In the December 1992 issue of the American Journal of Diseases of Children Dr. Donald Lewis, an assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology at the Medical College of Hampton Roads in Norfolk, Virginia, theorized that Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit's ailing son in Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, suffered from a kidney disease that made his blood too acidic.

Dr. Lewis studied the symptoms of Tim's disease in the original manuscript of the 1843 classic. The disease, distal renal tubular acidosis (type I), was not recognized until the early 20th century but therapies to treat its symptoms were available in Dickens' time.

Dr. Lewis explained that Tim's case, left untreated due to the poverty of the Cratchit household, would produce the symptoms alluded to in the novel.

According to the Ghost of Christmas Present, Tim was supposed to die within a year. The fact that he did not die, due to Scrooge's new-found generosity, means that the disease was treatable with proper medical care. Dr. Lewis consulted medical textbooks of the mid 1800's and found that Tim's symptoms would have been treated with alkaline solutions which would counteract the excess acid in his blood and recovery would be rapid.

While other possibilities exist, Dr. Lewis feels that the treatable kidney disorder best fits "the hopeful spirit of the story."

Of course increasing his low carb veggies, avoiding sugar and processed food would also have helped him along the way too!

Increasing low carb food can never hurt, but in this instance the disease is only helped by medical intervention in the form of alkaline solutions.

Not trying to criticize you here, Mr Rustpot sir, but from time to time we have posts from people under the misapprehension that their blood is too "acidic" and they think that changing their diet can help that. Not so.

The body self regulates its acid base balance. Just want to emphasisize for those folk that this disease, distal renal tubular acidosis, is caused by a defect in the secretion of hydrogen ions and cannot be prevented or cured by any particular dietary regime.

Happy Christmas!

Rosebud

Rosebud, I thankyou.

I was trying to turn a topical christmassy point into low carb and did not mean to imply that low carb would in any way cure a specific ailment.

Animal proteins are acidic and we low carbers would be lost without them. It is fortunate that the body can maintain its acidic balance quite well without a major intervetion by diet.

That having been said there is research that for conditions such as osteoporosis, antiacids such as calcium supplements are beneficial. There are also many believers in the benefits of other alkaline supplements. Selenium for example.

The body has evolved into a natural state more alkaline than acid. Any dysfunction in that system must always be treated by proper medical intervention and not through hearsay or quackery or posts by me .

I am sure that Bob Cratchitt and his family did not have the luxury of making choices on nutrition that we have today.

We do; and for that I say... "God bless us everyone"

For all we know he may have had rickets or pellegra. He did have a little cane after all.

A good beefsteak would help with that!

Merry Christmas

Beth

Heh heh... I saw this thread title and thought, "he died of a heart attack in 1996. He was singing 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips' at a benefit concert."

He had heart disease and diabetes, so LCing just might have done him some good.

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I thought the same thing, Kristine!

Even went so far as to think about LCing and his squeeky voice!!

I'm sure he's still "tiptoeing through the tulips somewhere"..

-Marjan