We will begin our discussion of the root causes of aging by describing not the death of a cell, but the death of a king. The monarch was King Charles II of England (1686) and is a tragic case of deliberate if naive, error. We know about it because of the diary of Charles Scarburgh, the chief Physician to the King.

‘I flocked quickly to the King's assistance,’ Scarburgh wrote upon hearing of a sudden illness on the part of His Majesty. The king had been at his morning shave earlier in the day when he let out a terrific scream. He quickly collapsed into a quivering heap, rolling around the floor before slipping into unconsciousness (modern diagnosticians believe he suffered a sudden stroke that was accompanied by a seizure). Edmund King, a physician staying as a guest of the crown, was quickly summoned. He promptly adminstered emergency care, which consisted of cutting a slit in Charles' arm and withdrawing 16 ounces of blood. The call went out for Scarburgh, who took not only the best technology available to the 17th century, but also his diary.

The king had not responded to the emergency measures. Scarburgh, after consultation with six other professionals, decided that insufficient blood had been taken. The king's shoulder was cut in several places and an additional 8 ounces were extracted.