Napoleon's Glands: And Other Ventures in Biohistory

I read this book when it first came out as the writer was a family friend. I've always been interested in medicine and to have history blended in with medical theories behind huge events that shaped our world was one of the most exciting reads I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing! I've searched for other books of the same genre and have never found anything to remotely compare to this gem! Read it, you wont regret it. And the next time a major mover and shaker of our time is making a speech on TV, you'll find yourself wondering, "Are the whites of his eyes jaundiced?" "Is that a tremor in his hand?" It's like TV's "House" if it were set on the History channel...and well- in print instead of on screen. Oh, you know what I mean!! READ IT.

Was it the Iron Duke or a fragile derriere that defeated Napoleon at Waterloo? What did ail Napoleon, and did his illnesses erode his empire? These, and other such questions so intrigued the author as to lead him to investigate biology as well as history and thus devise his own sub-genre-that of BioHistory. This book chronicles, in non-inflammatory prose the medical histories of two of history's other famous persons-Poe and Goya, plus entire peoples-among them the Roman Empire, which he claims was brought down by lead poisoning and the 13th century, decimated by the Black Death. This is a fascinating and exceedingly well-written book, with some examples corroborated by current technologies, such as proving that Napoleon WAS poisoned by arsenic. Locks of his hair gave up this information in 1962. Sadly, we can not know if he ingested the substance intentionally or unintentionally, as arsenic was commonly used in some medications at the time of his imprisonment on St Helena. Early in the 1900's, an endocrinologist blamed Bonaparte's success and eventual defeat on his thyroid gland. The overactive gland drove him to frantic greatness; but the exhausted organ's lethargy cast him into failure and defeat. Some years later, another scientist argued that it was really a laggard pituitary gland, while still another blamed Napoleon's allegedly tiny testicles. Fortunately for history, Napoleon asked for an autopsy to be done. This was conducted by his own surgeon, and observed by English doctors. One of these, Dr. Arnott, reported that Napoleon feared cancer, although the symptoms the Little General exhibited before his death more closely allied with a diagnosis of kidney failure, possibly gastroenteritis, or arsenic poisoning. The book "The Murder of Napoleon" by Ben Weider and David Hopgood (1982) purported to solve the puzzle of a century-and-a-half earlier. Using modern science, the case was clearly laid out, step by step, with a claim to having finally solved the crime. Other researchers, however, disclaimed the solution, pointing out that the wallpaper in the room where Napoleon spent his dying days was permeated with arsenic, and it could therefore have contaminated him, both before and after death. The most important-well, maybe not-fact set forth by Mr. Karlen is that Napoleon suffered greatly from hemorrhoids which led to his defeat in Russia in 1812, but even more importantly, that of Waterloo in 1815. As Karlen states ". . .(the attack) resumed in full force around June 13, on the road to Waterloo. Riding horseback with piles is a fate to be wished on one's worst enemy. That is just what Napoleon did all day before the battle. . . Wellington later said that Waterloo was one of the narrowest victories he had seen. Napoleon's fatigue, pain and limited mobility could have made the difference." Napoleon's many other ailments are also discussed, reasonably, in this book, which contains an excellent bibliography. The author, a former editor at

I have now purchased my fourth copy of Napoleon's Glands because the first three copies were loaned to friends who refused to part with them. As a teacher of writing, I often read excerpts of Napolean's Glands and other of Karlen's works to dazzle my students with how good writing should be done. My oral reading to my classes of Karlen's writing is always followed by a mass-gasp of awe, oh-wow, and then silence as the beauty of his words sink in. Arno Karlen has "IT." Don't miss his books.

Arno Karlen's fascinating look into the various factors that shape history is quite underrated. I stumbled upon it by accident in my local library and am glad that I found it. Starting with three biographical profile chapters, Karlen delves into the roles that obscure diseases, disorders and maladies play in history. From plumbism to plagues, an immense wealth of knowledge unfolds to tell the true complexity of history. Karlen contends that most historians overlook such factors and claim that man alone is responsible for making history. Karlen hasn't received the recognition he deserves. A good instructional guide for amateur and professional historians.