Theophanes, a monk (752-817), wrote in his Chronography that Muhammad
suffered from epilepsy. From that time most historians repeated this
opinion. When in the late 19th century better notions of psychopathology
became common, this diagnosis was challenged. Some thought his disease was
hysteria or hystero-epilepsy, although for most scientists epilepsy was
excluded. There was no definitive answer to this question. A better
scientific examination of the sources has made clear that all symptoms of
acromegaly are present with some psychopathological paranoid traits.
Acromegaly is caused by a small tumour of the hypophysis, beginning most of
the time about the fortieth year and ending in the sixtieth year with an
apoplexy of the hypophysis.
According to the hadith Muhammad suffered from a long-lasting disease, which
he treated by means of bleeding. He walked as somebody who comes down from a
hill. His skin-colour was peculiar, not white, not too tanned, somewhat
rosy. His eyebrows were conspicuous. He was sweating heavily, especially
when he was receiving revelations. He heard the noise of bells and voices.
He had a great appetite and suffered from hunger. Notwithstanding his sexual
relations with ten young women, he remained quasi-sterile: one only child
after the age of forty years. During his last illness he suffered from
intense headaches, losses of consciousness, back- and intestinal pains. He
died at the age of 62 years. Psychologically he was known as trustworthy,
somewhat retiring and prude. Initially, about at the age of forty years, he
was depressed, retiring, and showed a tendency to suicide. He spoke slowly.
Most typical were his great hands, dough feeling palms, great feet, a long
fleshy nose, well developed ears and a peculiar voice.
These indications suggest that he suffered from acromegaly. This hypothesis
allows to explain almost all details found in the hadith.
Acromegaly is caused by an adenoma of the pituitary, which causes an
increase in growth hormone (somatotropine) and usually a deficiency or
increase of other hormones such as gonadotropine. The disease begins in
adult persons about the fourth decade of age. Most patients die about the
age of 60 years. It is a long-lasting disease with slow progress, sometimes
burning out. Most patients tolerate it reasonably well. The melanophore
hormones secreted by the pituitary cause a peculiar straw-yellow
skin-colour. Excessive sweating is sometimes caused by hyperthyroidism.
Sweating can be oily and have an unpleasant odour. Patients suffer from high
blood pressure. Some hirsutism is observed (eyebrows). The growth of all
extremities after adult age causes also the vertebrae to extend and the
spine to curve. This extension can cause pain as the nerves suffer pressure.
Especially typical is the enlargement of the fingers and the dough like
feeling of the palms when shaking hands. Rarely a bleeding of the pituitary
occurs and causes death, this apoplexy of the pituitary causes headaches,
nausea, vomiting, losses of consciousness. Psychologically patients suffer
initially from depression, brooding and irritability, also an increase of
appetite and a loss of libido. Some patients are anxious and are lacking in
self-confidence. When the adenoma exerts pressure on the third ventricle and
the optic chiasma in the brain the patients may suffer from hallucinoses.
Uniformly these patients are trustworthy. Their personality is characterised
by conscientiousness, reliability and industriousness.
Confronting this picture of the symptomatology of acromegaly with the
tradition about Muhammad one can only state the conformity. Moreover one
understands some other traits of the personality of Muhammad. He washed
himself often, till two or tree times successively. He indulged in men's
scents, such as musk and ambergris; he used to burn camphor on odoriferous
wood. This is understandable. He smelled the unpleasant odour of his sweat,
and did not want it to be perceived by others. The use of bleeding, as a
treatment can be understood as a remedy against his high blood pressure. His
polygamy and the incessant acquisition of new young women can be explained
by his wish for a masculine child. His young sons were all dead. He adopted
two sons. But a son of his own was for him an absolute must. As the
pituitary influences fertility his acromegaly reduced considerably the
spermatogenesis. Ten wives could only give birth to one only masculine
child, which died early. Changing wives he tried desperately to engender
that masculine child. He was not a ***-maniac. His death was probably caused
by a pituitary apoplexy. Psychologically he was considered as a trustworthy
person. Initially depressed and devoid of self-confidence, he considered
suicide. He suffered from hallucinoses and even hallucinations.
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