Hunchback King Richard III infected with worms

Associated Press ^ | Sep 3, 2013 9:17 PM EDT | Maria Cheng

[Olog-hai]

Not only was Richard III one of England’s most despised monarchs, but it now turns out the hunchback king was probably infected with parasitic worms that grew up to a foot in length.

Researchers who dug up Richard III’s skeleton underneath a parking lot in Leicester last year now report they discovered numerous roundworm eggs in the soil around his pelvis, where his intestines would have been. They compared that to soil samples taken close to Richard’s skull and surrounding his grave. There were no eggs near the skull and only traces of eggs in the soil near the grave.

In a study published online Wednesday in the journal Lancet, experts say that suggests the eggs near the skeleton’s pelvis were from an infection during the king’s life, even though it’s unlikely the worms did him any serious damage. In children, roundworm can lead to stunted growth and a reduced IQ, but for a well-fed English king, the parasites were just a minor annoyance. …

[Calvin Locke]

Is that like a haggis, only better?

No, it's a creative medieval dish that was typically a whimsical creature made from two or more animals (or parts thereof) stitched together.

I would imagine that cooking it with disparate "proteins" involved, given the knowledge, technology, and implements of the day, would have left a lot of bacteria and parasites pretty much still alive and infecting.

[Impy]

Gross.

I bet Charles has never had worse than the clap.