First of all, if you haven't already, please read my post on Junot's head injuries where I talk about how those injuries almost certainly caused his madness. I've read several books on the subject and I have personally known people suffering from brain damage, so I know what I'm talking about.
The "general paralysis as a result of syphilis" theory comes from this 1910 medical thesis. Before that there was no mention of such a theory - Junot's family and friends blamed his mental decline on head injuries, with his son even pinpointing the exact injury that caused Junot's madness. Several publications of the 20th century have blindly parroted this 1910 paper without any actual medical analysis of their own, so I'll be refuting the claims of the 1910 paper as it is the origin of this theory.
Technically the 1910 paper is published by medical professionals, however that is with early 1900s medical knowledge which is very outdated - although these doctors were considered credible at the time of publication, they are no longer credible in modern day with modern medical knowledge.
"The study of the facts themselves, the progressive worsening that we find in the different pathological acts that we have studied, leads us to a completely different conclusion.
Since we cannot therefore support our diagnosis on physical signs, it seemed interesting to us, in order to carry out a retrospective study of the mental state of the Duke of Abrantès, to apply to his subject the method that Mr. Dupré, associate professor, described at the Amsterdam Congress in September 1907 under the name “Psycho-diagnosis” of general paralysis."
Brain injuries can get worse over time! Especially if you suffer multiple, like Junot did, it makes the skull and brain very fragile and so even a slight concussion could have dire consequences. Additionally, substance abuse is known to worsen pre-existing brain injuries, even long after the injury was sustained. And with open head injuries (when an object penetrates the skull, i.e. Junot's bullet and sabre wounds to the head), brain bleeds and inflammation can happen randomly.
Obviously I wouldn't expect doctors to know this before the invention of brain scans, however we can rely of physical signs! We know how damage to certain parts of the brain can manifest itself, and Junot's behaviour is consistent with a damaged frontal lobe. Contemporary descriptions of Junot's 1811 head injury (which Napoleon Junot blames for his father's death) say the bullet went in through the forehead then ricocheted, and this injury certainly would have damaged the frontal lobe.
"Despite the obvious bias and some shortcomings that we find in the Memoirs of the Duchess of Abrantès, we were able to draw very valuable information from there. Thiébault, in his Mémoires, very carefully noted the modifications he had noticed in Junot's mental state at a time when he was his staff general during the first Portuguese campaign. We have drawn other very useful documents from the works of various authors: the Memoirs of General Baron Marbot, the Memoirs of Bourrienne, the Memorial of Sainte-Hélène"
There is also a flaw in the methodology of the doctors' research into Junot. The memoirs of Marbot, Bourrienne and the Memorial of Saint-Helena are all known to have doubtable credibility. (In fact, Laure Junot wrote a refutation of Junot's presentation in the Memorial of Saint Helena.) By only using the famous memoirs, this report misses out on many important pieces of evidence.
Andoche Junot was born in Bussy-Legrand, Côte-d’Or department on September 24, 1771.
The first sentence of the biography section and there are already two small mistakes: the village is called Bussy-le-Grand not Bussy-Legrand, and he was born on the 25th not the 24th.
"At the Battle of Lonato (1796) Junot received two head wounds"
All contemporary sources say that he received three wounds to the head, three wounds on the torso, and was thrown in a pit. Again, this paper cannot be considered credible when it keeps making mistakes
"The chronicles tell us that in Egypt “Junot had a real seraglio”.
It is possible that, at this time of a life of debauchery and excess of all kinds, Junot could have contracted the Neapolitan disease [syphilis] which, for the majority of authors, is considered one of the main causes of general paralysis."
How can anyone take this seriously when the doctors won't even call syphilis by its name
"The chronicles" - mostly British newspapers, which loved slut-shaming Frenchmen with little evidence. It is confirmed that Junot had a relationship with Xraxarane, but there is no real evidence of him sleeping with any other women in Egypt. He probably did sleep around, but there isn't any evidence of this "seraglio", only a single confirmed mistress. From Laure Junot's description, it seems that Xraxarane was quite young and naive - we don't have any information on her life before Junot, but it's quite possible she had no sexual experience when she met him. So the facts are that he had one, young and inexperienced mistress in Egypt - hardly a lifestyle that would cause syphilis. Additionally, we do know that he slept with many women in France and none of them ever showed signs of having contracted a venereal disease. Junot and Laure had enough sex to produce four children, if he had an STD she would have contracted it, but Laure was completely healthy in that regard.
