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> I always found it interesting (although frightening) that rabies cause hydrophobia. Well, there are two potential senses of "hydrophobia". In its primary us
by thaumasiotes 2y ago
> I always found it interesting (although frightening) that rabies cause hydrophobia.
Well, there are two potential senses of "hydrophobia".
In its primary use, it means "rabies", and it's not really interesting that rabies would cause that.
In rare cases, it could mean "fear of water", which rabies doesn't cause. Rabies causes pain when swallowing. The pain causes fear through conventional mechanisms.
- sebtron 2y agoI have not checked the sources, but according to Wikipedia [1]: Rabies has also occasionally been referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") throughout its history. It refers to a set of symptoms in the later stages of an infection in which the person has difficulty swallowing, shows panic when presented with liquids to drink, and cannot quench their thirst. Saliva production is greatly increased, and attempts to drink, or even the intention or suggestion of drinking, may cause excruciatingly painful spasms of the muscles in the throat and larynx. Since the infected individual cannot swallow saliva and water, the virus has a much higher chance of being transmitted, because it multiplies and accumulates in the salivary glands and is transmitted through biting. It seems more than just "pain when swallowing". [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies
- dotancohen 2y agoIt does seem like your comment for the most part supports the GP comment, other than the disagreement about the definition of pain. For what it's worth, I see the word pain as he used it to be a better fit than the word fear, as in phobia.
- withinboredom 2y agoPain doesn’t cause panic.
- kruffalon 2y agoSure, I don't know how it works physiologically... But anecdata at least suggests that being in enough pain can cause panic, but it might do so indirectly so that the fear is created around the inability to think the pain will ever end or at least lessen at least a bit.
- withinboredom 2y agoMy leg has been fucked for 15 years. Sometimes it hurts so bad, I’d need narcotics to make it go away. I don’t panic when walking, I just deal with it because I need to get to my destination. If you are thirsty, you will drink through the pain. Panic is something else.
- kruffalon 2y agoI'm sorry that you have that pain in the first place but I'm glad that you are able to process being in pain without getting into a panic.
- imchillyb 2y agoPanic is a learned behavior. Exposure to a stimulus is often both cause and trigger. How is it that you’re an adult and still don’t know this. Toddlers know this.
- withinboredom 2y agoI think you've gotten fear confused with panic. Fear is indeed a learned behavior, panic is not. Panic is beyond rational thinking, it is what gets people who save drowning people dead. Panic is what gets normal humans dead when in bad situations. Panic is not learned, it saves your ass at all costs -- or gets you killed.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago> think you've gotten fear confused with panic They’re just wrong. Neither panic nor fear is learned behaviour. What one panics about or fears is in part learned. But there is still a lot of instinct at play.
- wongarsu 2y agoI feel like calling "shows panic when presented with liquids to drink" a fear of water is a perfectly fine shorthand. Even if it might not be a literal fear of all forms of water, only water you are supposed to drink
- GuB-42 2y agoIt is probably a bit of both. From the same Wikipedia article > symptoms can include slight or partial paralysis, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, agitation, abnormal behavior, paranoia, terror, and hallucinations There is more than just pain here. The virus changes the host behavior, making it more aggressive, so it is very possible that it also promotes a panic reaction to pain.