Great Illnesses and the Illnesses of Great People. How Diseases Influenced the Course of History

People have been falling ill and dying at all times. But while a stillborn child in an ordinary family could hardly lead to the collapse of a state, the death of several sons of a king in infancy was capable of triggering a series of executions, conspiracies, and coups.
In his book, German physician and historian Ronald D. Gerste examines a series of turning points in history and demonstrates how profoundly an illness, surgery, or diagnosis can alter the course of events. Although history cannot be reversed, this book will reveal to you another side of it, amazing and usually invisible beneath a thick layer of time.
How did one English doctor cause the death of two great composers? How would the course of history have changed in the 20th century if cancer had not killed King Frederick III of Prussia? Why did a failed surgery on the bile ducts lead to the Suez Crisis? Why did the subjects boil the remains of Frederick Barbarossa? And most importantly, how have the illnesses of great individuals and the great diseases of humanity influenced our current lives? This and much more will be discussed...