Some historians speculate today that a disease called ergot or ergotism (food poisoning caused by mold) overran the population of Europe for approximately 500 years. Most sources say that the fungus responsible for this long term epidemic belongs to the genus Claviceps and some say that species in the genus Fusarium are also responsible. These genera infected rye grain kernels both before and after the harvest and produced alkaloids (such as ergotamine).
Poor people in Europe at the time lived on rye bread and not a lot else and so these people were the most at risk for infection. Pregnant women miscarried their babies and even after they were born, children still died from this and those who lived suffered from different chronic illnesses, including mental disorders. The hallucinations and seizures that they suffered were often attributed to magic or possession or even in some cases as divine inspiration. When rye was replaced with wheat and potatoes, the epidemic began to subside.
It seems that rich and well to do households were never affected as much as lower income households. It is said that Ergot was the cause of the low birth and high death rates in Europe between the year 1250 and 1750 and also that Ergot planted the seeds of the Salem witch trials. Settlers of Massachusetts planted rye and it was a regular part of their diet and they experienced just as many hallucinations and seizures as the Europeans who ate it. Ergotism has been slowing the population growth of countries even as recently as 1945, when it was discovered to exist in Russia.
Mold is chronicled in the Bible as being an unclean substance and a building contaminated with it is unsafe to be in for any length of time. The rabbis of the time inspected homes and acted as health officials on a regular basis in ancient times and it was said that any building materials or clothing that had been contaminated with mold or mildew had to be disposed of in a place away from town designated for the disposal of such items. Clothing contaminated with mold was supposed to be burned. Homes infected were torn down, rebuilt, and watched closely to see if the infection returned and this is not very different from how we treat mold contaminated homes today.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Death Shall Come: The Moldy Curse of King Tut
King Tutankhamen was around the age 19 when he died and compared to the tombs of other pharaohs, his was modest at best. After his death, the enemies that he had in the state attempted to remove his name from all official documents, including where is name appeared etched in stone upon buildings and monuments.
A curse was placed on the entrance of his tomb and it supposedly read, “death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the king” and a few months after the opening of King Tut’s tomb, Lord Carnarvon, age 57, became seriously ill and was taken to Cairo to be treated. His son claimed later that on his estate back in England, the man’s dog howled and fell dead at almost the same time.
Some studies show that the cause of all the deaths connected with the opening of King Tut’s tomb are due to the dangerous kinds of mold that were growing in the tomb at the time. In the year 1999 a German microbiologist named Gotthard Kramer took samples from 40 mummies and noted that several different dangerous mold types existed on each one.
When mold spores enter the body through the respiratory system, mouth, or through wounds on the skin, they can cause many different medical conditions or even death in some cases, especially in those who have weakened immune systems. Archaeologists now wear gloves and respiratory masks when exploring these places that have remained untouched for so long, which is something the archaeologists of the early 1900’s did not do.
The health records of people who worked at the museum with the mummies had been exposed to a mold called Aspergillus niger, which causes fatigue, rashes, and fever and it has been suggested that this mold may have been able to live inside the tombs for many thousands of years and when the archaeologists entered the tomb to examine it, the mold was picked up and transmitted. Another mold that could have been at Egyptian archaeological sites is Aspergillus ochraceus, but this mold has not been known to be fatal.
So, was it the curse of King Tut that caused so many people to die after the opening of his tomb? Or was mold? Evidence suggests that mold might have been the cause, but it’s possible that we will never truly know the answer.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
A curse was placed on the entrance of his tomb and it supposedly read, “death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the king” and a few months after the opening of King Tut’s tomb, Lord Carnarvon, age 57, became seriously ill and was taken to Cairo to be treated. His son claimed later that on his estate back in England, the man’s dog howled and fell dead at almost the same time.
Some studies show that the cause of all the deaths connected with the opening of King Tut’s tomb are due to the dangerous kinds of mold that were growing in the tomb at the time. In the year 1999 a German microbiologist named Gotthard Kramer took samples from 40 mummies and noted that several different dangerous mold types existed on each one.
