The Madness of King George

#madnessgeorge

Spoiler alert!

King George III suffers a bout of acute abdominal pain. (0:18)

George begins to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior possibly suggestive of euphoric mood. (0:19)

George awakens at four o'clock in the morning, fully alert but irritable with increased energy and runs off singing. (0:25)

George leads his staff in the Lord's Prayer, dressed only in his underwear, in the middle of a meadow with Queen Charlotte, then initiates what might have turned into a sexual assault of Lady Pembroke. (0:27)

His staff notice that George's urine is blue. (0:29)

George appears frustrated and irritable. (0:32)

At a court concert George attempts to conduct the orchestra, play the harpsichord and sing. He displays inappropriate affect and inappropriate conduct with the audience. (0:34)

George attacks his son, the Prince of Wales. (0:36)

Dr. (?) Baker tells the Prince of Wales the king is "still demented sir." (0:37)

George, laboring under delusion, takes his children to the roof to avoid a catastrophic flood. (0:38)

George says, "I have to talk to keep up with my thoughts." Flight of ideas? (0:39)

After enduring some abusive behavior by George, Queen Charlotte asks him, "Do you think that you're mad?" He responds, "I don't know." (0:40)

Baker describes George to a group of physicians as suffering from "persistent delirium." (0:44)

George cowers under a bed. His physicians treat him with fire cupping to draw out "humors." (0:45)

George appears depleted, complains that he sees only as if through a fog, and cries. (0:46)

Introduction of Dr. Willis who will provide George with what might best be described as psychiatric treatment, as it were. He observes, "Some of my lunatics fancy themselves king." (0:54)

After his introduction to Dr. Willis George asks, "A mad doctor is it...?" (0:57)

Dr. Willis shows George a chair fitted with leather straps for restraining the occupant, a primitive substitute for treatment. (0:58)

George in a camisole. (1:04)

Dr. Willis spoon-feeds soup to George, strapped in his restraint chair. Willis shows great restraint himself in persisting undaunted even after George spits the soup on him. (1:07)

George, apparently delusional once more, says, "They've killed the queen... I make the weather by means of mental powers." His speech becomes rapid. (1:10)

George, submitting now to his treatment by Dr. Willis, volunteers to be placed in his restraint chair. (1:14)

Staff notice that the color of George's urine has returned to yellow. (1:30)

Was George's condition consistent with an episode of intermittent porphyria? Note the tension between Dr. Willis and his psycho-social approach and the establishment physicians with their biological (if you can call it that) approach. We have made so much progress.

adverse effect | camisole | delusion | euphoria | Flight of ideas | inappropriate affect | irritable mood | Psychotic Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition | restraint

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