Which king had porphyria

George III, when ill, often repeated himself, and at the same time his vocabulary became much more complex, creative and colourful. These are features that can be seen today in the writing and speech of patients experiencing the manic phase of psychiatric illnesses such as bipolar disorder. Mania, or harmful euphoria, is at one end of a spectrum of mood disorders, with sadness, or depression, at the other. George's being in a manic state would also match contemporary descriptions of his illness by witnesses.

They spoke of his "incessant loquacity" and his habit of talking until the foam ran out of his mouth. Sometimes he suffered from convulsions, and his pages had to sit on him to keep him safe on the floor. The researchers have even thrown doubt on one of the key planks in the case for porphyria, the blue urine. George III's medical records show that the king was given medicine based on gentian.

This plant, with its deep blue flowers, is still used today as a mild tonic, but may turn the urine blue. Professor Warren said there were other possible sources of arsenic, such as the powered wigs worn by the king, and that these may have caused the initial symptoms that were then exacerbated by his medicine. I think this does offer such a wonderful solution to it all," Professor Warren said. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies.

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Unfortunately for him, however, most people remember King George III for two things: 1 losing the American coloni es, and 2 losing his mind.

Using a technique called machine learning, the researchers taught the computer to identify 29 written features used to differentiate between people who have mental disorders and people who do not. These features included how complex the sentences are, how rich a vocabulary is used and the frequency and variety of words. He became manic, often behaving inappropriately towards women, and experienced hallucinations. On one occasion he planted a beef steak in the ground, fully believing it would grow into a beef tree.

On another, at Windsor Castle, the king was seen talking to, and trying to shake hands with, an oak tree, believing it was the king of Prussia. Meanwhile, at Kew, he would become obsessed with, and try to climb, the Great Pagoda, a 50 metre-high structure that still stands today. To hide the true extent of his illness, George was moved under duress from Windsor Castle to the relative privacy of Kew.

With a team of court physicians unable to diagnose the problem, the royal family turned to Dr Francis Willis, who was thought to be an expert in mental health conditions.

He was denied a knife and fork at mealtimes, which meant much of what he ate was soft nursery food that could be eaten with a spoon or hands. George was confined to the ground floor of the Dutch House, and a visit today takes you through some of the rooms occupied during his periods of illness. In the 18th century, the west side of the Dutch House was connected to a service wing where George III was kept secluded.

Purgatives such as rhubarb, castor oil and senna were used to treat his constipation and cause diarrhoea, while emetics were given to make him vomit, purging him of disease. Listen: Emily Brand tackles key questions about Britain in the Regency era, from the lavish spending and reputation of the Prince Regent himself to how much we can really learn from Jane Austen , on this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast :.

Pitt, who knew the Prince of Wales a Whig ally would restore his rivals to power, resisted a regency for as long as possible. When the crisis finally came to a head, Pitt got parliament to vote in a regency that gave the Prince Regent as little power as possible, essentially making him into a puppet king. But in he suffered a relapse of porphyria.