The British Medical Journal published a research article on a really interesting topic – Vladimir Putin. It has long been suspected that he has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease due to a marked difference in left and right arm swings [Lewek et al, Gait & Posture; 2010]. Sponsored by the National Parkinson’s Foundation(many lulz), Rui Araujo et al [BMJ 2015; 351:h6141] settle the score once and for all.
Putin’s a fascinating world leader. He’s photographed riding a horse bare chested, doing the breast stroke in a Siberian lake, hip-throwing a judo opponent and smugly grinning while watching Angela Merkel squirm seeing his big black dog.
If Putin does not have Parkinson’s, how would one explain the asymmetric limb swing? The crux of this research article lies in the shrewd observation that this gait feature was not limited only to Putin, but other highly ranked Russian officials, usually with a military background.
It turns out that in the KGB manual (oh what I wouldn’t give to lay hands on that) – “When moving, it is absolutely necessary to keep your weapon against the chest or in the right hand. Moving forward should be done with one side, usually the left, turned somewhat in the direction of movement.” That explains it!
Or maybe not. Officials in Russia have been found wearing watches on their right hand – borrowing from Putin’s style. Could they have been aping their supreme mugwump? The jury’s still out on that.