Literature Network » Louisa May Alcott

A diagnosis, 119 years after death; Medical sleuths find clues to Louisa May Alcott's ailments in a painting and her detailed journals.(SOURCE)

Content courtesy of

From: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
Date: 20070813
Author:Lerner, Maura

Byline: Maura Lerner; Staff Writer

Louisa May Alcott is probably best known for her classic novel, "Little Women."

But it was the rash on her face in a 19th-century portrait that intrigued Dr. Ian Greaves of the University of Minnesota.

Greaves, a professor of environmental health, suspected that it held the key to a medical mystery. Now, he and a colleague think they've finally diagnosed the problem 119 years after Alcott's death.

In a scientific paper published this spring, Greaves and Dr. Norbert Hirschhorn suggest Alcott had lupus - a chronic debilitating ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Louisa May Alcott

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.