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Brain Maggots / Sushi Worms
Part 4: Analysis
More of this Feature
. Part 1: Email Texts
. Part 2: First Photo
. Part 3: Second Photo
Related Stories
. Brain Floss
. Cockroach Egg Tacos
. Doctors Find Live Worm in Patient's Eye
. Maggots & Metaphors
Updated: 04/07/03
Comments: Medical experts agree that the stories accompanying these images are
fiction, but debate over the authenticity of the photos themselves is ongoing.
When I showed them to pathologist Ed Friedlander, he concluded they had been
faked, largely because most of the anatomical landmarks one would expect to
find in a dissected brain are nowhere to be seen. Another expert has speculated
that the photos could be perfectly real, but, if so, depict a very serious case
of scalp cancer, not a "brain infection."
In the latest development, the debunkers at Snopes.com have now determined,
based on information received from an unnamed but presumably reliable source,
that the images are indeed authentic and document the case of 70-year-old man
suffering from "an unusual form of cancer which had eaten away at the upper
portion of his skull and scalp." When I contacted Friedlander for a follow-up
opinion, he agreed the explanation is plausible, though in his judgment the
photos may still have been retouched. "I cannot account for the apparent
maggots and apparent eggs," he wrote.
The photos were indeed taken at Stanford University Hospital
Surprisingly, the Snopes.com informant went on to lend at least partial
credence to one of the email texts - the "ingrown hair" version of the story,
which claims the patient was treated at "Stanford ER." According to the
informant, the photographs were indeed taken at Stanford University Hospital,
where the subject was brought by ambulance after a minor traffic accident (note
that he did not "walk in," complaining of feeling "a little wobbly on his
feet," as the email alleges). The plausibility of the story was elevated
another notch by confirmation of the claim that the patient hadn't sought
treatment for the disease even though it had progressed to the horrific point
we see in the photos, "because the condition was not causing him pain."
None of the foregoing, obviously, had anything to do with an ingrown hair, but
it would appear that whoever made up that fanciful version of events was at
least dimly aware of the actual circumstances.
Tapeworms, roundworms, and sushi
As to the version of the tale featuring Mr. Fujiwara, the supposed sushi
fanatic who allegedly contracted "brain worms" by eating raw fish, it is simply
preposterous. While the medical literature does support the claim that certain
species of tapeworm or roundworm can infect the human digestive tract when
consumed in raw or undercooked fish, I could find no indication that these
particular parasites (in contrast to the pork tapeworm, which is capable of
causing a wider, more serious array of symptoms) can migrate to other human
organs, such as the brain. In documented cases where pork tapeworm larvae have
been found in the brain, they were embedded, cyst-like, in the neural tissue.
They don't crawl around freely, nor are they capable of boring outward through
the patient's skull and emerging through the scalp.
Finally, to set the record straight on one more medical matter, maggots can
infest the human brain, apparently, and so can certain types of tapeworm
larvae. But these conditions are fairly rare, and, in spite of what you are
likely to hear through the email grapevine, they don't result from ignoring
ingrown hairs or binging on sushi.
----- Original Message -----
From: zakaria matdiah
To: Tgzaid E-mail) ; Shahrul-Nizam S MALAYTR-OGL/E1 Abd-Aziz ; Ahmad Abu
Bakar ; Mohammad A MALAYTR-OGL/PG5 Ali ; En. Ahmad Nazien Anuar ; anuar batcha
; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Ka-Foo KF MALAYTR-OGL/IP Chen ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Hilmi
Harun ; LPG Store Sam Ent Trengganu c/o hj sulong ; Ir Hatta ; saizul ishak ;
islah-net@yahoogroups.com ; Kok-Keng KK MALAYTR-OGL/SS Lee ; Mohd Fairuz ;
Jamaluddin JMS MALAYTR-ODP/TG-B3 Mohd-Sidek ; Mr Lee ; Mr. Tan Kim Seng ; En.
Ismail Shafii ; shell edward tan ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; En. Mohd Tahir Yusoff
Cc: Sufian ; Mohd Syed ; Edward Tan
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 12:54 PM
Subject: [Islah-Net] Fwd: Fw: Fwd: Lanjutan: FW: Re: Fwd: ulat di otak
because of SUSHI..
Note: forwarded message attached.
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