Horror Stories
Edward Gibbon suffered from Gout. Between 1765-1787, Gibbon wrote The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. During his suffering of the disease, he also wrote from St. James in London to his friend, editor Lord Sheffield in Sussex about his condition. His gout had caused him to suffer from a tremendous amount of water on his body. This prompted ridicule from others about his size. He had been suffering for two decades from swelling in the scrotum. Lately, it had become uncomfortable for him. He called in a surgeon by the name of Farguhar and his assistant Dr. Cline. They called his condition a hydrocele which was a collection of water that needed to be relieved by tapping. Farguhar called in another surgeon, Dr. Baille. What they did not realize is that a hydrocele was a benign, although uncomfortable, common condition.
The three doctors commenced to drain four quarts, half of the total, of clear fluid from Edward's scrotum. He felt relief but by the next day the swelling was bigger than it had been originally. The surgeons drained it again. Soon after it swelled larger again but it had become inflamed and covered in ulcers. Edward had a high fever. The doctors drained six more quarts of fluid and gave up. Edward Gibbon died at age 56 from a condition that was uncomfortable but otherwise harmless (Gordon 47-48).
In the autumn of 1762, James Boswell was a healthy 22 year old man from a well-to-do family. He was educated and aware of many things, including venereal diseases. Boswell was, unfortunately, a promiscuous man. He found himself with many women, often paying for her services. While Boswell carried homemade condoms with them, he occasionally did not use them. He decided after some time with many working girls that he would like to be with a woman of class with whom he would not need to wear a condom and worry about disease. He chose a married woman by the name of Mrs. Louisa Lewis. While Louisa's husband was out of town, Boswell called on her frequently to no avail. Finally, after weeks, she gave him what he had desired. Shortly after Boswell developed gonorrhea. He began to burn and have a terrible discharge. When he called on her about the matter she remarked that she had not had it for 15 months. As it turned out, she was an asymptomatic carrier (Gordon 191-198).
The three doctors commenced to drain four quarts, half of the total, of clear fluid from Edward's scrotum. He felt relief but by the next day the swelling was bigger than it had been originally. The surgeons drained it again. Soon after it swelled larger again but it had become inflamed and covered in ulcers. Edward had a high fever. The doctors drained six more quarts of fluid and gave up. Edward Gibbon died at age 56 from a condition that was uncomfortable but otherwise harmless (Gordon 47-48).
In the autumn of 1762, James Boswell was a healthy 22 year old man from a well-to-do family. He was educated and aware of many things, including venereal diseases. Boswell was, unfortunately, a promiscuous man. He found himself with many women, often paying for her services. While Boswell carried homemade condoms with them, he occasionally did not use them. He decided after some time with many working girls that he would like to be with a woman of class with whom he would not need to wear a condom and worry about disease. He chose a married woman by the name of Mrs. Louisa Lewis. While Louisa's husband was out of town, Boswell called on her frequently to no avail. Finally, after weeks, she gave him what he had desired. Shortly after Boswell developed gonorrhea. He began to burn and have a terrible discharge. When he called on her about the matter she remarked that she had not had it for 15 months. As it turned out, she was an asymptomatic carrier (Gordon 191-198).