Hepburns karaktär, Ethel Thayer, simmar hela tiden på ett sätt som vissa äldre människor gör när de börjar förlora motorstyrning (ibland till följd av en degenerativ sjukdom).
Skulle hon sköta detta eller var hon faktiskt påverkad av ett sådant tillstånd?
Katharine Hepburns tremor i On Golden Pond var riktiga. Hon utvecklade väsentliga tremor, en sjukdom som kan påverka extremiteterna genom att få dem att ofrivilligt skaka i varierande grad.
På en webbplats som specialiserar sig på hälsorelaterad information för äldre vuxna:
"...her tremulous voice and the persistent involuntary movement of her head, particularly during her performance in "On Golden Pond." These are classic symptoms of essential tremor that has affected the head and voice. She never appeared to have any difficulty walking. Ms. Hepburn did not have Parkinson's Disease, and despite her "disability," she was able to perform for many, many years."
Här är ett extra utdrag från en New York Times Q & A, där någon frågade " Varför skakade Katharine Hepburns huvud? ":
Katharine Hepburn's ailment, recently discussed on television by her niece Katharine Houghton, was not Parkinson's disease, but a progressive yet treatable neurological disorder called essential tremor. Ms. Hepburn's was referred to as familial tremor, the inherited form. Each child of a parent with the disease has a 50 percent chance of inheriting a gene that causes it. In other cases, there is no family history.
The disorder, which varies in location and severity, used to be called palsy. The International Essential Tremor Foundation, which offers information and helps search for a cure, says the disease stems from abnormal communication among areas of the brain, including the cerebellum, thalamus and brain stem. The group estimates that 10 million people in the United States and 200 million people worldwide have some form of the problem, often undiagnosed.
Many do not seek treatment because they fear Parkinson's or think tremors are part of aging. Shaking, usually starting with the hands, can begin at any age but is more common in older people; tremors starting with the head are more common in women.
Hepburn utvecklade det som kallas Essential Tremors länk . Det är en neurologisk störning som ofta orsakar tremor i händer och armar, men kan också orsaka skakningar i huvud och nacke. Det antas vara genetiskt överfört.
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