In a story with science fiction elements, the loner protagonist lives in a remote forest. He's not the survivalist or prepper type, but he has 'assistance' of a sort. Bad guys come and try to harm him because they want the forest. The bad guys are removed from the gene pool. Would it be acceptable for the protagonist to use their bodies as a source of meat, given that his access to meat is otherwise poor?
AJ
Would it be acceptable
You are the author!
Why are you asking us for permission to do what you want to do?
Why are you asking us for permission to do what you want to do?
I don't see it as seeking permission, but enquiring as to the technical (and medical) practicalities of doing so and the effects of longer term consumption.
I don't see it as seeking permission, but enquiring as to the technical (and medical) practicalities of doing so and the effects of longer term consumption.
That's correct. I'm trying to achieve 'reasonably plausible' without too much handwavium.
Definitely no guns, but I might allow him to develop a bow and arrows, even though that would be a compromise against his 'assistance'.
AJ
That information is on the web - try
https://www.bing.com/search?q=side+effects+of+cannibalism&form=ANNTH1&refig=b53720457ef84af2bac97e5443211583&pc=HCTS&adppc=EDGEBRV&pqlth=0&assgl=27&sgcn=side+effects+of+cannibalism&qs=HS&smvpcn=0&swbcn=10&sc=10-0&sp=1&ghc=0&cvid=b53720457ef84af2bac97e5443211583&clckatsg=1&hsmssg=0
As the article says, consumption of human flesh is no different than eating the flesh of other animals as long as you avoid eating the brain. The article states that eating the brain results in Kuru, which can kill you. Other articles basically state the same thing, but don't always make it clear that Kuru is a result of eating the brain.
Kuru is a neurodegenerative disease caused by uncontrolled aggregation of certain proteins in the brain cells (neurons). The symptoms are caused by progressive destruction of neurons. The disease is very similar to Creutzfeld-Jakob's Disease a.k.a. mad cow disease or Scrapie in sheep, in that the disease can be transmitted by ingesting "infected" brain. The "infectious" agent is neither a virus, a bacterium or a protozoon, but rather the aggregated proteins, called 'prions', in the brain cells, which serve as template for more aggregation of prion protein in the recipient.
Kuru was only found in New Guinea, due to burial rites where the brains of deceased elders were ingested to 'pass on their wisdom'. Once the indigenous population was made aware of the risks, those rituals and Kuru receded. Due to a very long incubation time, the last victim was recorded in 2005.
Mad cows disease became a scare in the 1980s, when a few British farmers became sick with variant Creutzfeld-Jacob's disease (vCDJ) whilst cows from their livestock also showed the symptoms (hence the name). Turned out, offal from butchered sheep, some of them likely suffering from Scrapie, was mixed into the 'power feed' for the milk cows, with the Scrapie prions jumping the species barrier to bovines and then to men. Since the practice was abandoned, incidence has sharply dropped.
Bottom line: with between 300 and 400 human cases of vCJD since the late 1980s, the risk of eating human brain is negligible. Kuru is not an issue anymore.
PS: frying or cooking brain does not help, since prions are extremely thermostable. It takes 5 hours at 95°C in highly concentrated detergent (sodium dodecyl sulphate) to break prions open and deactivate them.
PPS: who wants to eat brain anyway and why did I post all this shit???
PPS: who wants to eat brain anyway and why did I post all this shit???
You're bored and got hungry? I get hungry when I get bored...
PPS: who wants to eat brain anyway and why did I post all this shit???
You're one of those normal people who don't eat the icky bits, aren't you!
I used to eat brains regularly (silence at the back) until their consumption was banned because of the risk. Although I've since seen a butcher selling whole pigs' heads with the brains intact, so perhaps it's just cows brains that are a problem.
As well as the offal, spinal cord tissue is also too risky. I mean, who doesn't eat the spinal cord tissue from turkey and chicken necks! :-)
AJ
This discussion is making me want to change from being a meat eater to a vegetarian. But then I remembered the meat eater telling the vegetarian: "My food poops on your food."
"My food poops on your food."
Dogs and many animals eat 'poop' so there must be some nutritional value in it. Not going to comment on the taste.
Dogs and many animals eat 'poop' so there must be some nutritional value in it.
One presumes humans are covered by your 'other animals'. Humans eat poop capsules to improve their gut biomes.
And natural births are better than caesarians for babies because they absorb some of their mothers' faecal material, which strengthens their immune systems.
AJ
And natural births are better than caesarians for babies because they absorb some of their mothers' faecal material, which strengthens their immune systems.
So many jokes, none of them in good taste...
That's one directionally challenged unborn child...
And I used to think back door was the safe door for not getting pregnant...
Dogs and many animals eat 'poop' so there must be some nutritional value in it.
I've read that the efficiency of the human digestive tract is only about 50%, so quite a bit more nutritional value than you might think. I'll pass anyway.
There's a movie (French? From seventies or early eighties?) where among other deviant sex acts, boarding school students are fed unspecified awful food, their poop collected and then presented as the main course at a grand dinner. While this may obviously be done with some artistic license, it isn't unreasonable to believe there's some real world grounds for such.
I wonder whether Venus Fly Traps claim that their food poops on them.
I vaguely remember that one of the pitcher plants doesn't secrete digestive enzymes to digest its prey, but the dying prey poops into the liquid inside the pitcher and that results in a feeding frenzy for bacteria resulting in a soup that the pitcher plant can digest.
