Re: H1N5 (and Bakker's virus extinction hypothesis) now H5N1

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Adrienne Mayor wrote:

> The plague that killed all the wild animals, then the draft  animals and 
> then the soldiers at the beginning of the Trojan War in  Homer's Iliad was 
> also most likely anthrax.

A minor nit-pick: Homer's _Iliad_ is set near the *end* of the Trojan War, 
not the beginning.  The Greeks had been skulking around the walls of Troy 
for nine years before the plaque hit their camp.  The official explanation 
for the cause: the plague was sent by Apollo, who wanted to punish the 
Greeks for capturing the daughter of a local priest of Apollo, named 
Chryses.

Apollo (and his twin sister Artemis) were often blamed by the ancient Greeks 
for causing plagues.  Interestingly (maybe), the place where Chryses was 
priest is said by Homer to be the temple of "Apollo Smintheos".  The word 
"sminthos" means mouse.  Another reference to rodent-borne plague?

Cheers

Tim