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Quiz about Famous and Infamous Patients
Quiz about Famous and Infamous Patients

Famous and Infamous Patients Trivia Quiz


It is often the case that historical events are influenced by the state of health of the famous character in question. The source of information for this quiz is a series of books by Dr James Leavesley, a medical historian.

A multiple-choice quiz by MotherGoose. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
MotherGoose
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
83,867
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
9115
Awards
Editor's Choice
Last 3 plays: BarbaraMcI (9/10), pehinhota (8/10), Guest 96 (7/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. King George III was known as Farmer George and also as Mad King George. Historical documents detailing his symptoms clearly indicate that his intermittent episodes of madness were caused by which disease?

Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. King Henry VIII is famous for dispensing with his wives. For many years it was generally, but erroneously, believed that the inability of his wives to provide him with numerous heirs was because Henry suffered from a sexually transmitted disease. Which one? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This famous patient suffered from deafness which started when he was about 27 and got progressively worse until he was totally deaf by middle age. Yet it did not stop him from becoming one of the greatest composers of all time. Who was this patient? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. At the Battle of Copenhagen, Admiral Parker, doubting the success of the British attack on the Danish Fleet, signalled Horatio Nelson to disengage. Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye and declared he could not see the signal. By ignoring the order, he turned a potential defeat into a victory. Why was Nelson blind in his right eye? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Why was Napoleon defeated at Waterloo? The battle was lost for a variety of reasons but one reason was his health. Napoleon was suffering from a severe case of what?

Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister during most of the Second World War. In September, 1945, it became apparent that he had a medical condition which necessitated surgery the following year. What was this condition?

Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the USA. The fact that he suffered from a hormonal disorder was covered up because to admit to it would have caused his political opponents to claim he was not capable of performing the presidential duties. Which disorder did he have?

Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the USA. For the last 23 years of his life, including the whole of his time in the White House, he was not able to walk unaided. He was crippled as a result of contracting which disease?

Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Grigory Novykh, better known as Rasputin, was a Siberian peasant who gained the trust of the Nicholas II, the last Russian czar, and his family and thus contributed to the downfall of the Russian empire. He was able to exert an influence on them because of his ability to help relieve the symptoms of a disease suffered by Nicholas and Alexandra's son, Alexis. From which disease did Alexis suffer? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Hitler was one of the most evil men in world history. Was there a medical cause contributing to his uncontrollable rages, psychotic behaviour and depravity? There have been many theories but perhaps the most plausible is that he was a drug addict. To which drug was Hitler addicted? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 28 2024 : BarbaraMcI: 9/10
Mar 24 2024 : pehinhota: 8/10
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. King George III was known as Farmer George and also as Mad King George. Historical documents detailing his symptoms clearly indicate that his intermittent episodes of madness were caused by which disease?

Answer: Porphyria

There are at least four references (over forty years of historical documents) to George's bluish urine. This is a classic symptom of porphyria, a condition in which porphyrins (naturally occurring purple pigmented chemicals) are excreted in the urine.

The significance of this symptom was not recognised at the time. George also had the other classic symptoms of porphyria-- mental disturbance, neuritis of the limbs and abdominal symptoms.
2. King Henry VIII is famous for dispensing with his wives. For many years it was generally, but erroneously, believed that the inability of his wives to provide him with numerous heirs was because Henry suffered from a sexually transmitted disease. Which one?

Answer: Syphilis

When reviewing the historical evidence, it is extremely unlikely that Henry suffered from syphilis. There is evidence, however, that he suffered from a number of serious illnesses in his lifetime, including smallpox, malaria and osteomyelitis.
3. This famous patient suffered from deafness which started when he was about 27 and got progressively worse until he was totally deaf by middle age. Yet it did not stop him from becoming one of the greatest composers of all time. Who was this patient?

