Chatwin Dandruff Cure

I regularly use anti-dandruff shampoo and it often makes me think of Bruce Chatwin.

Chatwin (1940--1989) was a writer, photographer and antiques aficionado, best known for his delightful books In Patagonia and The Songlines. Travel and the nomadic nature of humankind are central themes. One of Chatwin's jaunts took him to southern China in 1985, where he contracted a fungal infection (Penicillium marneffei) that is rare among otherwise healthy humans. Chatwin's immune system, however, had been weakened by HIV, as mentioned here before.

When his illness was diagnosed, Chatwin was put on the fungicide drug ketoconazole. To all appearances, this postponed his demise considerably.

And ketoconazole is also the active ingredient of my anti-dandruff shampoo. The unsightly skin condition is caused by microbial fungi that seem to thrive under the woollen hats that all Swedes have to wear in wintertime to avoid freezing their ears off.

Mr Chatwin, you are fondly remembered in my bathroom.

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Shakespeare, N. 1999. Bruce Chatwin. Random House.

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[More blog entries about dandruff, Chatwin, AIDS, HIV, ketoconazole; mjäll, Chatwin, AIDS, HIV, ketokonazol.]