Kuru: The Science and the Sorcery

If you are watching this documentary for the first time and are interested in KURU, don’t be misled by the authors of this. I have known both for most of my life and am appalled that was no mention of the First Doctor to find this and indeed, start research. This was discovered by Dr Vincent Zigas, who asked Australia for help and was ignored, then asked Carlton, from USA, to help or at least confirm his findings. All focus in this documentary, is on Alpers and Gajdusek, granted they did a tremendous job of isolating and identifying the cause, but neither gave credit to Zigas for discovering it. Dr V Zigas first came across this in 1953, as a Medical Officer Kiap, patrolling into the Okapa region and spent many years researching, first alone, then with Dr Gajdusek and later with Dr Alpers. His early findings, research and musings can be read in two books he published, “The Auscultation of Two Worlds” and “Laughing Death”. Also field notes published by Gajdusek and Farquhar called “Kuru; Early letters and field notes” Though Dr Zigas has passed away, I feel, as his Son, that he not be forgotten, ignored and pushed aside for his work on KURU. RIP Dad, and Uncle Carlton.