I read a portion of Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll this week and so I wanted to know more about the influence of the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme. It turns out the rhyme became popular right around the time that Through the Looking Glass was published. While the rhyme is quite simple, Carroll's adaptation is much more in-depth, in which he is a confusing intellectual who loves to discuss language.
Prosopagnosia Wikipedia Page
It is suggested that Humpty Dumpty has prosopagnosia, due to him saying that he would not be able to recognize Alice because her eyes, nose and mouth were in the same place as everyone else's. Prosopagnosia is the inability to recognize faces, including one's own face. However, other visual abilities and intellectual abilities remain intact. I did not know that this was even a real disorder.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Wikipedia Page
An uncommon cause of prosopagnosia turns out to be carbon monoxide poisoning, although the mechanism is not discussed in either Wikipedia page. Carbon monoxide poisioning occurs due to a colorless, odorless gas. This gas can cause minor symptoms such as flu-like symptoms or can lead to seizures or death.
Ancient Rome Wikipedia Page
I thought it was interesting (and depressing) that carbon monoxide poisoning has been used as a form of suicide as far back as ancient Rome. Indoor fires can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and it is documented that some Roman royalty died due to "sleepiness" from house fires.
Hi, Marielle!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you found your way to some sad but interesting Wikipedia articles here.
I loved learning that Humpty Dumpty became popular at the time that Lewis Carroll was writing, and was not at all surprised to learn that Carroll's Humpty Dumpty was an intellectual with other unique or offbeat characteristics. Thanks for teaching me something new today!