Messages

1

News Links / Re: After nine decades, Russia royalty returning home

« on: January 22, 2008, 02:12:36 PM »

It would be impossible to sort out all the different claims of who should have what in the courts or by government decree. Legislation would be an unworkable nightmare to draft let alone pass and implement it. Many aristocratic family trees are extinct-nobody survived that remembers anything pre-1918. Indeed there are many descendants walking around in foreign countries that have never even been to Russia let alone know anything about what their great great grandfather was supposed to have owned there. Property records run into the same problem-how do you find the legitimate owner and heir of a family that left the country 90 years ago. Wouldn't all the many descendants have an equal claim to anything?
Yet again in some cases there are clear relatives and properties that have little doubt. For instance the famous Yusuppov Palace in St. Petersburg obviously belongs to the Yussupov's.  Prince Felix and Irina have direct descendants from their only daughter that are very much alive and well today-so why not just hand them the keys to their great grandfathers palace?
Trying to undo everthing to pre-1918 status is beyond unrealistic even in its contemplation-but it should not be used as an excuse to prevent any and all rehabilitations.

2

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Bloomberg News reports DNA Tests show remains those of Alexei and Maria.

« on: January 22, 2008, 01:40:30 PM »

Preliminary results show the Ekaterinburg remains to be those of HIH Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria based on the Russian DNA results.
DNA results from abroad are still pending for comparison and a final verdict is expected in April or May.

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Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Re: Alexei and Hemophilia

« on: October 31, 2007, 09:18:08 PM »

Does anybody know or read what actual medical treatments Dr. Botkin and all the other doctors constantly present gave or did for Alexi?
They never seemed to do much but apply local pressure to stem bleeding and sit and watch.

The first actual treatment of any good I know of was not until 1934 when R.G. MacFarlane British pathologist started using Russell's viper venom to help hemophiliacs blood to clot. Commericially produced as "Stypen"-still made today. 1936 whole blood plasma was first used, it wasn't until 1939 Kenneth Brinkhous determined the "antihemophilic factor" clotting deficiency-now called "Factor VIII".
It appears that if Alexi had lived he would have been about 15 years away from some real medically effective treatments for his Hemophilia A disease-from July 1918 to 1934. With further advances in the 1940's and and 1950's like cryoprecipitate it seems a reasonable idea that Alexi could have lived a long life with his hemophilia under control.

In addition to the doctors unknown remedies, does anybody know or read what Rasputin was supposed to have done beyond prayer or calming Alexi's nerves and pain with talking?