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Earliest mention of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in literature? (FR exclusive)
Moby Dick ^
| 1851
| Hermen Melville
Posted on 03/30/2016 7:03:46 PM PDT by null and void
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I believe this may well be the earliest mention of eating bovine brains causing brain-rot. 145 years before it was formally described.
Does anyone have an earlier cite?
To: null and void
[insert Larson cartoon of the first fly on a beached whale yelling “DIBS!” here]
2
posted on
03/30/2016 7:04:47 PM PDT
by
null and void
("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
To: null and void
To: nickcarraway
I considered putting it in Breaking, but it is, after all, 165 years old...
4
posted on
03/30/2016 7:13:43 PM PDT
by
null and void
("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
To: null and void
Gypsies used to steal sperm whale brains.
5
posted on
03/30/2016 7:18:04 PM PDT
by
JennysCool
(My hyprocrisy goes only so far.)
To: null and void
I think you are totally misreading this. Calves are what you call whale babies also. And eating them makes you look like them. You are what you eat. So much so you look like a cannibal eating baby whale brains. So no.
6
posted on
03/30/2016 7:20:01 PM PDT
by
Trumpinator
("Are you Batman?" the boy asked. "I am Batman," Trump said.)
To: null and void
7
posted on
03/30/2016 7:31:36 PM PDT
by
Kirkwood
(Zombie Hunter)
To: Trumpinator
Nope. Crystal clear in the book.
See chapter 65.
You can download it from The Gutenberg Project for free.
Read it and see if you agree with my take.
8
posted on
03/30/2016 7:37:51 PM PDT
by
null and void
("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
To: Trumpinator; null and void
I think it’s more of a joke than that. He’s calling the ‘epicures’ idiots, basically, but some of them, by continually eating the calves brains become smart enough to at be able to at least tell their own brain from a whale calve’s.
9
posted on
03/30/2016 7:45:40 PM PDT
by
Roos_Girl
(The world is full of educated derelicts. - Calvin Coolidge)
To: Roos_Girl
Hmmmm. By golly, I think you're right. Darn.
nvrmnd
10
posted on
03/30/2016 7:52:31 PM PDT
by
null and void
("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
To: null and void
It was an interesting thought though. I never appreciated early English or American lit. I always had to work too hard to get through the phrasing and terminology to enjoy the actual story.
11
posted on
03/30/2016 7:55:32 PM PDT
by
Roos_Girl
(The world is full of educated derelicts. - Calvin Coolidge)
To: null and void
Very interesting. Passed it onto my wife (neurologist) for review.
12
posted on
03/30/2016 7:58:08 PM PDT
by
PA Engineer
(Liberate America from the Occupation Media. #2ndAmendmentMatters)
To: null and void
It still is an interesting theory.
13
posted on
03/30/2016 7:59:42 PM PDT
by
PA Engineer
(Liberate America from the Occupation Media. #2ndAmendmentMatters)
To: null and void
Except for the whale part, of course...
14
posted on
03/30/2016 7:59:55 PM PDT
by
null and void
("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
To: Roos_Girl
I see a certain elegance in even the common man’s speech that is missing from modern speech, fo’ shizzle...
15
posted on
03/30/2016 8:07:27 PM PDT
by
null and void
("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
To: PA Engineer
And it
is possible Roos_Girl is mistaken.
Not the way I'd bet though...
16
posted on
03/30/2016 8:09:19 PM PDT
by
null and void
("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
To: null and void
I’ve read Moby Dick a couple of times. I will reread this passage again later. I’ll also see what the wife thinks. It is true that Melville can be a tad tedious.
17
posted on
03/30/2016 8:12:23 PM PDT
by
PA Engineer
(Liberate America from the Occupation Media. #2ndAmendmentMatters)
To: null and void
Hah, that is true! But, being an engineer, I was more willing to put work into math and science than English.
18
posted on
03/30/2016 8:14:26 PM PDT
by
Roos_Girl
(The world is full of educated derelicts. - Calvin Coolidge)
To: null and void
What?? I’m never wrong, just ask my husband. ;p
19
posted on
03/30/2016 8:16:52 PM PDT
by
Roos_Girl
(The world is full of educated derelicts. - Calvin Coolidge)
To: Roos_Girl
You’re an engineer? Me too! Let’s...
eh? You’re married?
Dammit, the story of my life!
Never mind.
20
posted on
03/30/2016 8:33:54 PM PDT
by
null and void
("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
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