Yesterday, in one of J. K. Rowling’s regular forays in to the sex and gender debate revealed that she was born with a genetic blood disorder:
I was born with a bleeding disorder. That doesn’t make me a new variety of human. I don’t feel ‘less than’ people without it, but nor does my bleeding disorder mean an inability to clot should be considered an innate attribute of the human species. I inherited an unusual physical anomaly. Nature made a mistake.
It is tempting to remember Roy Phipps from Troubled Blood also has a genetic blood condition – von Willebrand Disease.
‘What’s von Willebrand Disease?’ asked Robin.
‘A bleeding disorder. I looked it up. You don’t clot properly. Gupta remembered that wrong; he thought Roy was a haemophiliac.
‘There are three kinds of von Willebrand Disease,’ said Strike. ‘Type One just means you’d take a bit longer than normal to clot, but it shouldn’t leave you bedbound, or unable to drive. I’m assuming Roy Phipps is Type Three, which can be as serious as haemophilia, and could lay him up for a while. But we’ll need to check that.
Troubled Blood, Chapter 14
If Rowling does have von Willebrand Disease, it isn’t that uncommon. It is the most common hereditary blood clotting disorder in humans, affecting 1% of the population. In terms of lake inspiration, perhaps it is time to take a second look at both the title of Troubled Blood and the blood malediction featuring in both Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts.
Speak Your Mind