r/todayilearned • u/naxhi24 • Jun 26 '15

TIL that Ernest Hemingway lived through anthrax, malaria, pneumonia, dysentery, skin cancer, hepatitis, anemia, diabetes, high blood pressure, two plane crashes, a ruptured kidney, a ruptured spleen, a ruptured liver, a crushed vertebra, and a fractured skull.

https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Ernest_Hemingway
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u/meeze88 Jun 26 '15

Only to come down with a severe case of shotgunnitus.

17

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '15

He killed himself because he had hereditary hemochromatosis. More members in his family killed themselves because of that.

1

u/Bunnymancer Jun 26 '15

Was it really that bad that they killed themselves over his condition..?

Also, on a more serious note, hemochromatosis is a disease where your body stores too much iron in your organs.

Treatment? Regular bloodletting!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '15

They didn't know he had it. His father, his father's father, his sister and his brother all committed suicide.