Pooper Souper sounds like an Abba hit!
AJ
The article also states "Increased risk of pathogen transmission.
Risk of catching blood-borne diseases like hepatitis and ebola.
Infection risk from gut bacteria like E-coli."
It has been noted that animals fed steroids and hormones (to 'bulk' them up and increase their sale price) retain an element of those steroids and hormones in their flesh and there is current ongoing research as to the effect eating that meat has on a human population. Especially the effects upon pre-pubescent children.
Not that long ago, a well know burger chain was found to be selling burgers with ridiculously high levels of (I can't remember for definite which now) either testosterone or oestrogen. There was medical evidence that this was causing havoc (even after being sterilised and cooked) in young children eating those burgers, whose bodies couldn't (hadn't yet learned to deal with) or shouldn't have been dealing with at all. It was a big company with big lawyers, so I'm not sure what happened with the evidence. Bought and buried probably.
Like I said previously. Barbiturates stay in the body for varying lengths of time, and whilst the owner will build up tolerance, someone eating the flesh (liver etc) may not have a similar tolerance and could end up suffering side effects as I don't think cooking removes the chemicals.
There are some crack heads near me, I'll go and chow down on one of them in the name of science. If I publish a story in the next few days that reads like I'm off my head, you will know why...
The amount and effects of hormones in meat from supplements is miniscule compared to those in non-meat foods. Want a big hormone boost from food? Try soy products.
Hygiene would be an issue.
There is correlation between 'thuginess' and poor personal standards. Where anger is trained to exist with control (ie martial arts/boxing/military) a certain degree of cleanliness is also instilled.
When it comes to brawlers and bullies, cleanliness and personal care doesn't seem to be so high on the agenda. Only the need to be/appear to be, someone 'you don't want to mess with'.
A lot of 'bad guys' tend to be carrying unwanted passengers in the form of untreated venereal diseases and addiction issues. Many of these conditions would 'taint' the meat on offer. Whilst cooking thoroughly would remove some bacterial infections, I'm not sure it would remove the taint of long term drug use from either steroid or barbiturate misuse.
Whilst the previous owner has probably built up a high tolerance to the drugs (steroid and barbiturates) inside his (it's pretty much going to be male as women tend to be more intelligent) body, that's not necessarily going to be the same for the individual who eats the flesh.
Studies have been carried out on reclusive tribes whose culture includes cannibalism and there are obvious signs of conditions like CJD being passed on through consumption.
If your protagonist somehow has access to equipment that detects medical conditions like HIV, then you could use that as a means for your protagonist to avoid bad/spoiled meat and only focus upon 'good' meat.
Would it be acceptable for the protagonist to use their bodies as a source of meat, given that his access to meat is otherwise poor?
Only if he's a former Surgeon and Forensic Psychologist, otherwise, no, no, just no.
Only if he's a former Surgeon and Forensic Psychologist, otherwise, no, no, just no.
Why would being a former Surgeon and Forensic Psychologist make it okay?
Reference to Dr. Hannibal Lecter
I figured that, I still find the claim that it would make cannibalism okay when it's not otherwise perplexing.
Then you're deliberately being daft and I don't explain things to people who behave that way.
Not even if the protagonist avoided the body parts with high prion content, like we in the UK do with cow carcasses to avoid CJD?
AJ
Living in the forest, yet having difficulty sourcing meat? Okay, there's always possible more or less reasonable reasons why in the backstory (including his 'assistance' who may have come with rules), and besides, well, meat is meat, why let it go to waste.
Yup between prions, parasites, infections, hormones, poisons, etc, eating own species meat it a bit risky business, and humans are notorious for bad practices that can spoil their flesh.
But a few select cuts of muscle seem so yummy...
The question becomes, how much your character knows about the risks and what possible misconceptions or superstitions he may harbor, and how much inner conflict you want him have over this, or what consequences to attract.
Speaking of conflict and consequences, a whole other theme may be his considerations and conscience living with the deed done, in light of return to civilization or otherwise.
Actually, the key is not making a habit out of this, so that when he finally meets a cute human girl he doesn't see her just as a piece of fine meat.
Living in the forest, yet having difficulty sourcing meat?
To catch squirrels, lie under a tree and act like a not.
To catch deer, wait until the full moon, change into your werewolf form and chase them down.
To catch a big cat, stab it through the heart with a Sir Lion Stake.
In first world countries, survivalist skills such as shooting and trapping are not common.
AJ
what's that? Cannibals with wings?! Jeesh.. just what we need right now... dealing with the aftermath of a very bad hurricane, another monster of a hurricane approaching, a slew of politicians that won't shut up, and now we have to watch out for flying cannibals! UGH... I'm gonna try to put myself into a coma...wake me when the world starts making sense again.
It could be worse - the hurricanes could cause enough damage for Biden and Trump to visit you for a photo op :-(
Good luck,
AJ
Sorry...would have to refuse on medical grounds... I swear I am deathly allergic to politicians! Honest! Not lying! and I think I have a nasty covid/ebola variant...They shouldn't come near me, highly contagious!! yeah..yeah... that's it! I'm highly contagious... keep those politicians away!! Aghhhhh!! *runs off screaming*
I wouldn't go around saying that you are infectious, otherwise someone WILL make you meet them... (in order for you to do everyone a favour)...