Mao Tse-tung (1893 - 1976) - his habits and his health
Measured by Western standards, Mao maintained poor personal hygiene.
He liked swimming but never bathed; he preferred to rub himself down periodically with a warm towel. He did not brush his teeth, but rinsed
his mouth daily with tea. He refused all dental therapy and
consequently had chronic dental problems. By 1970, he had lost all his
upper teeth. He preferred fatty foods, and was a heavy cigarette
smoker; he did not consume alcohol regularly but, in 1933, during a
period of depression, he drank heavily.5 He slept on a large wooden
bed with a firm mattress; the bed accompanied him on his travels -
even to Moscow.1,11 He was regularly plagued by body lice.4 He had an
unhealthy skin and, in 1963, maltreatment of a chest pustule led to
the development of a life-threatening abscess and septicaemia.11
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-95742009000500012
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