Brain Maggots / Sushi Worms - Analysis
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When I showed them to pathologist Dr. Ed Friedlander, he concluded they must have been faked, largely because the anatomical landmarks one would expect to find in a dissected human brain are absent. Another expert has speculated that the photos could be real, but, if so, document an extremely serious case of scalp cancer, not a "brain infection."
Based on information received from an unnamed but presumably reliable source, the trusty debunkers at Snopes.com have concluded that the images are indeed authentic and pertain to the case of 70-year-old man suffering from "an unusual form of cancer which had eaten away at the upper portion of his skull and scalp." When I took this to Dr. Friedlander for a second opinion, he agreed that the medical explanation is plausible, though in his judgment the photos could still have been retouched.
"I cannot account for the apparent maggots and apparent eggs," he wrote.Photos were taken at Stanford University Hospital
Surprisingly, the Snopes.com informant went on to lend at least partial credence to the tale told in one of the email texts, namely the "ingrown hair" story, which claims the patient was treated at "Stanford ER." According to this source, the photographs in question were indeed taken at Stanford University Hospital, where the cancer patient was brought by ambulance after a minor traffic accident (note that he did not "walk in," complaining of feeling "a little wobbly on his feet," as the email alleges). The patient hadn't sought treatment for the disease, apparently -- even though it had progressed to the horrific point we see in the pictures -- "because the condition was not causing him pain."
None of the foregoing, obviously, was connected in any way with symptoms of an ingrown hair, but it would appear that whoever made up that fanciful version of events was at least dimly aware of the actual circumstances.
Tapeworms, roundworms, and sushi
As to the version of the story featuring Mr. Fujiwara, the alleged sushi fanatic who contracted "brain worms" by eating raw fish, it is quite simply preposterous. Though there are precedents in the medical literature to support the claim that certain species of tapeworm or roundworm can infect the human digestive tract when ingested in raw or undercooked fish, I could find no indication that these particular parasites (in contrast, say, to the pork tapeworm, which is capable of causing a much wider and more serious array of symptoms) can migrate to other organs, such as the brain. In documented cases where pork tapeworm larvae have been found in the brain, they were embedded, cyst-like, in the neural tissue. They would not be capable of crawling around around freely, nor of boring outward through the patient's skull to emerge through the scalp.
Lastly, to set the record straight on one final medical matter, maggots can infest the human brain, evidently, and so can certain types of tapeworm larvae. But these conditions are fairly rare, and -- in spite of what you are likely to hear through the Internet grapevine -- they don't result from ignoring ingrown hairs or binging on sushi.
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Sources and further reading:
Intracerebral Myiasis (Maggot Infestation of the Brain)
Pediatric Radiology, Nov 1980Diphyllobothriasis (Infection by Fish Tapeworm)
A.D.A.M. Medical EncyclopediaAnisakiasis (Infection by Parasitic Nematode or Roundworm)
About.com: Infectious DiseasesEating Raw Finfish: What Are the Risks?
University of Delaware Sea GrantMaggot Brain
Urban Legends Reference Pages (Snopes.com)The Path Guy
Dr. Ed Friedlander's personal Web site
Last updated: 05/22/12
