The McCoy clan had WHAT disease?!
“He’s no addict! The doctor prescribed his meds!” and “He’s no addict! He’s mentally ill!”
These variations of Myths # 12 and # 64 in Alcoholism Myths and Realities have been debunked in this month’s top story. Instead, let’s burst another myth:
“Disease aided in notorious feud. Doctors say McCoy clan illness made them violent.”
So wrote Marilynn Marchione in an AP headline and sub-heading, in an attempt to explain the infamous feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. While admitting that no one blames the feud solely on the illness”are you ready?”Von Hippel-Lindau disease, she wrote that doctors say it could help explain some of the violent behavior the clan exhibited. Ok, I suppose several of the 28 symptoms, including headaches, dizziness and hypertension resulting from blood vessel overgrowth, might agitate some of its victims. Yes, I feel a bit tense when my blood pressure is high…and I know people who can be a bit terse when a headache takes hold. However, I know of no one in whom this has ever caused outright violence. But then, the headline might have burst a few bubbles if it had been followed by, “The disease was alcoholism, which could help explain some–or all–of the violent behavior the McCoy clan exhibited.