Can You Be Scared to Death?
Myths and Facts About Dying
Adapted excerpt from "The Medicine Cabinet of Curiosities: An Unconventional Compendium of Health Facts and Oddities, From Asthmatic Mice to Plants That Can Kill" by Nicholas Bakalar. Copyright © 2009 by Nicholas Bakalar. Reprinted by arrangement with Times Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company LLC.
We say we're "scared to death" or "scared stiff" -- but can that actually happen? An article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine describes various stories, some of dubious historicity, of people who dropped dead from strong emotions. The Roman emperor Nerva (A.D. 30-98) died in a fit of anger at a senator who had offended him. A 13th century pope, Innocent IV, is said to have died of grief after the overthrow of his army. Some American patriots reportedly died of happiness after learning that General Cornwallis's army had been defeated at Yorktown....
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