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Thomas J. Barloon, MD; Russell Noyes, Jr, MD
The University of Iowa College of Medicine Iowa City

JAMA. 1997;277(16):1276-1277.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

In Reply.

—The letters discussing our article show continued interest in a subject that has caused much debate over the years. A central issue in that debate has been whether Darwin's illness was physical or psychological. His physicians were baffled, and subsequent investigators, faced with myriad somatic and psychological symptoms, offered a variety of explanations. Dr Adler¹ originally proposed the influential hypothesis that Darwin's illness represented Chagas disease. However, Darwin's symptoms began prior to any contact with the parasite T cruzi, and, as Woodruff² noted, he was unlikely to have had the extensive exposure required to develop the disease. Medawar³ actually proposed both: Chagas disease and a neurosis in reaction to it. Such a phobic response to physical illness is relatively common and might be considered in Darwin's case. Persons exposed to overwhelming, illness-related events may become fearful and avoid circumstances or activities they regard as dangerous.

While acknowledging . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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