Jerrezen's disease (As pronounced.)

Jerrezen's disease presents as a slow decay of mnemonic capabilities in particularly old szassar (typically only experienced by those over 450 years old). This malady is not fatal, nor does it significantly impact the life of a szass who has it, other than an awareness that memories that were once readily available can no longer be accessed. Because this disease can affect any szass of older years, szassar often maintain detailed memoirs of their life and observations against the day that Jerrezen's disease begins to manifest. As part of the treatment for the disease, szassar are urged to seek out the missing memories in their journals.

Whilst many szassar find this to be an adequate solution, some of the brighter members of the race find that having to seek out information in their memoirs to be a terrible inconvenience. Some of these szass have taken to growing mnemonic moss colonies (see Mnemonic Moss) on their scalps which can provide some degree of proof against this malady. However, the mnemonic moss is known to have somewhat psychosis-inducing effects, which requires a carefully managed diet not to manifest as outbursts of irritability and un-temperable fury.

Jerrezen's disease is caused by a resistance of the bacteria that maintain proper neural function to the bacteriophages that maintain them. As such, the bacteria that normally interact with the minds of a szass impacted by this disease can become vectors for a kind of slow dementia which slowly degrades their memory. Jerrezen's disease rarely causes cognitive degradation, but it's not unknown for that to occur. Cognitive ability and memory reside in different parts of szassar neurophysiology. More often, the complications of Jerrezen's disease are a sadness that comes with a long slow decline into senility.

The disease is named after the great szass Jerrezen G'kor, who was the physician to none other than Kri-kik Split-tail themself, and who diagnosed that august personage with the disease concerned.

Jerrezen G'kor As personal physician to Kri-kik Split-tail , Jerrezen G'kor's name carried much weight with the people of Szor-tek. They were a pleasant szass, cordial with all they met, and treated all with respect - even the Gal-kan of the thriving city. Quite young at the time they helped to found the The Rek-Seel of Szor-tek, Jerrezen wielded one of the great medical minds of their age. When Jerrezen discovered the issue with bacteriophage immunity as Kri-kik came towards their end, they asked the family to name the disease which slowly took Kri-kik from the people after them, as a reminder that all szassar age, and that no matter how rapid their advancement, the ability to manipulate microbiomes had its limits. The family demurred and insisted that the disease carry Jerrezen's name, in honour of the care given to their ancestor, and the insight required to understand it.

Type

Viral