Elizabeth Barrett Browning



Elizabeth Barrett Browning (6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. She became ill at 15 and remained so for the rest of her life. It is speculated that her illness was what we know today as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Presentation of illness
Her symptoms included dilated pupils, hyperaesthesia of the skin of her back, temporary difficulty with micturition, and weakness of a leg.

Theories

 * J. G. Weir argues that Browning's first illness was "certainly an encephalomyelitis of one kind or another", possibly poliomyelitis or measles encephalitis, as she had a documented case of measles.

Learn more

 * Wikipedia - Elizabeth Barrett Browning