Hannibal Lecter: renowned surgeon, brilliant psychiatrist, and avid opera lover, who also happens to be a cannibalistic serial killer. Living in Baltimore, Maryland, this fictional murderer has terrorised residents for over 40 years. His killer debut came about in the book Red Dragon, written by Thomas Harris in 1981, and he has since become one of the most infamous horror icons in modern culture.
Being a fictional character has its perks, one being that real diseases won’t ever affect him. But supposing the Chesapeake Ripper did exist- with his questionable fine dining tastes- how would this charismatic cannibal manage to avoid one of the deadliest diseases associated with cannibalism: prion disease?
What are prion diseases?
Prion diseases are caused by misfolded proteins. They stick together and aggregate in the brain to eventually form plaques, taking over the surrounding areas of neurons and destroying them. These diseases have a 100% fatality rate, and there is currently no known cure. Prions can remain dormant in the brain for up to 20 years, and you may not see any symptoms until the very late stages of the disease. Common symptoms include uncontrollable shaking, loss of balance and coordination, and dementia; symptoms can vary depending on the type of prion disease and how the prions were acquired.
Mad cow disease, known scientifically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is an example of prion disease. It arose in 1986 in the UK, and is believed to have been transmitted to cows from sheep meat contaminated with scrapie, another type of prion disease. In cattle, these diseases are primarily spread through the ingestion of diseased meat, but other prion diseases can be transmitted through transplanting infected material or even through the inheritance of mutated genes.
Human prion diseases
A human prion disease that is spread through the ingestion of diseased meat, specifically diseased human meat, is Kuru. This disease emerged in the 1950s due to ritualistic cannibalism performed by the Fore people of Papua New Guinea, where women and children of the villages would consume the bodies of deceased family members, including the brain. As aforementioned, misfolded proteins congregate and spread in the brain, where the highest concentration of prions are in the body.
Lecter is a connoisseur of cookery, he’ll eat any meat as long as it’s prepared properly. In Hannibal (2001), he enjoys a lovely home-cooked meal of caviar, figs, and the pan-seared brain of an FBI agent. Typically, cooking raw meat is sufficient to remove bacteria or diseases, but prions are notoriously difficult to destroy, requiring temperatures of at least 1000 °C to denature the proteins and prevent infection. So how come Lecter hasn’t keeled over from prion diseases yet?
Human prion diseases usually arise from the spontaneous misfolding of proteins, rather than through eating diseased meat. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) accounts for about 85% of human prion disease cases, and even this disease is very rare, with only 1 or 2 people per million per year being affected in the UK. The chances that Lecter would acquire prions through ingestion then are pretty low.
Considering that prion diseases can take years to develop, is it possible that Lecter has unknowingly contracted one? Hannibal Lecter is defined by several distinctive traits, including his exceptional sense of smell. He successfully predicted Will Graham’s encephalitis in Hannibal (2013) before any significant symptoms emerged. This keen ability enables Lecter to detect whether his potential victims have serious brain diseases, allowing him to carefully select those he invites to dinner.
Hannibal Lecter is an apex predator who knows exactly what, and who, he’s eating; I wouldn’t encourage his victims to pin their hopes on prions for revenge.