Answer: Beethoven

Beethoven's grave has been opened twice in an attempt to ascertain the cause of his deafness, however, nine pieces of his skull, including the bones of the ear, are missing, most likely removed by the person who performed the original autopsy, so we may never know the true diagnosis. By a strange coincidence, a man named Wagner performed Beethoven's autopsy.
4. At the Battle of Copenhagen, Admiral Parker, doubting the success of the British attack on the Danish Fleet, signalled Horatio Nelson to disengage. Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye and declared he could not see the signal. By ignoring the order, he turned a potential defeat into a victory. Why was Nelson blind in his right eye?

Answer: War wound (metal splinters in the eye)

Despite popular belief, he never wore an eye patch and the eye looked quite normal, however, he did occasionally wear a green shade over his forehead to protect his good eye from strong light.
5. Why was Napoleon defeated at Waterloo? The battle was lost for a variety of reasons but one reason was his health. Napoleon was suffering from a severe case of what?

Answer: Prolapsed piles (haemorrhoids)

The fact that Napoleon's haemorrhoids were extruding and strangulated was only known to three other people and they kept the secret for fifty years. However, he did suffer from the other three afflictions (recurrent bladder infections, malaria and epilepsy) at other times in his life.
6. Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister during most of the Second World War. In September, 1945, it became apparent that he had a medical condition which necessitated surgery the following year. What was this condition?

Answer: Hernia

When the hernia was diagnosed, a truss was purchased, but his condition slowly worsened. The following year Sir Thomas Dunhill operated. When he recovered, Churchill is said to have told Dunhill 'Thank you for your support. I stand corrected'. Incidentally, Churchill suffered from the other three ailments listed too.
7. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the USA. The fact that he suffered from a hormonal disorder was covered up because to admit to it would have caused his political opponents to claim he was not capable of performing the presidential duties. Which disorder did he have?

Answer: Addison's disease

Addison's disease is due to inadequate secretion of corticosteroid hormones by the adrenal glands. In 1960, Kennedy was running for president. Just before polling day, Congressman Walter Judd demanded that Kennedy confirm or deny he had Addison's disease.

The reply was a denial that he had the classical symptomatology but a concession that he did have 'partial adrenal insufficiency' for which he had been receiving hormone replacement therapy. The effects of Addison's disease, if untreated, include mental confusion and lethargy.
8. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the USA. For the last 23 years of his life, including the whole of his time in the White House, he was not able to walk unaided. He was crippled as a result of contracting which disease?

Answer: Poliomyelitis

Roosevelt contracted polio in 1921 when he was 39 years old. Polio was also known as infantile paralysis in the mistaken belief that it only attacked children. It didn't stop Roosevelt from becoming the longest serving president.
9. Grigory Novykh, better known as Rasputin, was a Siberian peasant who gained the trust of the Nicholas II, the last Russian czar, and his family and thus contributed to the downfall of the Russian empire. He was able to exert an influence on them because of his ability to help relieve the symptoms of a disease suffered by Nicholas and Alexandra's son, Alexis. From which disease did Alexis suffer?

Answer: Haemophilia

Haemophilia is an inherited disease in which females carry the gene but males exhibit the disease. Queen Victoria was known to be a carrier and because of the marriages of her children, many of the royal families of Europe were affected. Alexis' mother, Alexandra, was Queen Victoria's granddaughter. Britain's present royal family was one line which escaped the gene.
10. Hitler was one of the most evil men in world history. Was there a medical cause contributing to his uncontrollable rages, psychotic behaviour and depravity? There have been many theories but perhaps the most plausible is that he was a drug addict. To which drug was Hitler addicted?

Answer: Amphetamines

Hitler's addiction to amphetamines and the large amounts he consumed (by mouth and intravenously) are well documented. Amphetamine abuse can produce the psychiatric symptoms exhibited by Hitler such as outrageous behaviour, sleep disturbance and depression. Hitler was quite a pill-popper.

He also took excessive quantities of antiflatulents, barbiturates for his insomnia, vitamins and hormones. (This is not meant to be a defence or an excuse for a man who was a monster.)
Source: Author MotherGoose

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Lanni before going online.
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