The final «battle» of the great commander

Abstract

Alexander the Great is considered to be one of the greatest commanders in history, who was able to create a world empire due to successful conquests during his lifetime. The circumstances of his death remain the subject of scientific discussion in the historical and medical community. This article briefly lists the possible causes of the statesman’s death. It is reliably known that in the last year of his life, Alexander the Great was under the influence of a fatal prophecy about his own demise, was angry, systematically abusing alcohol and overeating during lush feasts. Such historians as Aristobulus, Hares, Plutarch tried to justify the king’s bad habits with his love for feast talks and «body heat». Alexander the Great died in June 323 BC, but experts still find it difficult to give an unambiguous answer to the question about the cause of his death. At different times, numerous hypotheses were put forward, such as: liver disease, malaria, pneumonia, poisoning (possibly a plant called white hellebore), snake bite, typhoid fever, Guillain‑Barrе syndrome, etc. Studies of the 1990s with an analysis of symptoms made it possible to exclude versions of malaria, pneumonia, typhoid fever, and West Nile fever. According to Greek scholars, the most plausible version of Alexander the Great’s disease is pancreatic necrosis, caused by the king’s addiction to «heavy» food and alcohol. According to the ruler’s contemporaries, the onset of symptoms was characterized by severe abdominal pain after «heavy» food and wine, accompanied by fever and daily progressive worsening during 14 days. Doctors used artificial induction of vomiting and cold baths, but Alexander the Great, despite his poor health condition, continued overeating and drinking wine. This caused a sharp temperature rise, increased sweating and febrile chill, as well as difficulty of breathing. Before death, Alexander was tormented by severe abdominal pain. He died in Babylon at the age of 33 from sepsis. His body was embalmed and placed in a sarcophagus.