Alexander and West Nile Virus

[Thalestris]

Greetings Companions!Citation from "Discover" Magazine, March 2004: Article, "Did West Nile Kill Alexander the Great?""Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian Empire, but he may have been felled by a lowly virus. The Macedonian leader died suddenly at the age of 32 in 323BC after a two-week illness marked by fever, abdominal pain, thirst, delirium, and paralysis. Epidemiologist John Marr of the Virginia Department of Health in Richmond, and infectious-diseases specialist Charles Calisher of Colorado State Univ. plugged those symptoms into a medical diagnostic computer program and found they resembled the effects of West Nile virus encephalitis. According to historical accounts, flocks of raven dropped dead at Alexander's feet upon his entry into Babylon -- another clue pointing to West Nile. 'When we added *bird association* into the program, we got a 100 percent match,' Calisher says. Although West Nile disease was not identified until 1937, he suspects it has been around much longer. Normally the disease is not fatal to humans, but Alexander's poor health (including an infection from a spear wound)and fragile emotional state could have weakened his immune system tot he point at which he couldn't recover, Calisher says. Alexander's burial site is unknown, however, so a definitive diagnosis is not possible".Interesting hypothesis worthy of discussion.Cheers!Thalestris

[ruthaki]

Well that's an interesting observation! What next?

[marcus]

Hi Thalestris,Thanks for that. I remember the stuff about the birds dropping from the sky from the TV programme that was shown recently.My only beef with that article is when they say "lowly virus". From everything I've heard, West Nile is hardly 'lowly', but a particularly nasty and virulent disease!:-)All the bestMarcus

[beausefaless]

A ridicules hypothesis! This is a perfect example of two idiots, John Marr & Charles Calisher, who supposedly developed so much smarts they've ended up stupid. First there's no proof on what caused Alexander's death and further more this statement, " Alexander's poor health (including an infection from a spear wound)and fragile emotional state could have weakened his immune system tot he point at which he couldn't recover, Calisher says", The word tot in this sentence must be a typo error, tot: small child or a shot of liquor (and no I'm not going to give anyone a break), fragile emotional state, my Zeus, the man was a soldier all his life and a damm good one, sure he was bummed for the loss of his two close friends Bucephalus and Hephaestion but life goes on and believe me, he got over it. Drinking a lot of booze can give any individual one heck of a hang over. Fever, abdominal pain, thirst, delirium, and then paralysis is a classic diagnoses of a slow death from being poisoned with no antidote. But this is just my opinion. Like you said, "a definitive diagnosis is not possible".

[smittysmitty]

Hephaestion died of Chicken Flu and was transmitted to ATG.
Sorry! that was a bad joke!
cheers!

[marcus]

Ouch!

[alexanders desciple]

beausefalusI really got to say I think your spot on, Alexander was definately a soldier and indeed a soldier and at 32 would be in his prome considering his seanoned and best soldoers were 50 plus.As you say he was as strong as an oxe,yes he was upset by the death of Hepheastion but his mind and marbles were so active he was woking on the fine details and organisations of Arabia Carthage and westerm Europe, Not the mind of a man who was finished.Maybe he lasted as long as he did because it took the poison time to finish the man off.Cheers Beausefalus I think u r spot onregards

[yiannis]

IIRC there were no chickens back then, only ducks.
Isn't it so?

[jan]

This is from Curtius:p.256(9)The king's body had been lying in the coffin for six days while everybody's attention had been diverted from the obsequies to forming a government....What I report now is the traditional account rather than what I believe myself:(12)when Alexander's friends eventually found time to attent to his corpse, the men who had entered the tent saw that no decay had set into it and that there was not even the slightest discoloration. The vital look that comes from the breath of life had not yet vanished from his face. (13) So it was that, after being instructed to see to the body in their traditional fashion, that the Egyptians and Chaldeans did not dare touch him at first since he seemed to be alive. Then, praying that it be lawful in the eys of god and man for humans to touch a god, they cleaned out the body. A golden sarcophagus was filled with perfumes, and on Alexander's head was placed the insignia of his rank.
Then follows a discussion of rumors of poison, administered by a son of Antipater, etc.etc. Finally, Alexander's body is taken to Memphis by Ptolemy, then transferred to Alexandria where every "mark of respect continues to be paid to his memory and his name."
Would that be possible with a virus?

[jason_xander2000]

JanetYOU indeed have a point, If Alexander died from a virus I dont think they would have messed about with the body much at all.Expecially Egupt with there history of plagues IE Moses and his gift.