Sydenham’s Chorea
When Andy Warhol was in the third grade, he was diagnosed with a nervous system disease called Sydenham’s Chorea. Another name for it is St. Vitus’ Dance. It almost sounds like everyone is putting on corsages and renting limousines for a St. Valentine’s Dance, but it is far from that. This is a disease that causes involuntary movements of the extremities. Some say that this disease is a complication of scarlet fever.
Source: The Andy Warhol Museum / Photo by Granger, Shutterstock
Warhol spoke at one point about how he was often confined to his bed, and he took the time to draw, listen to the radio, and collect pictures of movie stars. He spoke about how important it was for him to develop these preferences, the skill set, and his personality. Warhol was sick a lot when he was a child, and it eventually led to him being a hypochondriac.