Agatha Christie Novel May Reveal Her Alzheimer's

One of her last books shows big decline in language
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 1, 2010 4:00 PM CDT
Updated Jun 5, 2010 11:57 AM CDT
Agatha Christie Novel May Reveal Her Alzheimer's
Mystery writer Agatha Christie is shown in this 1974 file photo.   (AP Photo)

One of Agatha Christie's last novels suggests the author had Alzheimer's, says an English professor who crunched its text in a database and compared it to earlier novels. The number of different words used dropped by an "astounding" 20%, while her use of indefinite words like "thing" or "something" rose, reports NPR. Christie was never diagnosed with Alzheimer's in life, though friends recall her complaining about a lack of concentration.

"I did not want to say what was said in the end," says the University of Toronto professor, who spent 2 years checking his results with other experts. "That yes, the data supported a view that she had developed Alzheimer's." What's more, the book in question was Elephants Can Remember, which revolves around a female novelist with failing memory. Christie may have sensed her own plight but kept writing, which the researcher calls "heroic." (More Agatha Christie stories.)

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