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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!ut-sally!riddle
From: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Vitamin A overdose
Message-ID: <587@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 10-Dec-83 12:57:10 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.587
Posted: Sat Dec 10 12:57:10 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Dec-83 02:34:19 EST
References: <452@seismo.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 19

I once heard a (perhaps apocryphal) story that asserted that the symptoms
of vitamin A overdose can be easily misdiagnosed as radiation sickness.

According to the account, a small plane went down in an isolated spot in
the arctic.  Its occupants were unhurt and, having a gun along, managed
to kill a bear for food.  Since the temperatures were cold enough to
preserve the meat, they managed to survive for some weeks before coming
down with an awful sickness and dying.  When their remains were finally
discovered, doctors investigating the case were puzzled to find that the
victims had the symptoms (hair loss, bleeding gums, etc.) of radiation
sickness.  The mystery was only solved when someone went back to the scene
of the crash and noticed that one of the last parts of the bear to be
eaten was its liver.  Bear liver supposedly contains toxic levels of
vitamin A.

Has anyone else heard this story?  Is it pure fantasy or based on truth?
----
Prentiss Riddle
{ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle