Strange sleeping sickness once spread the nightmare in the world

From 1915 to 1926, there were about 5 million people in the world suffering from this strange sleeping disease. The victims gradually lose their senses, cannot move, talk and have life as "statues".

During World War I, the environment was affected and polluted, creating conditions for many species of bacteria and microorganisms to grow. From all over the world, the soldiers came out and returned, carrying strange diseases. This is the period when diarrhea and malaria spread like wildfire. Spanish flu also developed, creating a deadly pandemic, killing the lives of about 50 million people from 1918 to 1919.

However, in 1916, an unknown soldier returned home from the battle of Verdun, France. He brought with him a strange illness that, despite having his family go to see a doctor from all over Austria, he did not know what disease was. What symptoms does he have with the strange disease?

Patients suffering.

He slept almost all day and his body was almost paralyzed. Not only him, then there were about 60 more soldiers with similar symptoms. Every effort they awaken is useless.

Most patients die from paralysis of the respiratory system. Austrian neurologist Von Economo once tried to cut the brain of a dying patient to study the disease. In most patients' brains, he noticed that their hypothalamus was swollen. This is the area where the brain controls human sleep. Later, Von Economo announced the study of this new disease and it was called "Von Economo encephalitis".

After appearing in Austria, this strange disease also spread to London and New York. The more it appears in many places, the more strange its symptoms are: many people feel tired even though they do nothing else, others are hallucinating instead of just sleepy. New York City Mayor William O'Dwyer said at the time that his wife had the disease.

From 1915 to 1926, there were about 5 million people in the world suffering from this strange disease.

By 1929, the number of people with this disease appeared more and more and became a "sleeper club". From 1915 to 1926, there were about 5 million people in the world suffering from this strange disease. Of the patients, about one-third recovered even though the reason is unknown, one third will die and the rest will suffer from the same symptoms as people with Parkinson's. They are almost in one place for a decade.

The patients of this strange disease .

The story is even more bizarre when some people seem to have recovered, and after a few years, they get sick again, appearing Parkinson-like symptoms. Some people have seizures before the body is completely paralyzed. They are aware of their surroundings but cannot move. Many treatments have been offered but are useless. Although many methods are effective at first, only a while later, the disease does not enter, the patient can not move and so fall asleep.

The last survivor, Philip Leather, became ill at age 7 and for the next 70 years, he was like a "living statue". The man died in 2003.

Portrait of Mr. Philip Leather.

Until now, it was still impossible to know what the exact cause of this strange symptom was. However, this disease no longer appears too much and almost completely forgotten.