Humanity has been able to develop cures for many diseases, but some of the microorganisms responsible seem blessed with enormous staying power - and might even be lurking right beneath your feet. Let's take a look at...
- Quinsy: deadly sore throat
- Typhoid: salmonella's ambitious cousin
- Scarlet fever: strawberry death
- Tuberculosis: romantic doom
- Polio: a virus fighting extinction
 |
| Rats get a bad rap for good reason. They can carry some lethal microorganisms... (niki_emmert) |
1. Quinsy: Deadly Sore Throat
An old disease, quinsy is an infection of the tissue of (or around) a tonsil. It inflicts a pus-filled swelling that makes it difficult to swallow, causes fever and muffles the voice. George Washington (yes, that one) was said to have died of Quinsy by one of his physicians, but other contemporary and later medical practitioners disagreed. He wouldn't have been the first ruler to be carried off by it though; Shah Ala al-Din Tekish of the Khwarezmian Empire supposedly died of quinsy in 1200AD.
As for a cure, perhaps this offering from medieval Wales appeals: Bleed the patient from the arm and tongue, then take the "dirt" of a dog that has been gnawing plenty of bones and use it as a poultice on the throat. I guess it would take your mind off of the quinsy, at least.
2. Typhoid Fever: Salmonella's Ambitious Cousin
Typhoid is caused by Salmonella typhi, a relative of the bacterium behind salmonella food poisoning. Passed on via feces (potentially urine as well) untreated mortality is around 20%, but a course of antibiotics completely clears it in almost all cases.
Typhoid used to be a lot more common in developed nations. The infamous Mary Mallon or "Typhoid Mary" was a carrier, and her work as a cook led her to directly infect at least 51 people with the disease with three known fatalities. She was actually quarantined by the American government after her role in a number of typhoid epidemics was identified, but she was released on the condition that she never worked with food again. Mallon either didn't understand or didn't care that she was a walking biohazard though, as she returned to work as a cook a few years later and triggered another outbreak.
Unfortunately the disease is starting to make sporadic appearances in the United States in the modern era. In 2019 a Los Angeles cop was found to be infected with Salmonella typhi, contracted either on his beat or in his rat-infested station.
3. Scarlet Fever: Strawberry Death
Named for the dramatic red rash it causes, scarlet fever is a contagious and fairly serious disease caused by Streptococcus pyogenes and primarily found in children. Documented by Giovanni Filippo Ingrassia in 1553, it gives the skin the texture of sandpaper and can cause the tongue to peel - the resulting red and rough flesh resembles a strawberry. Before antibiotics, the mortality rate was between 15 and 20%, and quarantine was the only defense available.
Scarlet fever appears to be having something of a comeback, with reported cases increasing since 2022. While there's no definitive evidence to explain why, some researchers have suggested that conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a part. One study found that the reported number of Streptococcus pyogenes infections dropped during lockdown, but surged after restrictions were eased.
 |
| Diseases from the past can be found today in sewer systems... (bstad) |
4. Tuberculosis: Romantic Doom
An infection caused by the three-million-year-old Mycobacterium tuberculosis that affects the lungs, tuberculosis has had many names. The Greeks called it phthisis, the Romans knew it as tabes and to the ancient Hebrews it was schachepheth. It would later be known as scrofula, the white plague and consumption. The characteristic paleness and slow "doom" of victims was actually romanticized in some time periods - poet John Keats had it, and the infamous Lord Byron is said to have bemoaned his lack of it!
Tuberculosis is highly contagious; a few germs carried in a sneeze are enough, and an estimated quarter of all humans have been infected at some point. Fortunately only 5-10% of those will actually go on to develop the disease. Despite this, the disease may be on the rise in the UK. In 2023 the overall number of cases jumped up 11% from the previous year.
5. Polio: A Virus Fighting Extinction
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by Poliovirus, usually transmitted by fecal matter or found in contaminated water. It replicates incredibly fast inside a host, and can cause paralysis in a matter of hours. One in 200 infections lead to irreversible paralysis of the legs. Of those who are paralyzed, around 5-10% die when their muscles become immobilized and they can no longer breathe.
There is no cure for the disease, but highly effective vaccines have been developed in an attempt to eradicate it. While it typically attacks children, Franklin D. Roosevelt is an example of an adult affected by the disease.
The number of cases of Polio has dropped 99% since 1988, and only two of a previous 125 countries remain endemic as of 2023. That said, polio has been discovered in the sewage systems of America. In 2022, an unvaccinated adult from Rockland County was diagnosed with the virus, and a number of children in Israel also tested positive. To illustrate just how fast this can spread, 1,076 wastewater samples were taken in the counties surrounding Rockland, of which 89 contained the virus. Of those samples, 82 were genetically linked to that same unvaccinated individual.
Thanks for reading - for more, try...