Abstract
As Colin White points out in the Foreword, this is the first analysis of Nelson's medical history since Pugh's short account nearly 40 years ago, and it is a medical biography of heroic size and scope. Dr Hills’ quadruple diagnosis of young Nelson's debility in the Caribbean appears plausible but may be disputed by others more expert than me. Her proposal that concussion after the Battle of the Nile explains Nelson's enthrallment by Emma and the ‘Black Legend’ may be overemphasized. The ‘Legend’ of his involvement in the repression and execution of Jacobin rebels in Naples is refuted by Lambert in his book Nelson Britannia's God of War. The myth that Nelson sought death at Trafalgar is dismissed by Dr Hills; Nelson expected and thought he would die in several earlier battles. This idea still holds sway amongst amateur historians. Finally, Dr Hills clarifies the manner of Nelson's dying, referring to descriptions other than Beatty's original career-building book. She deduces from his genetic inheritance that he might have lived to a great age if he had survived Trafalgar. That he could have done so with modern trauma management suggests the interesting prospect of Nelson (from his wheelchair) perhaps opposing the views and opinions of Wellington about the common man.