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Henry VIII’s erratic behavior was likely caused by an NFL-style injury, argue Yale researchers
Phys ^ | February 3, 2016 | Bill Hathaway

Posted on 02/06/2016 1:17:28 PM PST by beaversmom

Did Henry VIII suffer same brain injury as some NFL players?

February 3, 2016 by Bill Hathaway

Did Henry VIII suffer same brain injury as some NFL players?

Henry VIII may have suffered repeated traumatic brain injuries similar to those experienced by football players and others who receive repeated blows to the head, according to research by a Yale University expert in cognitive neurology.

Traumatic explains the memory problems, explosive anger, inability to control impulses, headaches, insomnia—and maybe even impotence--that afflicted Henry during the decade before his death in 1547, according to a paper published online the week of Feb. 1.

"It is intriguing to think that modern European history may have changed forever because of a blow to the head," said Arash Salardini, behavioral neurologist, co-director of the Yale Memory Clinic and senior author of the study.

The English monarch is best known for his dispute with the Catholic Church over his desire to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Ann Boleyn. The affair led to the English Reformation and the creation of the Church of England. Henry would marry six times--and execute two of his wives.

Research assistants Muhammad Qaiser Ikram and Fazle Hakim Saijad analyzed volumes of Henry's letters and other historical sources to document his known medical history and events that may have contributed to his ailments. Their findings confirm conjecture by some historians that jousting injuries caused later health and behavioral problems.

Henry suffered two major head injuries during his 30s. In 1524, a lance penetrated the visor of his helmet during a jousting tournament and dazed him. A year later, he was knocked out when he fell head-first into a brook he was trying to vault across with a pole. However, said the researchers, the English monarch's increasingly unpredictable behavior may have been triggered by an accident during a jousting match in January of 1536 when a horse fell on Henry, causing him to lose consciousness for two hours.

"Historians agree his behavior changed after 1536,'' said Salardini, noting that descriptions of Henry during his youth portrayed an intelligent and even-tempered young man who made wise military and policy decisions. His behavior in the later years of his life became notoriously erratic: He was forgetful and prone to rages and impulsive decisions.

In 1546, for instance, he was assuring his sixth, wife Catherine Parr, that he would not send her to the Tower of London when soldiers arrived to arrest her. He launched into a tirade against the soldiers, having forgotten that he had given that order the day before.

Other occasional side effects of are growth hormone deficiency and hypogonadism, which may lead to metabolic syndrome and impotence, respectively. Despite the womanizing reputation of his youth, Henry had difficulty completing sexual intercourse as far back as his marriage to his second wife, Ann Boleyn, in 1533, some evidence suggests.

Other ailments attributed to Henry--such as syphilis, diabetes, or Cushing Syndrome, a condition marked by weight gain and obesity--seem less likely in light of the available evidence, said the study's authors, noting that traumatic brain injury best explains most of his behavioral abnormalities.



TOPICS: Education; Health/Medicine; History
KEYWORDS: ancientautopsies; anneboleyn; anneofcleves; athletes; bejel; brain; catherinehoward; catherineofaragon; catherineparr; christophercolumbus; closedheadinjury; coma; concussion; cushingsyndrome; diabetes; edwardvi; elizabethi; godsgravesglyphs; goodqueenbess; helixmakemineadouble; henryviii; hormonedeficiency; hypogonadism; impotence; industrialrevolution; janeseymour; kinghenry8; metabolicsyndrome; middleages; nfl; reformation; renaissance; royals; sixwives; syphilis; thosecrazyroyals; traumaticbraininjury; yaws
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1 posted on 02/06/2016 1:17:28 PM PST by beaversmom
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To: beaversmom

They’re going to take your football America.

I’m glad you don’t care. *shrug*


2 posted on 02/06/2016 1:19:02 PM PST by Tzimisce
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To: beaversmom

Johnny Wifekill


3 posted on 02/06/2016 1:19:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: SunkenCiv

Henry VIII ping...


4 posted on 02/06/2016 1:19:56 PM PST by beaversmom
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To: beaversmom

Or he was just evil by choice


5 posted on 02/06/2016 1:20:24 PM PST by LYDIAONTARIO
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To: beaversmom

****Traumatic brain injury explains the memory problems, explosive anger, inability to control impulses****

Did Trump play football?


