| George William Frederick, (4June 1738-29January | | | | 1.1765 - a brief episode. |
| 1820), or | | | | 2.1788 -a longer episode. A Regency Bill |
| King George III, is said by many to have gone | | | | isdiscussed. |
| mad,necessitating the Regency. But is this what | | | | 3.1810-final,debilitating attack; the King isconsidered |
| reallyhappened? | | | | insane and Parliament meets to enact a Regency |
| Not according to recent research. | | | | Bill. |
| Actually, the research isn't all that new, which is | | | | The King never returned to his senses, or to |
| why itis inexcusable, to my thinking, to continue to | | | | power,and he was "locked away at Windsor |
| characterize the King as merely having gone mad. | | | | Castle" where he also fell subject to the |
| In 1994 the movie, "The Madness of King | | | | misinformed and sometime brutal treatment of |
| George" tried toset the record straight-sort of. If | | | | his physicians, and to eventual neglect. |
| I remember correctly,there was a little blurb at | | | | Some of the mystifying behaviour he was said to |
| the end stating that the Kingactually suffered | | | | display? For starters, he claimed to talk to angels. |
| from Porphyria, a disease of the blood. One is | | | | By itself, and by modern standards, we would |
| inclined to think, however, that most people never | | | | likely not label him insane for such claims. |
| read the blurb, though this is, in fact, the modern | | | | (Questionable, eccentric, or odd, perhaps, but |
| consensus of what the King's malady actually was. | | | | probably not mad.) But there's more. |
| Porphyria. | | | | He spoke for hours on end without pause; and he |
| So-what, we ask, is porphyria? Dictionaries will | | | | once greetedan oak tree as though it were King |
| merelytell you that it is a metabolic disorder that | | | | Frederick William III of Prussia. Sadly, before he |
| affects theblood, secondarily. The main cause of | | | | died, he prattled incessant nonsense for upwards |
| symptoms, however, isnot a result of how the | | | | of 50 hours, then lapsed into a coma and death. |
| blood is affected, but theaccumulation of | | | | King George was a popular monarch in Britain for |
| porphyrins in the body, which are toxic totissue in | | | | most ofhis reign. Here in the States we tend to |
| high concentrations. | | | | think badly ofhim, no doubt due to the fact that |
| Porphyrins, in turn, are actually precursors | | | | our forefathers saw fitto blame him entirely for all |
| ofheme-an essential part of the blood. In the | | | | the injustices and wrongswe suffered as a British |
| disease state,porphyrins are not manufactured | | | | colony. (Parliament is not mentioned in the |
| into heme as they shouldbe, thereby leaving them | | | | Declaration--only the King.) |
| to roam the system, which is theroot of the | | | | But he was a thoughtful, domestic family man; he |
| trouble. | | | | loved to cultivate crops and build gardens and was |
| There are differing types of porphyria, which | | | | dubbed "farmer George" because of it. He |
| result indiffering symptoms, but the King is | | | | remained faithful to his wife for his lifetime, which |
| thought to have had theblood type ("hepatic | | | | was singular for a Hanoverian monarch and much |
| porphyria") which affects the nervoussystem, and | | | | admired by the British people. And he espoused |
| results in abdominal pain, neuropathy, seizuresand | | | | thrift and economy; ( the very opposite of what |
| mental disturbances, including | | | | his son, the Regent, later did.) |
| hallucinations,depression, anxiety and paranoia. | | | | In short, I cannot help but to like this King. He was |
| (Little wonder that 19thcentury doctors thought | | | | notable to foster a good relationship with his |
| he was nuts!) | | | | eldest son, andin fact, was disliked by his own |
| Interestingly, research has shown that the disease | | | | father. But he was a Kingwith a conscience, and, |
| ishereditary and plagues the British royal family, | | | | except for an occasional stubbornstreak (which he |
| stemmingfrom Scottish monarchs James 1 and | | | | showed in his refusal to give up thecolonies for so |
| Mary 1 of Scotland. Queen Anne of Great Britain, | | | | long), he was a reasonable man, savvyenough in |
| Queen Victoria's granddaughter Charlotte, and | | | | the political arena to retain the power of |
| prince William of Gloucester (not to be confused | | | | thethrone during his reign, and had a sincere |
| with the current Prince William) almost certainly | | | | desire to dowhat was right. |
| suffered from the illness (as well as Vincent Van | | | | As to the misfortune of his having had porphyria, |
| Gogh). | | | | the bestthing I can say is that, if not for the |
| They suffered from what is called, "Acute | | | | disease, we wouldnot have had the Regency. |
| Intermittent Porphyria" which is certainly what the | | | | That, indeed, would have been agreat loss--at |
| King had, as can be attested by his record of | | | | least to us Regency authors! |
| attacks; | | | | Sources: WordNet ® 2. |