questionmark Posted January 31, 2014 #1 Share Posted January 31, 2014 People have long believed that Bavarian King Ludwig II, the man responsible for building the famous castle of Neuschwanstein, was mentally ill. Indeed, he was dethroned for that very reason. But a recent study casts doubt on that diagnosis. When the fate of the king of Bavaria was placed into his hands, Bernhard von Gudden was a highly regarded figure in medical circles. Not only had the doctor perfected a machine that could cut human brains into fine slices for research purposes. But he had also made a name for himself in the area of psychiatry, which was still in its infancy at the time, with a pioneering proposition. Gudden argued that so-called "moral treatment," which often involved inflicting violence on mental health patients, wasn't perhaps the best curative regimen. Still, the psychiatrist thoroughly botched his most famous case. The doctor, together with several colleagues, provided the following diagnosis: "He is teetering like a blind man without guidance on the verge of a precipice." The king in question was Ludwig II, the most famous of Bavaria's monarchs, both for his moniker of "Mad King Ludwig" and for the fact that he built several picturesque castles that still dot the southern German state today, including the famous Neuschwanstein at the foot of the Alps. Read more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeWitz Posted January 31, 2014 #2 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Has an alternative diagnosis been proffered in this case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter B Posted February 1, 2014 #3 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Well, the article suggests that at worst he had a personality disorder, and he annoyed a bunch of people for various reasons. Oh, and he was gay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ealdwita Posted February 2, 2014 #4 Share Posted February 2, 2014 King Ludwig of Bavaria was of the House of Wittelsbach....So was Princess Sophia of Bavaria who happened to be the mother of King George I of England, who married his first cousin, Duchess Sophia Dorothea Brunswick-Luneberg of Brunswick, (also of the House of Wittelsbach), and was the great grandfather of poor mad King George III... Porphyria anyone? (Cue chorus of yawns, so what's, who cares, etc etc.)....Such is the lot of the historian....sigh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud the mackem Posted February 2, 2014 #5 Share Posted February 2, 2014 King Ludwig of Bavaria was of the House of Wittelsbach....So was Princess Sophia of Bavaria who happened to be the mother of King George I of England, who married his first cousin, Duchess Sophia Dorothea Brunswick-Luneberg of Brunswick, (also of the House of Wittelsbach), and was the great grandfather of poor mad King George III... Porphyria anyone? (Cue chorus of yawns, so what's, who cares, etc etc.)....Such is the lot of the historian....sigh. Quote by unknown Yorkshire person :- Aye there be nowt so queer as folk,and even thee's a little queerer than me...Unquote... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PersonFromPorlock Posted February 2, 2014 #6 Share Posted February 2, 2014 The fact that he was highly organized at paperwork is compatible with a diagnosis of paranoia. He may not have been technically insane, but he certainly sounds tiresome, which is even worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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