Caroline's Catalog of Curious Conditions: Nymph's Curse

Point of fact, despite the name that the locals have given this disease, it is NOT AT ALL related to nymphs or curses but entirely natural in origin. The confusion comes from the fact that men lie about the first symptom and in women it is often attributed to something else. Let me speak it plainly for those who may doubt, women dont just go up and fainting any more than men do.
Upon close observation, both the men and women afflicted with the Nymphs Curse do experience muscle weakness, most often when transitioning from areas of dim light to areas of bright light, such as stepping outside from a building or transitioning out of the forrest into the open fields. This is most often mistaken for a dizzy spell or fainting, but as the disease progresses the muscle weakenss gets worse, often resulting on a person collapsing. and then there were things and stuff and other
The next obvious sympton, and perhaps the reason for people to think that the curse is associated with nymphs despite there being little evidence of any nearby, is that the bodies odors shift to a smell one could mistake for mint. While some may find this plesant, especially the spouses of those who do much physical labor, it is here that agressive treatment must be undertaken or more permanent symptoms will start to show themselves. I recommend sauna or sweathouse treatments, MAKING SURE that the patient drinks adequate water. If they stop sweatting remove them from the sauna IMMEDIATELY.
The next 2 symptoms often start near the same time and progress over the course of a month, despite many attempts i have not found a way to reverse either of them. The symptoms in question are hair loss and a clouding of the vision eventualy leading to blindness. While treatment is still possible to stop the progression of the disease, the effects here are permanent unless one has access to strong diving magics.
The first sign that the Nymphs Curse has moved on to its final stage is often frequent bloody noses with no apparent cause. I have managed to save a handful of patients that made it to this point, but the outlook is grim. As this progresses to its inevitable conclusion the mucus producing areas of the body start to hemmorage. This starts in the nose and progresses to the mouth and eventually lungs, causing the patient to eventuall start spitting and coughing up blood until their lungs fill with blood and they die. I have tried to drain out the blood from the lungs to allow the patient to breathe but the damage done to the lungs is such that patients can no longer effectively breathe, and will expire of a so called "dry" drowning. My recommendation for any doctors who have patients that have reached the point of coughing blood is to give them what mercy you can. I have found for the most hopeless cases of diseases a tincture of opium, hemlock, and belladonna mixed in wine or strong mead eases the suffering of both the afflicted and their family.

Type

Viral

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired