Marfan syndrome complexity confounds experts

Vincente Schiavelli had Marfan's syndrome

Carol Forsloff - Marfan syndrome is one of those genetic disorders that creates pain and problems for entire families, and even though it impacts many people, its complexity confounds medical experts.

Marfan syndrome, as defined by WebMD, " is an inherited disease that affects the connective tissue. Connective tissue is the most abundant tissue in the body and is a vital component to supporting the body's organs. Its primary purpose is to hold the body together and provide a framework for growth and development. It provides the strength and support to tendons, cartilage, heart valves, and many other parts of the body, as well as strength and elasticity to the blood vessels."

The description goes on to discuss how the connective tissue is abnormal with those suffering from Marfan Syndrome and that because of that threats can occur to the bones, eyes, heart and blood vessels, nervous system and lungs as well as to the aorta, the artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

These people are often larger, unusually taller than others, with large feet, for example and hands, as "markers" of the disease.

While people enjoy Ripley's Believe It or Not, many of those people who are substantially taller than average suffer from Marfan syndrome.

And many of these people who have suffered from it are, or have been, famous.

Mary Queen of Scots, estimated as nearly six feet in height, is said to have suffered from Marfan syndrome.  She lived as a captive for 25 years during the reign of her sister, Queen Elizabeth, and was known for her beauty and her Catholic stance in a kingdom torn between Protestant and Catholic groups.

Abraham Lincoln is considered another famous person with Marfan syndrome features.  He was tall, thin, almost emaciated in appearance at times, and had some of the characteristics, although the possibility of his having Marfan syndrome is based on a distant relative having some of the features.

Vincent Shiavelli, a well-known actor, was active in the Marfan Foundation and died of lung cancer at the age of 57.

Here are some of the risks to creativity from bipolar illness and depression

Carol Forsloff — Mental health scientists have long known that there is a higher percentage of visual artists and musicians with bipolar disorder and depression than the normal population.  But is this just a tragedy for the social order and those who suffer from the illness or are there benefits that can teach us about ourselves and bring compassion , understanding and art appreciation as well?

Even great scientists and politicians, who brought high creativity to their endeavors, have also been categorized with bipolar disorder or depression. Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin looked at life out of unique life’s lenses. As a result  of Darwin’s perception, we have an understanding about how man and all nature evolved. And as a result of Lincoln’s deep feelings about himself, and his integration of those feelings with all humanity, the Great Emancipator forged the documents and the government strength to win a civil war over slavery and abolish the institution of slavery as an institution in the United States.

Experts tell us that creative people with bipolar disorder and depression may be drawn to the arts or other ventures where innovation is the mechanism for generating ideas that are outside what many would describe as the ordinary boundaries of performance.

The American Journal of Psychiatry from 1987 found that in 30 creative writers, there was a higher rate of bipolar disorder. They also were found to have higher IQs. A study in the  Journal of Affective Disorders in 2007 also found a higher percentage of creative skills in bipolar patients than those without a diagnosed mental disorder. Some mental health experts maintain that creative people are drawn to the arts and certain sciences because in looking for ways to ease their personal pain, or to understand themselves and their universe, they use their perceptions to uncover new pathways, new ideas and new ways to express their art. In doing so, they become leaders and often great contributors to the culture.

Those individuals with bipolar disorder have periods of both mania and depression. In their heightened states, great mood swings can occur; yet often it is within that uptick of mood that creativity can abound, as demonstrated by great works of art done during these episodes.  And while researchers continue to look for medications and cures for these episodes, some researchers wonder if in doing so we will eliminate that mechanism for creative advancement at the same time. In other words, our cure, or our need to make “them” like “us” may in fact reduce a level of creativity in our culture that brings value to our culture for generations.

 

 

 

Juneteenth and historical revisions on freeing the slaves

[caption id="attachment_15534" align="alignleft" width="300"] Juneteenth celebration in Natchitoches, Louisiana[/caption]

While Americans remember the end of the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, what many Americans don't know  more than a century and a half later is that some of the southern states did not readily accept  that proclamation and made the announcement that freed the slaves years later.

According to the National Register,  June 19 is the oldest celebration of the freeing of slaves in the United States, which occurred in 1865. For many African-Americans it holds a special significance. It also reminds the nation how terribly divided it has been. It  is a reminder, despite protestations to the contrary, that race continues to be an issue in America. Furthermore political differences continue to surround the notion of states rights versus federal ones, the issue being of prominence in the discussion about banking as well as private business, which were the arguments that precipitated the Civil War.  Private business had to do with slaves who were considered property and part of the core of cotton as a business.

So June 19 is not just the date for African-Americans to celebrate.  It also peels back the blinders many people have that the freeing of the slaves was some romantic vision, as  in some of the old Hollywood movies, such as Gone with the Wind. In that movie, the southern folk were kind enough,  understanding and loving servants who were slaves. And the slaves, although grateful and singing about freedom, remain happily in the extended family of former slaves and Masters. But that was not the case, as revealed by the fact that many Southerners would not accept the end of slavery and the bitterness remained until the official proclamation. Still some of that bitterness is part of the echoes of political dissension in the 21st century. Juneteenth speaks to the differences as well as the focus on the nature of freedom itself.  That's why it's a world celebration.

In Louisiana and in Texas, where African-Americans were not notified that they had been freed for some time after the Emancipation Proclamation, celebrations draw out many people who would not otherwise know the history. The celebrations are a reminder of this difficult time in the United States history and the road so difficult to travel in the political atmosphere nearly 150o years later.