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THE MAN BEHIND THE WORD MUNCHAUSEN
THE WORD MUNCHAUSEN COMES FROM A REAL MAN
HE LIVED IN GERMANY IN THE SEVENTEEN HUNDREDS
FAMOUS FOR TELLING WILD IMPOSSIBLE STORIES
HE CLAIMED HE RODE A CANNONBALL
THEN PULLED HIMSELF FROM A SWAMP
BY HIS OWN HAIR
NONE OF IT WAS TRUE AND EVERYONE KNEW IT
TWO CENTURIES LATER
A DOCTOR NOTICED SOMETHING STRANGE
PATIENTS WHO FAKED ILLNESS NOT FOR MONEY
JUST TO BE CARED FOR
THEY INVENTED STORIES JUST AS WILD
SO HE NAMED THE CONDITION AFTER THAT FAMOUS LIAR
RICHARD ASHER CALLED IT MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME
IN NINETEEN FIFTY ONE
THIS IS HOW A TALL TALE BECAME A MEDICAL TERM
THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS CONTENT CONSTITUTES MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH RELATED DECISIONS.
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OKAY LET'S GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING 🕰️
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THE REAL BARON 🎩
KARL FRIEDRICH HIERONYMUS FREIHERR VON MÜNCHHAUSEN
WAS A REAL PERSON
BORN IN SEVENTEEN TWENTY IN THE TOWN OF BODENWERDER GERMANY
HE SERVED WITH THE RUSSIAN ARMY AGAINST THE TURKS
THEN RETIRED TO HIS ESTATE AS A COUNTRY GENTLEMAN
AT DINNER HE WOULD ENTERTAIN HIS GUESTS
WITH OUTRAGEOUS STORIES
ABOUT HIS DAYS AS A SOLDIER AND A HUNTER
NONE OF IT WAS MEANT TO HARM ANYONE
IT WAS THEATRE FOR A DINNER TABLE AND NOTHING MORE
THEN IN SEVENTEEN EIGHTY FIVE
A WRITER NAMED RUDOLF ERICH RASPE
TURNED THOSE TALES INTO A BOOK
HE PUBLISHED IT ANONYMOUSLY IN LONDON
THE CHARACTER IN THAT BOOK
WAS A CARTOON VERSION OF THE REAL MAN
A TELLER OF WILDLY IMPOSSIBLE STORIES
BACK HOME THE HISTORICAL BARON
HATED BEING MADE A LAUGHINGSTOCK
THE LEGEND HAD ALREADY ESCAPED HIM
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THE DOCTOR WHO BORROWED THE NAME 🩺
IN NINETEEN FIFTY ONE
A PHYSICIAN NAMED RICHARD ASHER
PUBLISHED A SHORT PAPER IN THE LANCET
HE DESCRIBED PATIENTS
WHO TRAVELLED FROM HOSPITAL TO HOSPITAL
FAKING DRAMATIC ILLNESS
EACH ONE INVENTING AN ELABORATE HISTORY
TO GO WITH IT
THEIR STORIES WERE SO VIVID AND SO UNTRUE
THAT ASHER GAVE THE PATTERN THE BARONS NAME
HE SORTED THE CASES INTO THREE ROUGH TYPES
ABDOMINAL ☤ PATIENTS WHO FAKED ACUTE STOMACH CRISES TO GET THEMSELVES CUT OPEN
HEMORRHAGIC ☤ PATIENTS WHO PRODUCED FAKE BLEEDING AND INVENTED HISTORIES OF BLOOD LOSS
NEUROLOGICAL ☤ PATIENTS WHO STAGED FITS AND FAINTS AND UNREAL NERVE SYMPTOMS
ONE DETAIL PEOPLE ALWAYS MISS IS THE SPELLING
THE REAL BARON IS MÜNCHHAUSEN WITH AN UMLAUT AND TWO HS
ASHER ANGLICISED IT TO MUNCHAUSEN WITH A SINGLE H
THAT MEDICAL SPELLING HAS STUCK EVER SINCE
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A PATIENT WHO WANTED TO BE SICK 🤒
MEDICINE ALREADY KNEW HOW TO THINK
ABOUT PEOPLE WHO AVOIDED DOCTORS
A PATIENT WHO CHASED DOCTORS
BEGGED FOR SURGERY AND WELCOMED THE KNIFE
BROKE EVERY RULE
THEY WERE NOT CHASING A PAYOUT OR DUCKING THE DRAFT
THE REWARD WAS THE SICK ROLE ITSELF
EARLY DOCTORS STRUGGLED TO NAME WHAT THEY WERE SEEING
WAS IT LYING OR MADNESS OR A CRY FOR HELP
ASHER HIMSELF ADMITTED THE NAME WAS NOT PERFECT
STILL IT GAVE A STRANGE BEHAVIOUR A LABEL
DOCTORS COULD FINALLY DISCUSS
YET THE REAL PUZZLE WAS STILL COMING
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE FAKES ILLNESS
NOT IN THEMSELVES BUT IN A CHILD
