Discussion: Regarding the DIABETES theory

"Thanks so much ETR for all this. It really does paint a compelling picture of a man deteriorating fast from his own excesses.
We tend to only rarely see the worst results of diabetes these days, as it is usually spotted early and treated with a combination of diet, medication and life-style changes. But unchecked, of course, it can be extremely serious. It was recognised in Tudor times - and went by the rather unflattering name of the 'pissing sickness' - since one of the early symptoms of diabetes is the urge to urinate and drink in excess (to try to rid the body of its sugar). The physicians would actually taste the urine of their patient for sweetness as part of the diagnosis! Not the kind of job I would fancy - but fortunately we have more reliable methods these days with blood sampling."

"This is from the wikipedia article: "Except in cases of kidney or urinary tract infection (UTI), urine is virtually sterile."

In antiquity and the middle ages urine has even been used as a sort of antiseptic on wounds to keep them from getting infected.
The washing hands thing is probably just our modern sense of hygiene associating anything happening around a toilet as un-hygienic. And excrements are still not sterile, so washing hands after a trip to the bathroom is definitely advisable then! lol"