© CorbisA portrait of a middle-aged Henry VIII painted by Hans Holbein appears in this photo.
* Henry VIII may have had two rare medical conditions that could explain both his health issues later in life and the miscarriages of two of his wives.
* An X-linked genetic disease might have caused Henry to become paranoid and anxious after his 40th birthday.
* An unusual blood type might have caused the bodies of his wives to attack their fetuses.Among a long list of personality quirks and historical drama, Henry VIII is known for the development of health problems in mid-life and a series of miscarriages for two of his wives. In a new study, researchers propose that Henry had an
X-linked genetic disorder and a rare blood type that could explain many of his problems.
By suggesting biological causes for significant historical events, the study offers new ways to think about the infamous life of the notorious 16th-century British monarch, said Catarina Whitley, a bioarchaeologist who completed the research while at Southern Methodist University.
"What really made us look at Henry was that he had more than one wife that had obstetrical problems and a bad obstetrical history," said Whitley, now with the Museum of New Mexico. "We got to thinking: Could it be him?"
Plenty of historians have written about Henry's health problems. As a young man, he was fit and healthy. But by the time of his death, the King weighed close to 400 pounds. He had leg ulcers, muscle weakness, and, according to some accounts, a significant personality shift in middle age towards more paranoia, anxiety, depression and mental deterioration.
Comment: Unfortunately these researchers never talked about psychopathy, which seems to be what Henry VIII was.
Andrew Lobaczewski talked about the inheritance of psychopathologies through the X chromosome, in his book Political Ponerology: More on psychopathy:
On the Nature of Psychopathy: A Thought Experiment
Neurobiological basis of psychopathy
Authoritarianism and Psychopathy
Psychopaths' Brains Wired to Seek Rewards, No Matter the Consequences
Ponerology 101: The Political Psychopath
The Dot Connector - The Golden Age, Psychopathy and the Sixth Extinction
Ponerology 101: Lobaczewski and the origins of Political Ponerology