An avid reader of the Little Darwin blog who is a shining example of Charles Darwin’s revolutionary evolution theory – especially when he swings along the promenade of a salubrious Sydney seaside suburb - has drawn our attention to an article about the sickly naturalist in the Australian Doctor journal . Written by Dr Jim Leavesly , it highlights the fact that soon after Darwin,27, returned from his journey aboard the Beagle he suffered from lassitude , flatulence , abdominal pain and vomiting that reduced him to semi-invalidism throughout his life which baffled doctors.
It is now thought he suffered from Chagas Disease after being bitten by the Triatuma infestans bug in South America ; by the time he died, aged 73, our esteemed patron looked a haggard 90 year older . One of his daughters, Etty, came down with fever at the age of 13 and a doctor told her she should stay in bed until after breakfast. She followed this instruction religiously – having breakfast in bed for the remainder of her life, which spanned three score and 10.