6 posted on 02/06/2016 1:22:10 PM PST by sodpoodle (Life is prickly - carry tweezers.)
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To: beaversmom

Or over the years he realized exactly how much he could get away with and who to eliminate to stay in power and sustain the Tudor dynasty.

7 posted on 02/06/2016 1:22:11 PM PST by Snickering Hound
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To: beaversmom
Henry suffered two major head injuries during his 30s. In 1524, a lance penetrated the visor of his helmet during a jousting tournament and dazed him. A year later, he was knocked out when he fell head-first into a brook he was trying to vault across with a pole.

Homeboy sounds like a redneck.

"Hold my goblet and watch this!"

I'll give him a thumbs-up.

8 posted on 02/06/2016 1:22:56 PM PST by humblegunner (NOW with even more AWESOMENESS)
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To: beaversmom

He might have had a stroke...

same results...


9 posted on 02/06/2016 1:23:17 PM PST by Tennessee Nana
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To: beaversmom

The Left will leave no stone unturned in its relentless effort to destroy America and Western Civilization.


10 posted on 02/06/2016 1:23:20 PM PST by fso301
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To: sodpoodle

Lol. That wimp? Never.


11 posted on 02/06/2016 1:23:53 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: beaversmom

Whatever the cause, England wound up with Elizabeth I, their greatest monarch. Maybe it was God’s hand?.............


12 posted on 02/06/2016 1:24:34 PM PST by Red Badger (READ MY LIPS: NO MORE BUSHES!...............)
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To: beaversmom

Here is the real fact: they are simply speculating. In other words making it up.


13 posted on 02/06/2016 1:24:56 PM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: beaversmom

The Left’s hate of the NFL is a paradox...pink ribbons...pink uniforms...84% are black and most vote for democrats...must be just the owners they want to milk dry. Reparations say until the owners give ownership equal shares to the players then they’ll not be satisfied...I think I just figured it out.


14 posted on 02/06/2016 1:25:58 PM PST by CincyRichieRich (We are being Gaslighted.)
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To: beaversmom

Are NFL players knocked out for longer than half an hour?

Of course, Henry was acting strange way before his jousting incident. Nasty little child - but what can you expect from the son of Henry VII?


15 posted on 02/06/2016 1:26:00 PM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard the Third: With my own people alone I should like to drive away the Turks (Muslims))
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To: Tennessee Nana

He not only looked like Michael Moore, but there’s quite a similarity in those “symptoms”....


16 posted on 02/06/2016 1:27:18 PM PST by ErnBatavia (It ain't a "hashtag"....it's a damn pound sign. ###)
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To: beaversmom

I read an interesting theory about this, it mentions “Kell-Mcleod” syndrome as a possible cause.

http://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/henry-viii-kell-positive-blood-type-and-mcleod-syndrome-part-two-guest-post-by-kyra-kramer/


17 posted on 02/06/2016 1:28:15 PM PST by chae (The Lannisters send their regards--Game of Thrones)
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To: beaversmom

Does anyone care enough about this for Yale to do a study?

Some researchers have too much time on their hands.(Or money to spend.)

.


18 posted on 02/06/2016 1:28:18 PM PST by Mears
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To: beaversmom

Traumatic Brain Injury is the injury and resulting illness of the day. Now there might well be a rush to explain history as a result of the obsession if the moment.


19 posted on 02/06/2016 1:28:49 PM PST by JimSEA
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To: beaversmom

He was extremely tall for his time and a superb athlete in his youth in the sports of jousting and indoor tennis, sixteenth century style, especially. I’ve seen his armor displayed and his calves were the diameter of most guy’s thighs. And then after a severe injury and “retirement” from active sports all that muscle turned to fat. But based on the family history of the Tudors and other royal families of that time his temper and cruelty were not exactly unusual. A contemporary of his daughter Elizabeth, and one of her many albeit not serious in his case suitors, was a certain Russian Czar by the name of Ivan.


20 posted on 02/06/2016 1:29:02 PM PST by katana (Just my opinion)
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