The most infamous feud in American folklore, the long-running
battle between the Hatfields and McCoys, may be partly explained by
a rare, inherited disease that can lead to hair-trigger rage and
violent outbursts.
Dozens of McCoy descendants apparently have the disease, which
causes high blood pressure, racing hearts, severe headaches and too
much adrenaline and other ‘‘fight or flight’’ stress hormones.
No one blames the whole feud on this, but doctors say it could
help explain some of the clan’s notorious behavior.
‘‘This condition can certainly make anybody short-tempered, and
if they are prone because of their personality, it can add fuel to
the fire,’’ said Dr. Revi Mathew, a Vanderbilt University
endocrinologist treating one of the family members.
The Hatfields and McCoys have a storied and deadly history
dating to Civil War times. Their generations of fighting over land,
timber rights and even a pig are the subject of dozens of books,
songs and countless jokes. Unfortu-nately for Appalachia, the feud
is one of its greatest sources of fame.
Several genetic experts have known about the disease plaguing
some of the McCoys for decades, but kept it secret.
One doctor who had researched the family for decades called them
the ‘‘McC kindred’’ in a 1998 medical journal article tracing the
disease through four generations.
‘‘He said something about us never being able to get insurance’’
if the full family name was used, said Rita Reynolds, a Bristol,
Tenn., woman with the disease. She says she is a McCoy descendant
and has documents from the doctor showing his work on her
family.
She is speaking up now so distant relatives might realize their
risk and get help before the condition proves fatal, as it did to
many of her ancestors.
