As has already been correctly noted, the main danger is prion infections. There is more than just kuru. The most widespread disease of the human prion nature today is Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. In principle, all prion diseases are similar to each other; they belong to the group of infrequent encephalopathies. All of them are accompanied by degenerative processes in the central nervous system, 100% mortality, a very long latent period (up to 30 years or more), as well as extreme complexity of diagnosis and lack of treatment methods. It can be picked up by carrying infected tissues (primarily the brain) of a person or cow with prion disease.
In remote Papua New Guinea, there were native tribes. The usual tribe, just like in the movies: spears, murders and dismemberment. However, this tribe had one interesting feature, because among the natives there was an opinion that eating the brain of the deceased, you can get his strength, intelligence and courage. For mysterious reasons, brain-eating cannibals began to die for unknown reasons. Interested scientists decided to investigate the phenomenon of Papuan mortality and came to interesting conclusions.
As it turned out, eating the brains of their relatives and enemies, the Papuans got prions of a previously unknown disease, which, by the way, was found only in the mountainous terrain of New Guinea. The symptoms were similar to both rabies and tetanus. After a while, the Papuans who fell under the distribution fell alive and convulsed, and a rather scary smile did not leave their faces.
By the way, the virologist who discovered this disease, Карл Karlton Gajduzek, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. He donated the money he earned to one of the affected tribes. The virus itself was called “Kuru” – which means”shiver” in the tribal language. Now kuru is almost gone: the tradition of eating the brain of the dead has gradually become obsolete, and scientists have even begun to notice that the Papuans have developed immunity to kuru.
As has already been correctly noted, the main danger is prion infections. There is more than just kuru. The most widespread disease of the human prion nature today is Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. In principle, all prion diseases are similar to each other; they belong to the group of infrequent encephalopathies. All of them are accompanied by degenerative processes in the central nervous system, 100% mortality, a very long latent period (up to 30 years or more), as well as extreme complexity of diagnosis and lack of treatment methods. It can be picked up by carrying infected tissues (primarily the brain) of a person or cow with prion disease.
In remote Papua New Guinea, there were native tribes. The usual tribe, just like in the movies: spears, murders and dismemberment. However, this tribe had one interesting feature, because among the natives there was an opinion that eating the brain of the deceased, you can get his strength, intelligence and courage. For mysterious reasons, brain-eating cannibals began to die for unknown reasons. Interested scientists decided to investigate the phenomenon of Papuan mortality and came to interesting conclusions.
As it turned out, eating the brains of their relatives and enemies, the Papuans got prions of a previously unknown disease, which, by the way, was found only in the mountainous terrain of New Guinea. The symptoms were similar to both rabies and tetanus. After a while, the Papuans who fell under the distribution fell alive and convulsed, and a rather scary smile did not leave their faces.
By the way, the virologist who discovered this disease, Карл Karlton Gajduzek, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. He donated the money he earned to one of the affected tribes. The virus itself was called “Kuru” – which means”shiver” in the tribal language. Now kuru is almost gone: the tradition of eating the brain of the dead has gradually become obsolete, and scientists have even begun to notice that the Papuans have developed immunity to kuru.