"Dr. Hal, you said you had Histoplasmosis, whatever that is. Is it real, and what is it?"
Answer:
You may already know that I have one incurable disease, e.g. Type II (Adult Onset) Diabetes, which I was diagnosed with last year. But I also have this, for which helpless Science also offers no cure. Histoplasmosis, or "Histo," as the pamphlets they give you coyly encourage you to call it, is a disease caused by a fungus (Histoplasma capsulatum) which enters through the lungs to attack not only these organs but also the spleen, central nervous system and other irreplaceable parts. This is why I don't think I should plan to make the Guinness Book of World Records for longevity. How do you breathe in the deadly spore? By doing what I did in my reckless, feckless youth-- exploring underground tombs, mine shafts, subterranean tunnels and spider-haunted sewers and storm drains. There is much to be learned in such dark and secret places, but sometimes the seeker after forbidden knowledge must pay a hideous price. 'Nuff said.
