Matt: All the recent
discussion of Botkin's relationship to Kinbote (and K's relationship to Shade),
brought me back to Carolyn Kunin's discussion of Jekyll & Hyde. Carolyn
pointed out the parasite theme in PF and related it to VN's lecture on
Stevenson, where he whimsically relates Hyde's name to hydatid, "a tiny pouch
within the body of man and other animals, a pouch containing a limpid fluid with
larval tapeworms in it--a delightful arrangement, for the little tapeworms at
least." VN's definition here is quite similar to the definition in Webster's
2nd, so we can imagine that, while researching Hyde's name, VN came across this
similar word and noted the fitting connection.
]
JM: From the internet it is difficult to glean
an informal kind of material concerning "hydatids." Like the botfly's
ejecta (my only recollection of it derives from a holiday in
a cattle-farm when, as a young child, I watched how the cowboys squeezed a lump
from an infected animal's hide and something white, as big as a marble,
plopped to the ground with a dry sound, followed by exclamations of disgust), I
got my information about tapeworms from the other end (fortunately, hearsay
evidence): Taeniasis ("solitária") and "cistocercose".
If I return to this obnoxious theme is because
of two possible associations. Shade's seizures (a cyst is lodged in
the nervous system?) or the repulsive way a tapeworm, after being torn in
pieces while exiting from the anus, will reconstitute itself and
multiply (it should never be split!).
The only relatively scientific text related
to this, found in the internet, below:
Taeniasis Infection often is asymptomatic;
however, mild gastrointestinal tract symptoms, such as nausea,
diarrhea, and pain, can occur. Tapeworm segments can be seen
migrating from the anus or in feces.
Cysticercosis Manifestations depend on the location
and number of pork tapeworm cysts
(cysticerci) and the host response. Cysts may be found anywhere in the
body. The most common and serious manifestations are caused by
cysts in the central nervous system. Cysts of Taenia solium in the brain (neurocysticercosis)
can cause seizures, behavioral
disturbances, obstructive hydrocephalus, and other neurologic signs and
symptoms. In some countries, neurocysticercosis is a leading
cause of epilepsy. The host reaction to degenerating cysts
can produce signs and symptoms of meningitis. Cysts in the
spinal column can cause gait disturbance, pain, or transverse myelitis.
Subcutaneous cysts produce palpable nodules, and ocular involvement
can cause visual impairment.