Although chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a condition most closely associated with former professional football players, new research from a Yale University behavioral neurologist suggests that one prominent British monarch may have suffered from a similar ailment.
Many of the problems that plagued Henry VIII prior to his death in 1547, including his memory issues, his explosive temper and, his inability to control his impulses, could have been caused by traumatic brain injury, Arash Salardini of the Yale Memory Clinic and his colleagues explain in the upcoming June edition of the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience.
“It is intriguing to think that modern European history may have changed forever because of a blow to the head,” Salardini, senior author of the study, said in a statement Tuesday. Such brain trauma could have also caused Henry’s headaches, insomnia and impotence, his team noted, not other ailments often associated with the monarch, including diabetes or syphilis.
Brain trauma could explain fits of rage, cognitive issues, impotence
Best known for his infamous split with the Catholic Church over his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Ann Boleyn, as well as the fact that he ultimately wed a total of six women (two of which he had executed), Henry VIII suffered a pair of head injuries during his thirties, Salardini and co-authors Muhammad Qaiser Ikram and Fazle Hakim said.
The research team analyzed many of the king’s letters and other historical documents to compile a picture of his medical history. They discovered that, during a jousting tournament in 1524, he was struck through the visor by a lance and left stunned. The following year, Henry was knocked unconscious after falling head-first into a brook he was trying to vault across using a pole.
However, the study authors believe that the bulk of his unpredictable behavior may be attributed to an accident that occurred during a January 1536 jousting match. During this event, a horse fell on the king, knocking him out for a period of two solid hours. According to Salardini, “historians agree his behavior changed” from this point on, as he became increasingly impulsive, erratic and forgetful – not to mention prone to fits of rage.
In addition, ailments such as metabolic syndrome and impotence could be explained by growth hormone deficiency and hypogonadism, both of which are known side effects of traumatic brain injuries, they said. As the Yale-led team said, although Henry had a reputation as a womanizer, there are reports that he had difficulty performing sexually as far back as his second marriage, to Ann Boleyn in 1533.
—–
Feature Image: Detail of portrait of Henry VIII by the workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger. (Credit: Google Art Project)
Comments