Georg Friedrich Händel’s Strokes

Abstract

Georg Friedrich Händel was a musical giant and probably the first composer to be the manager and promoter of his own works. The story of his life and illnesses is full of myths, invented and embellished by various biographies. Existing pathographies written by authors from various specialities suggested he suffered from psychiatric diseases like cyclothymia or mania and rheumatologic disorders like arthritis, while others tended to interpret his recurrent palsies as typical sequelae of ischemic strokes. During the last years of life, Händel was struck with blindness, which in his era was interpreted as being due to cataracts. This led to three ‘coucher’ operations, all of them without lasting effect. Although a definite diagnosis cannot be inferred from the original sources, the most plausible explanation for Händel’s palsies and visual impairment may be cerebrovascular disease. The possible differential diagnosis will be discussed in this paper.

Error in Byline in: Evaluating Surgical Dexterity During Corneal Suturing

“…This would explain the failure of the couching operations to restore any vision. 5,6 Although these 2 towering composers never met in person, they shared 1 degree of physical contact in that they were both operated on by the same surgeon, the selfstyled ophthalmiater John Taylor.…”

The Buddha did not have epilepsy

“…Handel apparently had cerebrovascular disease, causing disturbance in vision and paralysis. 3 Religious leaders are often included in the list of the eminent with epilepsy. This includes Prophet Muhammad, the Buddha, Apostle St Paul, Apostle St John, Joan of Arc and many others.…”