Date: 25 Feb 97 02:57:50 EST From: Chris Burford <100423.2040-AT-CompuServe.COM> Subject: M-I: Lenin's cannibalism I was surprised by the suggestion of syphilis and I agree the sources would have to be checked. This sounds probably no more than lay speculation. >From time to time medical articles are published discussing the cause of death of interesting historical figures. My recollection, sometime in the last 15 years is reading probably in the British Medical Journal an article about the cause of Lenin's death describing a process of poorly controlled hypertension with intermittent strokes which caused a step-wise deterioration in his abilities. I cannot remember exactly of course. Primary or secondary syphilis, which anyone could get without being particularly promiscuous is seldom a cause of death, and would not be relevant. Tertiary syphilis in which the brain is markedly affected may develop after some years and is associated with a florid type of insanity with grandiose delusions of a bizarre nature - the sort of person rarely met now even in old psychiatric hospitals who may come up to you and say he is Napoleon. Lenin however really was Lenin, and I have not heard the slightest suggestion from any of his detractors that he suffered from delusions in his last years. On the contrary his contributions were marked by an ability to re-appraise the actual balance of forces and think issues through in a penetrating way. His article "On Co-operation" which was written one year before his death, and which is in our archives, only IMO arguably shows a slight loss of edge compared to previous writings. As for Lenin's lifestyle, despite another evolutionary psychology article in a current issue of one of the popular scientific journals that promiscuity is a normal feature of primate males who have achieved power, ["Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac" - Henry Kissinger] I see no reason to think that Lenin would have opposed the sex-is-as healthy-as-a-glass of water type of thinking if his practice had been very different. So unless a serious medical source can be found, and it should be possible to do a search on the medical literature, giving a credible review article demonstrating features of Lenin's medical history consistent with syphilis, we should give the syphilis angle no further credibility. Chris Burford London. --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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