Glandular Problems?

[dipsylala]

I read somewhere that J.M.Barrie had glandular problems that stunted his growth? Is there any truth to this?

[cblegirl1]

hmmm not sure about that I haven't heard such a thing but it's interesting. Can someone else clarify?

[JAQ]

There's an endocrinologist named Robert Sapolsky who decided at one point to make JMB a poster boy for Psychogenic Dwarfism.  The syndrome is when stress causes an individual to stop growing, and Sapolsky decided that David Barrie's death and the "neglect" that JMB experienced afterward triggered this.  However, many of the "facts" that he cites about JMB are inaccurate or even completely fictional, such as him being the only child after David died, never undergoing puberty (so the mustache was fake?), having chronic legal troubles for molesting boys, and his age and height at death (60 years, 4ft 10in).  He's either gotten JMB confused with some other person, or he's even more careless with the truth than Piers Dudgeon.  I wouldn't put much stock in his "diagnosis".

[dipsylala]

Thanks for clarifying - need to make sure I have my facts right for an essay and claiming something like this when its inaccurate would be a huuuge blunder.

I was confused because in pictures he does look fully grown, as well.

Kind of wishing it was true, though, considering there would be so much more to talk about psychologically there.