Chapter 02
Roosevelt’s Little Understanding of the People’s Sufferings

III. “Polio” Might Have Actually Been “Neurosyphilis”!

That being said, Roosevelt’s illness was very complex. The aforementioned explanation might just be a smokescreen to clear up the “syphilis” rumors. During Roosevelt’s lifetime, there were even rumors that Eleanor, Roosevelt’s wife, in retaliation for his womanizing ways, slept with a Black man and contracted syphilis. She then supposedly passed it on to Roosevelt. Even when Roosevelt was suffering from his illness, Eleanor continued to travel across the country, mingling with people of all colors. After Roosevelt’s death, she allegedly wanted to hand over the United States to the Soviets. Thus, she went to the Kremlin in the Soviet Union and met with Stalin.

Is there any medical evidence to support these rumors? Indeed, there is. New research suggests that what was known as Roosevelt’s “polio” might actually have been a form of “neurosyphilis”!

Neurosyphilis is clinically easy to misdiagnose or overlook. Syphilis primarily affects the meninges, spinal cord, and blood vessels. It can also manifest as Parkinson’s syndrome, similar to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), chorea, and in some cases, patients may exhibit myoclonus, cerebellar ataxia, hearing impairments, or optic nerve atrophy.

The American diagnostic criteria for neurosyphilis, as of 1996, are as follows: (1) Clinical evidence of central nervous system infection caused by the syphilis spirochete. (2) Positive syphilis serological tests (including RPR test and TPPA test), as well as positive RPR and TPPA tests in cerebrospinal fluid. (3) Possible neurosyphilis, at any stage of syphilis, with a negative cerebrospinal fluid RPR test, but meeting two of the following conditions: increased cerebrospinal fluid white blood cell count and elevated protein levels without other known causes, and clinical symptoms and signs consistent with neurosyphilis without other known causes. (4) Confirmed neurosyphilis, at any stage of syphilis, meeting the laboratory diagnostic criteria for neurosyphilis. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States established that the diagnostic criteria for neurosyphilis still rely on laboratory results combined with clinical manifestations.

The clinical presentation of neurosyphilis is diverse. To clarify the differential diagnosis from other diseases, it can be categorized into seven types based on clinical manifestations. (1) Neuropsychiatric disorders: These should be differentiated from various encephalitis types (e.g., viral encephalitis, autoimmune encephalitis) and psychiatric disorders (e.g., mania, depression, schizophrenia). (2) Stroke-like episodes: These should be differentiated from atherosclerotic ischemic stroke and strokes caused by various vasculitis. (3) Meningeal and cranial nerve disorders: These should be differentiated from various forms of meningitis, particularly tuberculous, viral, fungal meningitis, and cranial nerve injuries caused by other reasons. (4) Spinal cord and meningitis lesions: These should be differentiated from Guillain-Barré syndrome, myelitis, demyelinating diseases, and spinal cord vascular diseases. Patients with tabes dorsalis should also be differentiated from those with diabetic pseudotabes and subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord (SCD). (5) Gummas in the brain: These should be differentiated from intracranial tumors, brain abscesses, etc. (6) Epilepsy: This should be differentiated from epilepsy caused by various reasons. (7) Others: When pyramidal tract symptoms appear, they should be differentiated from corresponding diseases.

Please note that the symptoms mentioned above, such as “motor disturbances characterized by sensory ataxia (87%), especially in the lower limbs; reduced muscle tone (56.2%), with severe cases showing knee hyperextension; diminished or absent tendon reflexes (92%)” are exactly the characteristics of Roosevelt’s physical condition. Meanwhile, symptoms like “worsening memory loss, mood changes, and reckless spending,” typical of neurosyphilis, closely resemble Roosevelt’s approach to handling diplomatic relations.

Zhong Wen remarked: Roosevelt was born into a wealthy family, led a youthful and frivolous life, and at 40, his syphilis flared up, turning into “polio,” leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair — a disabled man who should have retired. But he managed to create a public image to win over voters, enjoying the spotlight. However, he only ever dared to show half-body photos, with not a single full-body standing photo available. Such a “sick man” governing America, “exaggerating the facts, claiming to have piles of money,” left the United States deeply in debt, while the Soviet Union advanced step by step over the corpses of American soldiers.