Did he eat the seeds raw? This paper suggests it may be possible to reduce the toxin through simple means: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/%28SICI%

Did he eat the seeds raw? This paper suggests it may be possible to reduce the toxin through simple means: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/%28SICI%291097-0010%28199605%2971:1%3C50::AID-JSFA545%3E3.0.CO;2-J/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/%28SICI%291097-00... Ordinary cooking and pressure cooking of pre-soaked seeds were found to be most effective in reducing the levels of all the natural toxicants examined... These findings and the high water solubility suggest that a simple and effective means of detoxifying Lathyrus by removing this neurotoxic amino acid may be practicable.