Thread by @tomaspueyo

Many ppl focus on @realDonaldTrump ‘s chances of life vs death. I hope—like all those infected—that he lives. But I’m not only concerned about that. I’m also worried about mental health.
Thread

The 1918 flu epidemic was known to cause mental issues. From The Great Influenza:
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“The 1918 virus did seem to reach the brain. The war fought on that battlefield could destroy brain cells and make it difficult to concentrate, or alter behavior, or interfere with thinking, or even cause temporary psychosis.”
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“If this occurred in only a minority of cases, the virus’s impact on the mind was nonetheless real.”

This might have impacted the US’ negotiations after WWI, and indirectly caused WWII. Wilson, the US president during the war, negotiated the peace.
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He was apparently a formidable negotiator... until he caught the flu:

“Hoover believed Wilson’s mind had lost “resiliency.” Colonel Starling of the Secret Service noticed that Wilson “lacked his old quickness of grasp, and tired easily.”
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“He became obsessed with such details as who was using the official automobiles. Chief Usher Irwin Hoover recalled several new and very strange ideas that Wilson suddenly believed, including one that his home was filled with French spies.”
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“Nothing we could say could disabuse his mind of this thought. About this time he also acquired a peculiar notion he was personally responsible for all the property in the furnished place he was occupying. . . . Something queer was happening in his mind.”
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One thing was certain: he was never the same after this little spell of sickness. In the afternoon “he could not remember without an effort what the council had done in the forenoon.”
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“Then, abruptly, still on his sickbed, only a few days after he had threatened to leave the conference unless Clemenceau yielded to his demands, without warning to or discussion with any other Americans, Wilson suddenly abandoned principles he had previously insisted upon.”
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“He yielded to Clemenceau everything of significance Clemenceau wanted, virtually all of which Wilson had earlier opposed. Now, in bed, he approved a formula Clemenceau had written demanding German reparations and that Germany accept all responsibility for starting the war.”
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“The Rhineland would be demilitarized; Germany would not be allowed to have troops within 30 miles of the east bank of the Rhine. The rich coal fields of the Saar region would be mined by France and the region would be administered by the new League of Nations for 15 years, etc

Why does this matter with #COVID19 ? Because it can also cause mental problems:

“Neuropsychological problems range from headache, dizziness, and lingering loss of smell or taste to mood disorders and deeper cognitive impairment.”

statnews.com/2020/08/12/aft…

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“As many as 1 in 3 patients recovering from Covid-19 could experience neurological or psychological after-effects of their infections “

Hard for the end of a campaign and potential 2nd term.

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