Caesar's seizures caused by undercooked pork

[guy]

 

Historical records indicate that Julius Caesar suffered from seizures. Accounts from ancient sources such as Plutarch and Suetonius depict instances of Caesar experiencing convulsions and fainting spells, which were often interpreted as epileptic seizures.

I remember having a previous discussion with Dr. Francesco Galassi when I interviewed him about his book with Dr. Hutan Ashrafian titled "Julius Caesar's Disease: A New Diagnosis." In the book, they propose that Julius Caesar suffered from transient ischemic attacks (also known as TIAs or mini-strokes).

 

 

I was reading the New York Post, and I came upon this horrifying article from the New York Post that discussed the devastating effects of eating undercooked pork. Above is a picture of a patient's legs riddled with parasites after eating undercooked pork. Cysticercosis is caused by ingesting pork tapeworm eggs, typically through contaminated food, water, or unclean hands. The eggs hatch in the intestines, and the larvae then migrate to various tissues in the body, forming cysts in areas such as the muscles, eyes, and brain.

 

(The pork tapeworm under a microscope.)

 

 

 

 

 

Disturbing CT scan reveals horrifying parasite infection due to undercooking pork sausages (nypost.com)

The primary cause of seizures in adults in developed countries is strokes, followed by traumatic brain injuries and brain tumors.

It's important to note that as many as half of the patients in Latin America with adult-onset seizures have evidence of neurocysticercosis, a brain infection caused by Taenia solium. Similarly, a significant proportion of African patients with seizures also show evidence of neurocysticercosis. (Source: Helminth Diseases: Taeniasis and Cysticercosis due to Taenia solium)

Pork was a staple in Roman diets, and it's easy to imagine Caesar eating undercooked meat while leading a military force on the move.

After conducting a literature review, I have determined that Caesar's seizures were likely caused by an infection resulting from eating undercooked pork.

 

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/taeniasis-cysticercosis

Edited August 28 by guy