Furia infernalis

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In the 18th and 19th centuries, an allegedly existing small animal that occurs as a worm or insect in some areas of northern Sweden , Finland and the Baltic region of Livonia and occurs through biting was referred to as Furia infernalis or with the German names Höllenfurie , Tollwurm , Brandwurm or Höllenfliege or stinging should cause serious wounds . Belief in this animal was mainly in folkloreof the regions mentioned, but there are also descriptions by various scientifically active authors such as Daniel Solander and Carl von Linné . However, the existence of the Furia infernalis has never been confirmed. From today's perspective, the symptoms that have been attributed to an injury by this animal can be explained by other medical causes.

description

Description of Furia infernalis by Carl von Linné in his work Systema Naturae , Volume 1, p. 647 (10th edition, 1758)

The first description and naming of Furia infernalis was based on the information in Heinrich August Pierer's Universal Lexicon of the Present and Past from 1857 by the Swedish botanist Daniel Solander . Other authors have also been mentioned. According to his own statements , Carl von Linné was bitten or stung by this animal on an excursion in the vicinity of Lund in 1728 . In the “Encyclopedic Dictionary of Medicinal Sciences” of 1830, Linnaeus was also assigned the name Furia infernalis .

According to these reports, as well as folk beliefs , the Furia infernalis was described as a worm-like or insect-like animal that was microscopic, only "a few lines " long, no thicker than a hair and all around with fine bristles or barbed spines . It should live on trees or in swamp areas on reeds and be driven around by the wind . An infestation in humans and animals, depending on the presentation by a bite , a sting or penetration into the skin and muscles , initially results in an inconspicuous reddening of the skin that increases in color and size . In the further course of the disease , terrible itching , burn marks , sore throat , twitching and fainting and, if left untreated, a painful death. For treatment, Linnaeus recommended cutting out the affected areas at an early stage. In Swedish folk medicine, however, envelopes with fresh cheese were common, in which the animal moves.

The existence of Furia infernalis was never confirmed and was already questioned by scientists of the time such as Johann Friedrich Blumenbach and Karl Asmund Rudolphi . In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the authors of various reference works assumed that the symptoms that were ascribed to the animal were either severe courses of inflammation after insect bites or injuries , wound infections or blood poisoning , boils or local ones Symptoms of infectious diseases such as the foliage or anthrax would act. Other possibilities from the current perspective are caterpillar dermatitis and allergic reactions as a result of insect bites.

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