Cure found for the madness of royalty
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.THE MADNESS which afflicted King George III and probably helped weaken the European monarchy could be treatable with food supplements, according to new research.
A treatment based on cow enzymes could have assisted the king, who was wracked by the rare disease of the central nervous system, porphyria.
Analysis by a British historian and a molecular biologist has found that like many members of royal families, George III - who ruled 1760-1820 - inherited a genetic mutation which gave him porphyria.Among its symptoms are hypersensitivity to light and bouts of mental illness caused by the build-up of toxic chemicals.
John Rohl, professor of history at the University of Sussex, said when George III came to power at the age of 22, he intended to rule for as long as he could. "But the crisis caused by his illness in 1788 not only weakened his power but almost led to his being replaced by his son," he said. The in-breeding of royal families in Europe meant that the genetic mutation causing porphyria, which normally occurs in about one in 10,000 people, was more common.
In Purple Secret, published this week, Professor Rohl and Martin Warren, of University College, London, use genetic techniques on exhumed remains to trace the disease to many royal families almost to the present day - including Queen Victoria and the last tsarina of Russia. "The monarchy must have been considerably weakened by this disease. But it's impossible to know quite what its full effects were," Professor Rohl said. "We know the Kaiser's mother and sister had it, so it's reasonable to assume he did. That might explain some of his actions - and perhaps why Germany chose to enter the First World War."
Porphyria is caused by excessive amounts of chemicals called porphyrins, which are the building blocks for haemoglobin, essential for blood cells. The genetic mutation the royal families inherited made their cells inefficient at breaking down one of the intermediate chemicals from a reaction involving porphyrin.
New Scientist magazine reports today that scientists in the US have found cow enzymes which could ease porphyria symptoms. Sufferers might be able to tackle the disease by taking food supplements. The US researchers said: "This would, in theory, greatly improve the ability of the body to eliminate protoporphyrin either in the urine or the faeces."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments