Author Topic: Alexei and Hemophilia  (Read 214585 times)

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Pravoslavnaya

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #60 on: August 25, 2004, 11:58:30 PM »
Galileo and Copernicus did well in their spheres, the Church in its domain.  There is a lot to be said for faith in concert with reason.  But Kendrick's speculations about the nature of the Tsarevich-Martyr's illness are built not on the Tsarevich's known bleeding episodes but on the illness of the impostor he believes was Alexei.  They may make interesting reading but follow from faulty logic.   Anyone claiming to be Alexei has always had to demonstrate he was prone to the lifelong bleeding episodes typical of Alexei.  I can only applaud Belochka's expertise in explaining just what congenital thrombocytopenia in infants really involves and in confirming from a medical standpoint just why the Tsarevich could not possibly been anything other than a hemophiliac.

The earth is round.  Faith is the essence of things hoped for and the realization of things unseen.   And Kendrick's impostor was not Alexei no matter how working backwards from what the man did have and coming up with this stuff results in something that sounds fascinating to the average layman.  I would hardly classify this theory as debate or put it on the level of momentous discovery.

Geshtahl

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #61 on: October 14, 2004, 10:00:08 AM »
Did Rasputin's influence cause Nicholas to not spend money on medical research? Was he doing so in the first place? I understand that the treatments of the day were ineffective, did they even have the knowlege of blood transfusions or the centrifuge? And finally, What was Russia's top medical school at the time?




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olga

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #62 on: October 14, 2004, 10:02:34 AM »
I don't think blood transfusions came around until the 1920s, and at least in Britain.  ???

Offline rachel5a

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #63 on: October 14, 2004, 11:33:02 AM »
u find many information about it in R.Massie book "Nicholas & Alexandra"

Offline Angie_H

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #64 on: October 14, 2004, 12:22:16 PM »
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I don't think blood transfusions came around until the 1920s, and at least in Britain.  ???

Different blood types were discovered in 1900 and 1901 at the University of Vienna by Karl Landsteiner in the process of trying to learn why blood transfusions sometimes cause death and at other times save a patient.  

Alicky1872

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #65 on: October 14, 2004, 01:11:21 PM »
I could be wrong, but I swear I heard on a recent tv program that the first (crude) blood transfusions were carried out in ancient Egypt!

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #66 on: October 14, 2004, 03:17:25 PM »
I also thought I saw a documentary or read something about rudimentary transfusions carried out in battlefield hospitals around the time of the Crimean War (??). It still would've been pretty dangerous around Alexei's time regardless--I don't know when they started learning about blood type compatability , contagious diseases and Rh compatability.

OK, I did some research:
Catholic authors take pains to discredit the story of Innocent VIII's deathbed. Supposedly as the Pope sank into a coma, the harrowing story was told that, at the suggestion of a Jewish physician, the blood of 3 boys was infused into the dying pontiff's veins. They were ten years old, and had been promised a ducat each. All three died. Historians of medicine note this event as the first reported historical attempt at a blood transfusion. [I find this HIGHLY doubtful and probably with some anti-Semitic overtones] With Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood, more sophisticated research into blood transfusion began in the 17th century, with successful experiments of transfusions between animals. However, successive attempts on humans continued to bring death. The first fully-documented human blood transfusion was administered by Dr. Jean Baptiste on June 15, 1667. He transfused the blood of a sheep to a 15-year old boy (the boy later died, and Baptiste was accused of murder). Only in the first decade of the 19th century was the reason for such death found in the existence of blood types, and the practice of mixing some blood from the donor and the receiver before the transfusion allowed a greater number of successes. While the first transfusions had to be made directly from donor to receiver before coagulation, in the 1910s it was discovered that by adding anticoagulants and refrigerating the blood it was possible to store it for some days, thus opening the way for blood banks.

« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by grandduchessella »
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JonC

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #67 on: October 14, 2004, 05:11:52 PM »
To all.

I read on the 'searchingalexei' web site that Alexei may not have had Hemophilia. Does anyone know more on this?
The author of the piece indicated that Alexei's symptoms were not indicative of one who sufferred from this disease. Best regards. JonC.

