Eating some bad fish might not seem like the most spectacular way to ruin a tropical vacation, but for a 45-year-old man from England, a bit of tainted seafood was the beginning of a wild ride.
Cold water felt burning hot. Hot things felt icy cold. His tongue felt strange. Drinking alcohol or coffee only increased his suffering.
The patient had ciguatera poisoning — an ailment caused by ciguatoxin, a neurotoxin that is produced by microorganisms and found in a wide variety of tropical fish.
To raise awareness of the bizarre condition, Peter Bain, a researcher at Imperial College in London, described the amusing case in the October issue of Practical Neurology.
He was not the first doctor to witness the strange illness.
In 1774, Captain James Cook, famed explorer of the South Pacific, watched as some of his men experienced the unusual affliction. His surgeon recorded the diverse symptoms, including: a burning sensation in the face, pain in the limbs, and an imaginary feeling of loose teeth.
full story at Wired Science
People need to stop dumping crap into the ocean. Fish are needed in this world too! Where would the world be without the ocean to swim in? In chaos! That’s where!