.  The feuding with who was going to guide him after his father died is well known, but the rest is quite hazy.

July 5, 2011
10:00 am
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E
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I have heard it vaguely mentioned the possibility of H8 having Porphyria.. I can't remember where though… My post therefore has no purpose at all!Smile

"A fresh young damsel, who could trip and go"

July 6, 2011
3:27 pm
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MegC
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Acute Intermittent Porphyria typically appears after puberty, usually in a person's 20's and progresses, though it seems to appear -++++++++++++++++++++++-

(sorry, Charlotte says hi!)

intermittently throughout one's life as painful attacks that can leave the person bed-ridden for days and a particularly severe attack can be fatal.  

We certainly know that later in Henry's life he was intermittently bed-ridden for as much as 2 weeks at a time.  I had always assumed that it was because of his leg ulcer re-opening and causing him problems.

An interesting side-note though:  The American Porphyria Foundation notes that most people who carry the gene for AIP never develop +

+any symptoms of the disease.

Better go, I'm fighting for control over the keyboard with my 1-year-old!

"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"

July 6, 2011
3:36 pm
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MegC
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Ok, quickly before my kids realize the computer is open:

I can't find any information on Elizabeth of York having porphyria and AIP is usually really severe in women because of female hormone interference.  But it could be I'm looking in the wrong places.

It seems that no one knows what “triggers” AIP in some people and not in others who carry the gene.  However, we know that Henry's diet was not the healthiest and we know that he liked to be his own apothecary so it's possible that something he was self-medicating with triggered the condition in him.

"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"

July 7, 2011
11:30 am
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Lorraine
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I may have gone off on a tangent on this and got names mixed up:-

"It seems known that Mary, Queen of Scots, may have been a sufferer and so

was her son James VI-I, then there is a long gap and “porphyria (?)” does

not emerge until George III.

How does this “inheriting” work? Is it a combination of inheriting the

ability which then perhaps is sparked off by food, medicine, environmental

triggers?  Mary, Queen of Scots, may have inherited the disease through her

grandmother, Margaret Tudor. Margaret's eldest brother, Arthur, Prince of

Wales, apparently also had some of the symptoms”.

 

Hands up I could have got names mixed up here, but it would appear that Margaret whose brothers are namely Prince Arthur, who Catherine of Aragon was married to before, and Henry VIII could have had this disease. Now I am sure I saw somewhere before doing this it came down from Elizabeth of York's side, which is possible as Margaret would have passed it onto her daughter – Mary Queen of Scots!  So it either came from Elizabeth of York or from their father Henry VII

July 7, 2011
12:05 pm
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Sharon
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I know nothing about this disease, but I just finished reading John Guys book, “My Heart Is My Own, about Mary Queen of Scots.  There were claims that George III may have suffered from porphyria.  Medical historians tried tracing the disease through the Stuart line to James I.  But many claimed he did not suffer from porphyria, but that he was manic depressive. Guy also states that even if James had the disease, it could have come from his father's side.  As for Mary and the illnesses she suffered in her youth, there is significant evidence they were unrelated to porphyria.

July 7, 2011
7:30 pm
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MegC
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I had read something similar, but I couldn't re-locate it to reference it so I'm glad you posted this.

It's so difficult to confirm things like this.  All the evidence is circumstantial at best and could point to one of 500 different conditions.

"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"

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