29 March 2006

The Disgusting Side of Science

Science isn't always pretty, and pretty much anyone who knows anything about botflies thinks that they are the most disgusting things they've ever seen.

Pictures, video and descriptions.

3 comments:

Mark said...

Have you seen the horrible (some of which are thankfully fake) pictures on Snopes about fly larva in various parts of the body?

One's in the eye, one in the brain, and the worst (but fake) is swarm of maggots burrowed in a woman's breast.

Good for dieting.

WestEnder said...

I haven't seen the Snopes, but I've seen pics of the real ones in medical books and journals. The eye worms are the most intriguing.

A guy from my high school served in the Peace Corps in West Africa and had several parastitic infections by the time he left. He needed meds for a year.

This is probably the eye worm you're talking about.

Here's another one to "look out for" especially for gardeners with pets.

And finally, the section on eye worms from a microbiology paper.

Mark said...

Can I hear a "blecchhh"? The horrible Snopes picture is:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/medical/breastrash.asp

Thankfully it's fake. Not safe for work or if you've just eaten.