An excerpt from Held Captive: The True Story of Life Under Rafanoli. By: Asher Tibbles
Kendrick's Disease is a viral infection first identified in 1845 by Texas native Dr. Julian Thomanisse. Dr. Thomanisse due to the position he took aboard the Princess Augusta as their chief physician happened to be present during the outbreak of the disease in the mid 1840's. Unlike past sailors and doctors Dr. Thomanisse closely examined his deceased patients. This led to his discovery of the bite marks he observed; they all possessed roughly the size of a dime; they formed a triangle and turned purple within a day of inception; he would later track this finding to the Hodgeman Mosquito.
The Hodgeman Mosquito, research would later identify, breeds in tropical climates. Generally, their population was well controlled as they were the main food source of the Nowicki lizard.
This species of lizard can grow up to two feet long with red bodies dotted with white spots, they have green tongues that can shoot out almost three feet to catch prey. However, their downfall is in their skin if exposed to the sun for too long even a mere thirty minutes they quickly become dehydrated and so during particularly long dry spells many Nowicki lizards would perish.
Therefore, at any time the Nowicki became reduced in population the Hodgeman Mosquito would likely double or triple in growth. This is also why it was so difficult to study the disease as it happened so infrequently and most standards of treatment at that time was simply isolation.
Unlike most mosquitos when bitten, the Hodgeman releases a poison into the bloodstream. This poison Dr. Thomanisse would learn can be counteracted by ingesting the plant he named the Yew Sofalis. The Yew Sofalis has large yellow petals and a quarter sized blood red center. It grows near plentiful water sources and is a daily statue in the diet of the Ro-Casini, a bird that for many years was thought to be extinct. Later, further research would reveal that the Hodgeman Mosquito has an extremely well-defined sense of smell that allowed them to detect blood and sweat from miles away. Once infected with the disease the poison acts quickly. Initially presenting as flu-like symptoms this escalates into something much more powerful. Within a day of infection patients will become feverish, develop nausea and vomiting and suffer from severe abdominal cramping. If treatment is not administered by the third day of disease activity, a cure which Dr. Thomanisse dubbed "Chisholm Brew," after Sally Rose Chisholm, the first patient given the miracle solution, they will be dead by the fourth morning.
Following Dr. Thomanisse's time in the Caribbean he began extensive research on the Hodgeman Mosquito, the poison it emits and the disease process that follows. His work continues to be studied and used today. The disease was given the name "Kendrick's Disease," by Captain Robert Mayhew after Jacob Kendrick, the first member of the crew to perish due to the condition.
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