Was Cook Mentally Disordered? (Press, 2 April 1979)

An English author, Richard Hough, has sparked controversy in historical circles with his latest publication, “The Murder of Captain James Cook,” where he proposes that Captain James Cook may have been suffering from brain damage during his last expedition, which ended in 1779. Hough, who previously gained attention for suggesting a homosexual relationship between Captain William Bligh and his second-in-command Fletcher Christian in his book "Captain Bligh and Mr Christian," now turns his attention to Cook's navigational errors in what was his final journey. In his new work, published in March 1979, Hough examines the mistakes Cook made during the third voyage of the Resolution and the Discovery, which included routes around the Cape of Good Hope, Tasmania, New Zealand, Tonga, Tahiti, and ultimately, the Hawaiian Islands. He argues that these blunders—including lapses in seamanship that nearly crippled his ship, as well as wasting time in Tasmania and not discovering the Fiji Islands—could be attributed to a cognitive decline caused by a brain disorder. Hough highlights that Cook's death on February 14, 1779, at 50, was not just tragic but perplexing, since Cook had shown resilience and capability earlier in his career. He contrasts Cook’s prowess with that of Horatio Nelson, who achieved significant feats at similar ages despite health issues. Hough notes that Cook exhibited uncharacteristic behaviours, including periods of irritability and carelessness, suggesting these might stem from a serious degeneration of his mental faculties rather than mere fatigue or psychological issues. He emphasizes that rather than merely historical speculation, we may need to consider profound medical explanations, including potential brain diseases which could have affected Cook’s mental state and navigational skills. Hough believes that previous biographers, including New Zealander John Beaglehole, have not sufficiently addressed the possibility of a serious mental decline during Cook's last journey. Cook, prior to beginning this voyage, left Plymouth in a period of tiredness less than a year after the end of his previous expedition. Hough reflects that it is essential to delve deeper into the physical condition influencing Cook during these critical navigational decisions, asserting that understanding the pathology behind his actions might yield more insight than focusing on psychological interpretations alone.

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