Vorpentitis is a deadly sickness caused from the bite of the Venomous Vorpent. It first appeared in How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, in which Hiccup contracts the disease, although it is first believed to be Fishlegs who got it.
Causal Agent[]
Vorpentitis is caused by a toxin injected from the sting of Venomous Vorpent, a tiny Nanodragon. Victims typically are unaware that they have been stung, as the dragon numbs the skin before stinging.
| “ | The Vorpent numbs the skin before it stings. | ” |
| — Old Wrinkly in Book 4 |
Symptoms[]
| “ | The Vorpent stings dragons as well as humans. Thousands of DRAGONS die of Vorpentitis every year. | ” |
| — Hiccup speaking in Dragonese in Book 4 |
Vorpetitis affects both dragons and Humans. Presumably other animals may be affects as well, though this is not discussed in the Book series.
According to How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, symptoms include:
- Cold and Flu-like Symptoms - congestion, runny nose, coughing and sneezing
- High fever
- Decreased ability to speak
- Sore throat
- Irritability and emotional extremes
- Nausea
- Partial Paralysis
- Death
Duration of symptoms can take months to decades. This appears to be correlated to the individual's species and average longevity. For example, a human may die after being bitten by the Venomous Vorpent within a few months. A large, extremely-long-lived dragon such as a Doomfang may take decades to succumb.
Treatment[]
| “ | The antidote to the sting of a Venomous Vorpent is the Vegetable-That-No-One-Dares-Name. | ” |
| — Old Wrinkly in Book 4 |
Symptoms may be treated as they appear. The only known cure for Vorpentitis is the potato, a plant formerly thought to be mythical and according to How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, originated in America. Even a small amount of potato or its extract is curative. The amount does not appear to be weight dependent. It is unknown if the potato much be raw or it is effective cooked. The potato or its extract also appears to be effective no matter the route of administration - oral, injection, or even through a wound.
Appearances[]
How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse[]
In Book 4, Hiccup believed that his best friend, Fishlegs was infected by Vorpentitis. Because of this, he went on a long quest with Camicazi to retrieve a potato from the Hysteric Tribe. After escaping the Hysteric Tribe with the potato, the Ticking Thing, and the arrow-from-the-land-that-does-not-exist stuck inside the potato, the Doomfang stole the potato from Hiccup, leaving him without the potato and grief-stricken with the fact that Fishlegs would die. When he returned to Berk, he was happy to learn that Fishlegs was actually fine and only suffering a bad flu. Unfortunately Hiccup was then immediately struck down by the disease, leaving him in a deathly-ill situation. Luckily Fishlegs was able to shoot the peculiar arrow coated with the potato juices into Hiccup’s toe, saving him.
According to the book's epilogue, Hiccup eventually worked out how to grow potatoes and was able to mass produce them, eradicating Vorpentitis from the entire Barbaric Archipelago.
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| Medicine and Illnesses of DreamWorks Dragons and How to Train Your Dragon Books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vorpentitis is also available in other languages. Do visit these pages if you prefer reading content from the respective languages: • Polski |
