Al Capone Suffered Miserably From Brain Syphilis That Made Him Function Like A 12 Year Old

Even till today, the public can’t really get enough of the gangster era of the notorious twenties in the USA. Chicago especially was a gangster haven where it’s most famous figure of the time was Al Capone. As Gangster no 1, Capone is the subject of history, studies, movies and scores of articles on the internet. His was a fascinating life of booze, prohibition, crime, murder and lavish luxury. But Just as those elements stereotyped the gangster’s life; there is another side of Al Capone that people don’t know. His last days which were extremely tragic and marked with suffering.

You see! Al Capone died of multiple complications caused by syphilis which also affected his brain. He died, a delusional frail and confused man not even a fraction of his former intimidating self. His health declined to the point of turning him into the equivalent of a 12 year old child. Read on how Al Capone died of syphilis which destroyed his brain. 

1 Capone contracted Syphilis when STD’s were common

Al or Alphonse Capone was also known as Scarface in the gangster world presumably the inspiration behind the Al Pacino movie, “Scarface”. He lived in Chicago with his brother Ralph and for both, life was dance halls, casinos and plenty of socializing even with the wrong sort of women. A prostitute a day was common for Al and brother Ralph who first contracted gonorrhea. Venereal disease was rampantly sweeping Chicago affecting almost 10% of the population. 

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2 Capone refused to tell his doctors how he contracted Syphilis

It was not surprise that Capone too went on to contract syphilis which embarrassed him deeply. He wouldn’t tell his doctors how he got it. He revealed to his doctors that he had earlier got fever and sores which went away so he presumed he was cured. What he didn’t know was that the type of syphilis he contracted may have not show external symptoms but it had retracted into his body and was slowly attacking his brain. 

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3 His son was born with STD

Whether or not his wife Mae also acquired the disease from him isn’t known but Capone’s son Albert Francis “Sonny” Capone was born in 1918 with congenital syphilis. As a sickly child, Sonny also contracted an infection that left him deaf in one ear. 

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