When mold spores enter the body through the respiratory system, mouth, or through wounds on the skin, they can cause many different medical conditions or even death in some cases, especially in those who have weakened immune systems. Archaeologists now wear gloves and respiratory masks when exploring these places that have remained untouched for so long, which is something the archaeologists of the early 1900’s did not do.
The health records of people who worked at the museum with the mummies had been exposed to a mold called Aspergillus niger, which causes fatigue, rashes, and fever and it has been suggested that this mold may have been able to live inside the tombs for many thousands of years and when the archaeologists entered the tomb to examine it, the mold was picked up and transmitted. Another mold that could have been at Egyptian archaeological sites is Aspergillus ochraceus, but this mold has not been known to be fatal.
So, was it the curse of King Tut that caused so many people to die after the opening of his tomb? Or was mold? Evidence suggests that mold might have been the cause, but it’s possible that we will never truly know the answer.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Some Tips on How to Stop Water Damage
Everyone who owns or rents a home should know what to do to prevent water damage. Even if you rent the property that you’re on, it’s in your best interest to take some responsibility for your living space and do what you can do stop water damage, especially if you plan on renting there for a long time.
If you have a washing machine in your home or apartment, it’s a good idea to make sure that the hose doesn’t have any cracks in it. If the hose ruptures and begins to spew water, it won’t be long before your entire laundry room floor is covered in water and starts leaking into the next room. Hoses that connect to your washer should be replaced as many times and as frequently as you need to, but under normal conditions, every three to five years is sufficient.
A leaky water heater is also a cause of water damage in the home and one of the best ways to determine if you have a leaky one is to look for rust or signs that it has leaked in the past. If a water heater is located on a 2nd or higher floor of the home or apartment building, it needs to be installed inside a pan that has a drain connected to a drain in the floor to make sure the water goes into the plumbing system.
Making sure that water is escaping from your roof the way it should be one of the first things on your mind if you want to prevent water damage to your attic and the rest of your house. If you’re just renting an apartment, then this part is mostly up to your landlord or the property manager. If you’re renting a home, then part of this is probably up to you. Cleaning out the gutters and the general maintenance of the property is up to you unless it’s something serious. Making sure the downspouts that are attached to the corners of the house are free of leaves and other debris will drain water away from the foundation of the house and keep it from sinking into the ground. Keeping water draining away from the house and making sure the cracks around your doors and windows are thoroughly caulked and sealed is another step that you can take to keep water from leaking into your home.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
If you have a washing machine in your home or apartment, it’s a good idea to make sure that the hose doesn’t have any cracks in it. If the hose ruptures and begins to spew water, it won’t be long before your entire laundry room floor is covered in water and starts leaking into the next room. Hoses that connect to your washer should be replaced as many times and as frequently as you need to, but under normal conditions, every three to five years is sufficient.
A leaky water heater is also a cause of water damage in the home and one of the best ways to determine if you have a leaky one is to look for rust or signs that it has leaked in the past. If a water heater is located on a 2nd or higher floor of the home or apartment building, it needs to be installed inside a pan that has a drain connected to a drain in the floor to make sure the water goes into the plumbing system.
Making sure that water is escaping from your roof the way it should be one of the first things on your mind if you want to prevent water damage to your attic and the rest of your house. If you’re just renting an apartment, then this part is mostly up to your landlord or the property manager. If you’re renting a home, then part of this is probably up to you. Cleaning out the gutters and the general maintenance of the property is up to you unless it’s something serious. Making sure the downspouts that are attached to the corners of the house are free of leaves and other debris will drain water away from the foundation of the house and keep it from sinking into the ground. Keeping water draining away from the house and making sure the cracks around your doors and windows are thoroughly caulked and sealed is another step that you can take to keep water from leaking into your home.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
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