Why Did Joseph Pulitzer Fear He Was Dying?

David Senra, reading James McGrath Morris, says the deaths in Joseph Pulitzer's family left him obsessed with his health until the end of his life. Every ailment, no matter how small, came with an underlying fear that he was dying.

Pulitzer was born in Hungary. By the time he was 17, he had endured the death of his father and seven out of his eight siblings. His father, a successful merchant who hired tutors for his children, died of tuberculosis at 47, at the peak of his business success. Pulitzer had been nine when his older brother died, 10 when his younger brothers and sister died, 11 when his father died, and 13 at the death of his last sister. His father's death plunged the family into poverty and created a financial nightmare. Within six months, authorities seized their property for failure to pay taxes. The family limped along. Years later, Pulitzer described himself as a poor orphan who had never even enjoyed as much of a luxury as a father.

Two traits stayed with him. He was incredibly industrious and loved to read and to learn, especially history and biography, but he had to select what he was learning and did not take well to formal instruction. He also had a furious temper. He once chased a tutor out of the window when the tutor insisted on teaching mathematics rather than war stories from history.