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In the first book of Homer's Iliad, Apollo, implored by Chryses, a priest offended by Agamemnon, comes down from the mount Olympus and spread a mortal disease (nousos, line 10) in the Achaean camp, throwing his mortal arrows (lines 33-49) from far off for nine days (line 54). The disease affects first mules and dogs, than men; funeral-pyres are dense and incessant (lines 50-52). Although no symptom is mentioned, from the text it emerges six characteristics of the disease: 1) high mortality: 2) rapid diffusion; 3) short duration; 4) involvement of animals before spreading to human beings; 5) first involvement of equines; 6) then involvement of dogs. The Achaean disease, therefore, appear to be an epidemic zoonosis with an acute course, rapidly fatal in a high proportion of cases. In his textbook of Anderson's pathology, JM Kissane wrote that anthrax is described in the first book of Iliad, identifying such an illness with the Achaean disease. Anthrax is caused by B. anthracis, a mobile, sporigen, aerobic, Gram-positive microrganism, which infects herbivorous animals and other beasts. Animals are infected by ingestion or inhalation of spores and a septicaemia occurs; in the acute form, the death of the animal is observed after 1-2 hours since symptoms appear. Man can be infected by direct or indirect contact with infected animals or their products. The hypothesis of anthrax fits the Achaean disease in 3 characteristics (high mortality, rapid diffusion and animal involvement), but meets two problems: 1) the spores of B. anthracis are very resistant, so that animals and things remain contaminated for year, while the Achaean disease had a short duration; 2) anthrax affects cattle and sheeps, while the text mentions only mules and dogs. A hypothesis in agreemnet to all the elements of the text is an apidemic glanders. Glanders is caused by Pseudomonas mallei, small Gram-negative, pleomorphic, non mobile, asporigen microorganism. which affect equines, but also men, who are infected by contact with such animals, through skin or mucose lesions. In the acute form, after a short incubation (hours or few days), general signs appear (fever, malaise, pain, vomiting). The septicaemic form has almost always a fatal outcome in 7-10 days. Glanders fits the Achaen disease in all points. The acute form is a disease with a high mortality, rapid diffusion, which begins in animals and first attacks equines. The low resistance of P. mallei in the enviroment explains tha short duration of the epidemic. Dogs are susceptible and contracted the disease, cattle did not and is not mentioned in the text, because in natural situation it do not contract the disease. Horses are susceptible, but did not contract the disease, because they, very important for their role in battle (some of them were divine), were housed in separate stables, near the heroes' tents. No famous hero died, because they had not contact with infected mules. Mumerous common soldiers died, because they deat with mules and surely had traumatic skin lesions, which were the point of inoculation of the microorganism.

(from
C. Urso, Ipotesi sul morbo acheo, Pathologica 86, 441-443, 1993;
C. Urso, The different originality of Homer and Thucydides, Am J Dermatopathol 23, 274-275, 2001)

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