Guest guest Posted March 5, 2005 Report Share Posted March 5, 2005 Hey, are you a Nietzsche reader? I just cant resist some sorta not-too-relevant comment. Up in the surface world I used to read The Gay Science, Beyond Good and Evil, and The Geneology of Morals about every 6 months. (Tao Te Ching, the Book of Job, Heraclitus, and Kierkegaard were my other continuous focuses among books.) Apparently the evidence for Nietzsches syphilis is disputed. In 2003 one Dr Leonard Sax reviewed historical evidence and suggested slow brain cancer in an article in the Journal of Medical Biography. I havent read it and have no clue how much he knows about Nietzsche or spirochetae. (Actually I have no clue how much anyone knows about spirochetae.) N was sick for a long ass time before 1888/9. I think he retired from his Basel professorship around age 35, which would have been around 1878. I believe he was often bedridden, with migraines as I recall and maybe fever. He had some very grave eye trouble. He moved every few months in search of perfect weather. But he frequently walked like 8 miles a day by his accounts, and sometimes wept rapturously because of what he " envisioned for man. " His letters prior to ~1882-4 largely comprised repetitious moaning about his loneliness and misery, but thereafter he seems to have become progressively rather elated (and began his best books). This was all years prior to his insanity, which seems to have snowballed during late 1888. He lived 9-10 years after becoming unreachably demented. Actually theres no reason brain cancer and spirochetal disease couldnt both have been present; it wouldnt be too shocking for those to co-occur. If I went back thru either N or Ks letters now, I'm sure could dx them with any number of inflammatory conditions, but of course, above all they were 100-ft geniuses. Madison was an interesting semi-sickie, highly functional and apparently somewhat happy, but with apparant bowel disease and non-clonic " absence " seizures (I dont know the correct modern seizure terminology) - also apparently some degree of poor mood. This may have effected his fearful/pessimistic disposition and if so it may arguably have had a big effect on modern world politics - he got his way in the writing of the US constitution much more so than anyone else did, IMO. > > > Dear All > > An interesting article on the effects of neonatal infection ( > > unfortunately in rats). The first link is to a news group with a html > > abstract, the second to a pdf of the whole article > > Regards > > Windsor > > > > > > > > > > http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.life-extension/browse_thread/ > > thread/b214f3f0289f28c0/2a92668c5da7613e?q=infection#2a92668c5da7613e > > > > http://www.apa.org/releases/earlylife_article.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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