Posted on 11/24/2004 8:43:15 PM PST by omniscient
Was it poison or just spoiled sushi?
Politician's face fuels speculation Illness destroys movie-star looks
WILLIAM J. KOLE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VIENNA, Austria—As Ukraine's popular opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko claimed victory yesterday in hotly contested presidential elections, mystery continued to shroud an appearance-altering illness that twice prompted him to check into a Vienna hospital.
Yushchenko accused Ukrainian authorities of poisoning him.
His detractors suggested he'd eaten some bad sushi, an idea he scoffed at.
Adding to the intrigue, the Austrian doctors who treated him sought police protection, and asked foreign experts to help determine if his symptoms had been caused by toxins found in biological weapons.
Medical experts said they might never know for sure what caused the dramatic change in Yushchenko's appearance since he first sought treatment at Vienna's private Rudolfinerhaus clinic on Sept. 10.
Known for his ruggedly handsome, almost movie-star looks, Yushchenko's complexion is now grayish and pockmarked. His face is haggard, swollen and partially paralyzed. One eye often tears up.
Doctors at Rudolfinerhaus declined to comment yesterday.
By the time Yushchenko checked out of the clinic last month after returning for follow-up treatment, physicians said they could neither prove nor disprove whether he had been poisoned.
Dr. Nikolai Korpan, who oversaw Yushchenko's treatment in Vienna, said the cause of his illness remained "totally open."
At Rudolfinerhaus, Yushchenko underwent a week of intensive treatment for several illnesses, including acute pancreatitis, a viral skin disease and nerve paralysis on the left side of his face, Korpan said.
Clinic director Michael Zimpfer said doctors were unable to explain some of Yushchenko's symptoms and could not rule out stress or a viral infection.
Yushchenko's doctors in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, said they had determined that "chemicals not of a food origin" had triggered the illness.
Zimpfer and the clinic's chief physician, Dr. Lothar Wicke — who requested police protection after receiving an anonymous threat while treating Yushchenko — later asked for outside help from "a specialist in military operations and biological weapons," the Austria Press Agency reported.
Earlier this month, Volodymyr Syvkovych, head of a 15-member Ukrainian parliamentary commission that investigated the mysterious illness, said a forensic medical examination found no traces of "any biological weapons" in Yushchenko's blood, nails, hair or urine.
Yushchenko has ridiculed the notion circulated by political opponents that he simply ate a bad plate of sushi washed down with too much cognac.
"It was certainly not spoiled food," he said last month.
He looks like he was Yeltsinized. Maybe it's just a prerequisite for office in the Soviet Blocs. You have to look like you drink a bottle of Vodka for breakfast or people wont vote for you.
Kidding aside, possibly mercury or arsenic poisoning? I think heavy metals cause appearance changes like this.
I can see why his supporters are ready to revolt.
Thanks for posting those I was curious to see them... The difference is well - scary.
" One of the early warning signs of arsenic poisoning is a "pins and needles" sensation in hands and feet. Long-term oral exposure to inorganic arsenic can result in skin changes including a darkening of the skin and the appearance of small "corns" or "warts" on the palms, soles, and torso.
Other signs and symptoms include skin thickening, fluid accumulation (resulting in puffiness) especially around the lower eyelids, face and ankles, diarrhea, garlic breath, perspiration, excessive salivation, generalized itching, oral inflammation, sore throat, runny nose, excessive tearing, numbness, skin inflammation, hair loss, weakness, and loss of appetite. Arsenic can also cause a range of neurological effects, including headaches and vision problems. It can cause noticeable behavioral changes, most commonly aggression or depression." from here: http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/summer02arsenic.html
a viral skin disease and nerve paralysis on the left side of his face, Korpan said.
Note also, it says excessive tearing.
You're probably right. Thank goodness it's only seems to afflict democrats and capitalists.
They would have tested for that and had results by now.
Is there a such thing as good sushi?
Nice first post, BTW.
Awww, but we always get to haze first time posters!
You're no fun! I was so looking forward to beating the pulp out of you! I guess I'll just give you a bear hug
instead....welcome to FR! Great article, too!
But would they have made the results public? They would have here, but not necessarily in the Ukraine.
Literally, an anti-swan job to fire up the masses.
Viral skin infections generally do not cause acute pancreatitis and nerve paralysis..
Polyethylene glycol sounds good. Could you drink it without knowing it? I don't think so.
Are you for real?
Is that for real?
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