Strange But True #21 · 2:15am May 27th, 2020
Weekly facts, diseases edition!
1. When Syphilis first surfaced, the English called it the ‘French disease’, the French called it the ‘Spanish disease’, Germans called it the ‘French evil’, Russians called it ‘Polish disease’, Poles called it ‘Turkish disease’, Turks called it ‘Christian disease’ and Japan called it ‘Chinese pox.’
2. After needing 13 liters of blood for a surgery at the age of 13, a man named James Harrison pledged to donate blood once he turned 18. It was discovered that his blood contained a rare antigen which cured Rhesus disease. He has donated blood a record 1,000 times and saved 2,000,000 lives.
3. There is an autoimmune disease which mimics the symptoms of demonic possession, and it has only been identified in the last 10 years. It affects mostly young women and can come on with no pre warnings whatsoever. The disease is called anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.
4. Fatal Familial Insomnia is an extremely rare generational disease that has only been known to affect about 40 families. This disease surfaces around late 20s to early 30s in its victims and causes them to "forget" how to sleep. It is incurable, untreatable, and chronic. Sufferers die from dementia and/or other brain related ailments after just a few weeks to a few months.
5. In 5,000 years of human history, only two diseases have been eradicated: smallpox and rinderpest.
6. In 1485, a mysterious disease broke out causing people to sweat to death in a matter of hours. The disease claimed the lives of tens of thousands before mysteriously vanishing.
7. Tuberculosis was so romanticized during the Victorian era that fashion trends emerged to highlight and emulate the symptoms of the disease. This fashion movement is referred to as “Consumptive Chic".
8. Canker Sores are a mystery to modern medicine; they don't know why they happen and there is no cure.
9. In October 1347, 12 Genoese trading ships docked in the Italian port of Messina after crossing the Black Sea. People greeting these ships found the crews dead or dying, covered in boils and with high fevers. The ships were immediately ordered to leave the harbor, but it was too late. This was the beginning of the most infamous and lethal single outbreak of disease in human history... Black Death.
10. 1.8 to 2 billion people currently have Tuberculosis.
Dang.
Oof.
Did you know that before penicillin, one of the effects of Syphilis was people losing their noses, and it would happen enough that there were "no nose" clubs in London?
--Sweetie Belle
3,4,6 would make great prompts for a fun story.
5269787
Those people also couldn't race anymore because winning was impossible.
1: That is downright hilarious
2: *applauds* There better be a place in history and Heaven for this man.
3: ....that is downright terrifying
4: I heard of this one before, it genuinely scared me.
6: ......... this is creepypasta material right there.
10: Actually sorta knew this. It was very dormant if I remember correctly.
5269787
And to this day, no one nose why this became a trend.
5269859
Creepypasta material.
5270191
You learned something new, at least. And maybe hatched a story idea or two.
5270197
That is how life works on good days :D
5270197
Heck, yeah.
Maybe I'll use that for a story.