The Three Stooges Syndrome - Rare malady mentioned on episodes of the sitcom THE SIMPSONS/FOX/1989+ The most prominent example of TSS is Charles Montgomery Burns, an evil industrialist who lives in the town of Springfield, USA. Because Burns suffers from so many diseases, it sets up a condition called TSS which causes his body to stay alive as all the infections stabilize his metabolism and equalize his diseases. Although the doctors believe that it is the TSS that keeps Burns alive, Burns himself believes that his longevity is courtesy of Satan, with whom Burns has had a long standing relationship.