Medical Documentary on a very isolated tribe

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The discussion centers on the nutritional properties of humans and the cultural significance of cannibalism, sparked by a documentary about an isolated tribe discovered in 1981. Participants explore the idea that cannibalism may have been perceived as a way to gain strength, particularly through the consumption of specific body parts like brains and hearts, which have been linked to diseases such as kuru and other prion-related illnesses. The conversation highlights that human flesh has similar nutritional value to other animals, but emphasizes that cannibalism often transcends mere nutrition, serving social and cultural purposes. References are made to scholarly works suggesting that cannibalism can be a form of social control rather than a necessity driven by food scarcity. The discussion also touches on historical accounts of human flesh consumption and its varied perceptions, including a personal anecdote about the taste of human meat.
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yesterday I saw a documentary on a very isolated tribe,descovered in 1981!
in the past,when they fought wars with other tribes,they eaten they're oponents to gain they're streinght(nonsence,of course)
this however rised a question...what nutritional proprieties does a human have? (I'm not shore anyone researched this...)
if it has a lot of proteins,and they lacked proteins,then they might've gained a +1 streinght,and make this canibalism ritual seem to them very true...
 
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Humans have the same nutritional value as any other animal. I seem to recall from my very limited exposure to the subject that most cannibalistic societies ate specifically the brains and/or hearts of defeated enemies. The brain-eating has been blamed for a few outbreaks of encephalitis.
 


Carlton Gadusek won a Nobel prize by finding that human diseases can be spread by ingesting what we now call prions through cannabalism. In his case, he studied New Guinea tribesmen who ate the brains of their deceased relatives. The relatives later on developed tremors and other symptoms of central nervous system dysfunction.

Scrapie, CJD, and mad cow disease are examples of spongiform encephalitis spread by ingesting prions in food. The other point is that cannibalism may be culturally viewed as respectful.

Human cannibalism has social meaning - it transcends nutrition.
Example:
Man Corn: Cannibalism And Violence In The Prehistoric American Southwest
Turner, Christy G., Turner, Jacqueline A.
August 1998
University of Utah Press ISBN: 087480566X

While this book is decried by descendants of the Anasazi, the authors posit that cannibalism was used in a social enforcement and control measure context. The cannibals here were NOT short of food, or deprived of protein - this was pure retribution. -- per the authors.
 
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Kuru is a disease caused by prions, which causes encephalitis when eating brains infected by it.
 


theallknower said:
yesterday I saw a documentary on a very isolated tribe,descovered in 1981!
Did you learn anything about their diet besides the cannibalism?
 


so being a zombie is not what causes eating brains, but eating brains makes one a zombie? :-p
 


Monique - kuru is indeed the disease Gadusek studied. However, since it's really obscure a better example is probably mad cow disease. Especially in light of Proton Soup's contribution to this thread. :)
 


I remember reading about a man back in the 1930's{I think he was a magazine writer} ,who got a piece of human flesh, cooked it up and ate it. Then wrote about it, I recall him saying it tasted like veal. Not unpleasant at all.
 

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