Offline LisaDavidson

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #68 on: October 14, 2004, 05:34:52 PM »
JonC: I am well acquainted with John Kendrick and respect the work he has done on the Heino Tammet - Vancouver Alexei claimant. I do not agree with all of his conclusions, but his is an interesting story and Kendrick a reputable journalist.

JonC

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #69 on: October 14, 2004, 06:02:53 PM »
Lisa.

I realize that the ' Heino Tammet ' claim is questionable at best and I have dismissed it entirely.

The article raised an interesting point though. I had always thought that Alexei deffinitely had hemophilia and yet I learned that he didn't have the correct symptoms which doctors today would deffinitely diagnose to be hemophilia.

In reflecting back on what I've read, Alexei's doctors never diagnosed him having hemophilia. What do you think? Best regards. JonC.

Offline LisaDavidson

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #70 on: October 14, 2004, 06:36:23 PM »
I think that Alexei had hemophilia.

We also don't have his clinical records. We have limited information on his symptoms based on the observations of people without medical training. The best medical minds available in Russia at the turn of the last century diagnosed hemophilia. I am quite certain we now have much more information on the pathology of this disease than we did then and certainly a better idea on how to treat it. Is it possible that Alexei was misdiagnosed? Of course!

Geshtahl

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #71 on: October 14, 2004, 09:41:08 PM »
Lisa and Jon,
 There is also a condition known as "Christmas' Disease" which is simmilar to hemophilia (I am NOT sure but I think hemophilia is factor VIII deficiency whereas Christmas' Disease involves factor IX) perhaps this could explain the discrepancy?




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P.S. I've read Massie, alas I don't own "The Bible" so if you could give me a page # I would appreciate it Val.

Offline Belochka

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #72 on: November 30, 2004, 09:34:23 PM »
Mr Kendrick may have inspired debate among us here but does he provide any credible scientific evidence for his opinions?


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helenazar

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #73 on: December 01, 2004, 04:15:36 PM »
This is certainly another very interesting topic to speculate about. Thanks, Belochka, for your elaborations on the subject.
I just took a look at the Kendrick website, and although I admit I didn't have the patience to read through all of the pages (my computer is kind of slow), I got the gist of it.
I try to stay open minded and am open to the fact that there may be a slight chance that Alexei may have been misdiagnosed, although considering all the other factors it is very unlikely. The fact that Alexei's body was never found also somewhat may play into this as far as some people are concerned.
But what else do we know about this Canadian Alexei? It seems that he just came out of nowhere. It may say on the website, but like I said I didn't get to read the whole thing, but did anyone else? how does he say he survived the 1918 massacre? Or is this one of the claimants who says that there was no massacre and that the whole family survived? Also, I looked at the photos, and while of course many years passed in between, those ears really give him away! Alexei did not have such big floppy ears. This of course is not very scientific, but please take a look, they are so obviously different ears. This guy's ears are huge and round while Alexei's are normally shaped and of normal size. At least that's the way they look to me. Maybe someone else may think differently. ;)  Hey, I know, maybe this guy is really Prince Charles!! Kidding  ;)


 

« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by helenazar »

helenazar

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Re: Alexei and Hemophilia
« Reply #74 on: December 01, 2004, 07:09:44 PM »
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LOL Helen! (prince charles)

that person looks like Ken Jennings! (Jeopardy champ)

If there is a possibility that Alexei was misdiagnosed, what else could he possibly have?


Actually, now that I look at the middle picture more closely, he kind of looks like young Vladimir Lenin (before he lost his hair). Now wouldn't that be a hoot!  ;D Sorry guys, I'll be more serious now.

You know, Abby, anything is possible, but the reason I don't think Alexei was misdiagnosed is the fact that then it would mean that all his other relatives who were thought to have hemophilia, like Leopold, QV's son, and Alexei's own uncle, and QV's other grandsons were misdiagnosed too. No one tried to re-diagnose them through out history because, unlike Alexei, they didn't have claimants...  ;) But maybe someone did try to re-assess the Queen Victoria gene? Anyone know? I must start being more openminded!  :D
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by helenazar »