[A victim of kuru]

[A victim of kuru]

Collection:
Images from the History of Medicine (IHM)
Language(s):
English
French
Format:
Still image
Subject(s):
Death
New Guinea
World Health Organization.
Abstract:
A man is holding the body of a young man that has died from kuru, a fatal nervous system disorder. They are members of the Fore, a primitive tribe living in the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea. Verso: WHO/9601. New Guinea-Kuru. Kuru does not abandon its prey. Kure is a disease which has only been found among the Fore, the primitive tribe living in the Easten highlands of the Trust Territory of New Guinea. The disease is still a mystery to modern medicine. No treatment or remedy for it is known. It inevitably leads to death, usually less than a year after onset. The victims start shivering and trembling, they jerk their heads to and fro ans their faces are occasionally distorted by spasms. There seems little doubt that Kuru has a genetic base. It appears to be a degenerative disorder of the centeral nervous system, in some ways similar to mutliple sclerosis. Death has claimed its victim nint to twelve months after the first symptoms.
Copyright:
This item may be under copyright protection; contact the copyright owner for permission before re-use.
Copyright Information:
World Health Organization; World Health Organization website
Extent:
1 photoprint.
NLM Unique ID:
101436970 (See catalog record)
NLM Image ID:
A013637
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101436970