Peggy's Pain and the Creation of Gone With the Wind

Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), author of the best-selling novel Gone With the Wind had chronic, widespread pain for most of her adult life. She was accident prone and sustained injuries leading to unexpectedly prolonged periods of recovery and had unusual illnesses that puzzled her physicians. Starting at an early age, Mitchell, or "Peggy" as she was called by family and friends, had a burning ambition to be a writer, and her painful, chronic illness created conditions that allowed her to achieve this goal. In this report, the details of her health problems are reviewed. During her life, her diagnoses were problematic and remain so now, but would most likely include fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome.