*looks up information on tapeworms*

[conuly]

Well, I don't eat raw meat and never have, so it's unlikely I have a tapeworm in me from raw meat. Which is good, those suckers can live decades, apparently.

And I doubt I accidentally ingested shit as a child (though, who knows...), but even if I did, Hymenolepis nana is usually self-cleared by adolescence. That means it goes away by itself, right?

And I'm pretty certain I haven't seen anything crawling around after I poo, though now I'm going to actually be paranoid about that, aren't I?

So this is unlikely. Right?

Now, it was pork tapeworm that I was told was featured on House, right? Because that stays in the brain (ew!) and it doesn't trigger an immune response until the tapeworm dies. So at least people who make troubling comments can be ignored.

I need to get out and about and think of something *other* than my imminent demise from (hopefully) imaginary tapeworms.

Comments

[fascinoma.livejournal.com]

Read the book "The woman with the worm in her head" by Dr Pamela Nagami, she has a case of a woman with cysticercosis - in her case, the dying worm had formed a cyst in the woman's brain.

[maelorin]

tapeworms were used as weight-loss tablets in the middle ages ...

it has been suggested that they and/or roundworms are the reason for many prohibiitons on eating certain meats.

tapeworms don't usually kill their hosts. but they can be unpleasant. if they get into the wrong place - such as the brain, then they can be a real problem.

the same can be said of most parasites.

[conuly]

I think it's unlikely you mean "the middle ages" and more likely you mean the early 1900s. Weight loss wasn't a big priority in the middle ages, was it? I thought the fashion then was for plumpness.

[maelorin]

They were sold as weightloss pills in early 20C USA (you guys have been mad for a long time ;)

The connection between tapeworms and weightloss is not a new one.

Can't tell you what makes me think of Europe 500 years ago when tapeworms are mentioned though. Shrug.

[fascinoma.livejournal.com]

Read the book "The woman with the worm in her head" by Dr Pamela Nagami, she has a case of a woman with cysticercosis - in her case, the dying worm had formed a cyst in the woman's brain.

[maelorin]

tapeworms were used as weight-loss tablets in the middle ages ...

it has been suggested that they and/or roundworms are the reason for many prohibiitons on eating certain meats.

tapeworms don't usually kill their hosts. but they can be unpleasant. if they get into the wrong place - such as the brain, then they can be a real problem.

the same can be said of most parasites.

[conuly]

I think it's unlikely you mean "the middle ages" and more likely you mean the early 1900s. Weight loss wasn't a big priority in the middle ages, was it? I thought the fashion then was for plumpness.

[maelorin]

They were sold as weightloss pills in early 20C USA (you guys have been mad for a long time ;)

The connection between tapeworms and weightloss is not a new one.

Can't tell you what makes me think of Europe 500 years ago when tapeworms are mentioned though. Shrug.