Scientific American: FDR may not have had polio

[elperromagico]

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID...

In 1921, a dozen years before he became president of the U.S., Franklin Delano Roosevelt was stricken with polio. Or so history tells us. Now researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston suggest that the 32nd president may in fact have suffered from a disease known as Guillain-Barré syndrome instead.

(snip)

Based on attack rates of polio in the Northeastern United States in the early 1900s and more recent data on Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnoses, the researchers determined that there was a 39 percent probability that polio caused Roosevelt's symptoms, compared to a 51 percent chance that they were brought on by Guillain-Barré syndrome. In addition, in a statistical analysis of eight clinical features exhibited by Roosevelt, six favor the Guillain-Barré diagnosis, whereas two favor polio.

Any thoughts on this?

[WilliamPitt]

1. Interesting

It still stuck him in the chair, whatever it was. The man had sand.

[Faygo Kid]

2. Interesting. He was devoted to his "polios," though

That was what he called those afflicted who joined him at Warm Springs - where he would let his hair down and relax and swim with them. Whatever he had, he did some fine work as president. Man, would he ever give it to GWB.

[elperromagico]

4. Agreed

I'll take a physically crippled President over a mentally and morally crippled President any day.

Regardless of what disease crippled him, he still should be an inspiration to all handicapped people.

[Xithras]

3. Interesting, but...

...the overwhelming thought that comes into my head is "Does it really matter?" What matters is that the man was stricken with an illness that killed many, incapacitated most, and prevented practically all of its victims from leading a normal life. Roosevelt rose above the problems that fate handed him and went on to become one of the greatest leaders in our nations history. The name of the specific bug that attacked him is interesting only to virologists and Trivial Pursuit players

[elperromagico]

5. I concur

I just found it interesting.

My reaction when I first heard about the story was, "What, are right-wingers claiming he was just faking his handicap?"

[Xithras]

6. I wouldn't worry too much about that

SciAm has always been fairly centrist, but has been skewing progressively left since the new editor took over recently. I may not like everything he's doing to the magazine, but I think it's pretty unlikely that you'll ever see a rightwing hitpiece grace their pages.

[FDRrocks]

7. Wow....

I read his bio and read nothing of an early facial paralysis, and there were plenty of pictures in there.

Would that explain everything? Such as his bone thin legs, and only his legs. Or his early senile state, and fatal brain hemmorage.

"I have a headache" - last words, rest in peace FDR, I just wish I had the means to be like you.

[elperromagico]

9. Apparently when paralysis first hit FDR

it was total. He couldn't move his arms and had some facial paralysis which passed within a few weeks. In order to compensate for his weak legs, FDR worked on developing his upper body. Jack Dempsey (the boxer) said at one time that FDR had the strongest shoulders he'd ever seen. The thin legs are common among those in wheelchairs.

The weight loss has been attributed to a number of things. One claim is that FDR had cancer; another is that he had heart disease (which is more likely). Jim Bishop states in FDR's Last Year that FDR suffered a heart attack during his fourth inaugural address. FDR had lost so much weight in his final year that his leg braces no longer fit properly. This caused him to put more of his weight on his arms, and he complained to his son James that he felt a sharp pain radiating through his chest and arms during the speech.

I think the cerebral hemmorhage was due to poor eating habits (his blood pressure was extremely high by 1944) and the fact that FDR was a lifelong smoker.

Edit: Cleaned up an insensitively-phrased sentence.

[FDRrocks]

11. His weight fluctuated...

His weight was perfectly healthy in his first 3 terms for the major part (according to the bio I read "Rendevous with Destiny) but towards the end of the 3rd term and during his (irresponsible, imo) 4th term became fluid. The book pretty much rationalized the reasons, in terms of events and words spoken by FDR. He ate when he was hungry his whole life, its just that he was getting sick towards the end of his life. Which is why I wonder if the symptoms of this alleged alternate disease coencide. The book I read (above mentioned) placed it on his work routine, and clogging of several arteries to his brain (majorly) and his heart.

[elperromagico]

14. The fourth term was not a wise decision

FDR was in no shape at all to run for a fourth term. His health was rapidly failing, and I think everyone in his inner circle was aware that FDR would not survive until 20 January 1949.

But FDR felt that he had to seek a fourth term in order to maintain continuity of leadership during wartime. He therefore made a great effort to show people that he was healthy enough to serve another term, even going so far as to ride in an open car through the streets of New York in a driving rain.

[FDRrocks]

17. I know this...

no doubt he felt he was doing a noble thing, but he wasn't. His personal physician, cannot recall the name right now, lied to him about his condition until the day he pronounced him dead.

RIP FDR, you meant well, you did well for the most part. Goddamnit we need more peace-time FDR's.

[Pastiche423]

12. Please do not use the term

"wheelchair bound". The people I know, including myself, are neither tied to their chairs ala Hannibal style, nor are they into S and M.

Thanks!

[elperromagico]

15. I apologize

[Pastiche423]

18. No problem

Just a little crip education.

[WoodrowFan]

19. Is it ok

Is it ok to say "wheelchair bound" if they ARE into S & M? Inquiring minds want to know..


BTW, just to keep this FDR related, the HUGE tree that was outside the house where FDR lived in 1916-1921 was destroyed by huricane Isabel. I went past it on my daily walk and picked up several pieces of "FDR's tree." One is on my desk now.

[hlthe2b]

8. I think its a major stretch based on questionable assumptions:

I worked for a while on polio eradication in India, but take these comments as more authorative (from a cached article over the weekend):
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:afzat0PejwQJ:www.p...

Historians and others were skeptical.

''I think it's a significant stretch,'' said Dr. Marinos Dalakas, chief of the neuromuscular diseases section at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dalakas said Roosevelt's fever and other factors would strongly indicate polio, and contracting polio at Roosevelt's age would be ''unusual, but not unique.''

''It is pretty amazing when people try to rewrite history,'' said Martin Harmon, spokesman for the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation in Warm Springs, Ga., where the polio-stricken Roosevelt used to bathe in the soothing waters.

''Obviously, the diagnosis at the time was in the middle of the polio epidemic. It would be hard for me to believe that the doctors could not recognize the same symptoms that he had among the rest of our population,'' Harmon said.

****************
I would add that his (FDR) contracting at an older than expected age, might not be so unusual, given his isolation growing up in a very well-to-do family.... This would not have been a teenager swimming with others in the local pool/fishing hole. Late onset poliomyelitis still occurs in adult in India and other parts of SE Asia where eradication is not yet complete, although children (less than five) are more at risk.

[Pastiche423]

10. It makes sense to me

His symptoms came on quickly in adulthood, not childhood, like most polio victims.

Back then the technology had not been invented for testing like we have today. Heck, even today it is difficult to diagnose many diseases.

It matters not what he had, but what he did.

[hlthe2b]

16. "It matters not what he had, but what he did."-- Exactly....

He really was incredible and makes our current situation and its leaderhip vaccuum all the more apparent (and depressing).

[JohnKleeb]

13. Most interesting news Ive heard

Too bad FDR got sick, his disease helped him see things differently though I have read. Still its sad, and I still consider FDR a great American hero who I would have loved to had president during my life.