"Indeed, in the memories of the time, we find several examples of his susceptibility, of his almost sickly emotionality. We will cite the scene of the audition at the Opera Les Horaces where the First Consul was present “looking at him, Junot, no longer able to overcome his emotion, burst into tears”. In another instance, speaking of conspirators who had just been arrested, “his voice died away, breaking into sobs, and he wept like a child.”
It is true that there are many accounts of Junot "crying like a child". But here are the most likely explanations for it: a) believe it or not, grown men are allowed to cry, this does not need to be pathologised, b) if you do insist on a medical explanation, excessive expressions of emotion (e.g. being quick to laugh or cry) can be a symptom of brain damage
"Junot died on July 29, 1813, by throwing himself out of the window in an attack of hot fever."
No???? The window incident happened a few days before his death and the injuries were probably survivable. He died from stabbing himself in the leg with a pair of scissors, which caused a fatal infection to set in.
"The first pathological acts that we were able to observe in Junot's life only occurred several years after the trauma."
Junot received many injuries over the course of his life. The most severe injuries did cause noticeable and immediate changes. And as I have said above, brain injuries can cause random complications further down the line.
"Junot's letters are a continual series of complaints and lamentations. He describes at length his disgust, his disgust, his “excruciating” physical suffering. Junot is depressed, asthenic, discouraged, several times he considers suicide to put an end to his pain.
This state of depression with sadness should not surprise us. In general paralysis, a very frequent state of preparalytic neurasthenia."
Neurasthenia is a pseudoscientific condition that is no longer a valid diagnosis
Depression can occur simply for life reasons, but it is also a symptom of brain injuries, particularly of damage to the frontal lobe as the brain cannot process emotions properly anymore. The "evidence" brought up in this paper, supposedly against the theory that he went mad from his injuries, actually corroborates that theory.
"Junot does not realize how bizarre and shocking his conduct is"
Again, lack of social awareness is also a possible symptom of brain damage. This paper also repeatedly cites "weakening intellectual faculties" as evidence of "general paralysis", but, guess what, it's also a symptom of brain damage. Do you see the pattern here?
"This mental decline is soon added to a considerable physical weakening. From the end of 1812 and the beginning of 1813, Junot complained of no longer being able to walk without a cane, of being unable to ride a horse. In this regard we can wonder if these pains, this difficulty in riding a horse occurring in this “colonel general of the hussars” barely forty-two years old, would not be an indication of a spinal cord injury. We know in fact that the spinal cord is often affected in general paralysis; according to some authors it is even rarely unscathed. "
He was forty-one. He died before his forty-second birthday.
The spinal cord, as with the rest of the nervous system, is controlled by the brain. Brain damage often leads to physical disabilities (e.g. paralysis of an arm or leg), and Junot was actually very lucky that up until this point his disabilities were only mental! It's most likely that, rather than "general paralysis", Junot's brain damage was affecting his physical capabilities. (as well as causing partial paralysis of the limbs, brain damage can also cause difficulties in spatial awareness and coordination, which could also be potential causes for Junot's physical problems.)
"The Duchess of Abrantès notices that the character of her husband
has become profoundly altered, Junot is gloomy, preoccupied, in him credulity and passivity are added to the variations in mood. All these symptoms reported by Mme. d'Abrantès, drowsiness, insomnia, attacks of anxiety with crying attacks, changes in character and mood, are frequently encountered in dementia states and in particular in general paralysis."
You probably all know what I'm going to say but I'll say it anyways: all of these are prominent symptoms of brain damage
There is not a single thing mentioned in the 1910 paper that specifically indicates "general paralysis as a result of syphilis" rather than the effects of numerous head injuries. It is entirely conjecture based on pseudoscience. The 1910 paper is bs and so are any other publications that perpetuate the theory put forward.
stormborns
turnnoffyourmind
amandla
gamechangershow
romaincrisis
2087
izzy806
