Sailor's Lung
It wasn't so much that we couldn't sail across the oceans in those days, it's that nobody wanted to deal with the consequences.Sailor's lung is a respiratory condition caused caused by extended exposure to oversalinated air of the open ocean. The condition is particularly prevelent among elves as well as human groups who developed far from the coasts, such as the Seluj or the Menuyians but can effect anyone given enough exposure.
Causes
The buildup of salt within the patient's lungs from prolonged inhalation of salty sea air.
Symptoms
Patients will experience respiratory problems including shortness of breath, painful breathing, wheezing, and cough.
Treatment
The cure for Sailor's lung, known as 'Glotik', was developed in 525 by an Ekoyan doctor named Estr_Svopki. Glotik is an inhaled smoke that makes the lungs less capable of holding salt, curing those afflicted with the disease and preventing one from acquiring it for up to a year. The cure has since been propagated throughout the known world and the disease is largely a thing of the past.
Cultural Reception
Prior to the development of Glotik, having the disease was seen as a simple fact of life for sailors who made ocean crossing voyages. Some of the Demian nobility even claimed to be able to tell if someone had not gone on their traditional mercenary tour of Zinruna if their voice was smooth enough that they likely had never contracted the disease, though this is unsubstantiated as studies show no difference in the lungs, throat, or tongue of those who have had the disease and recovered vs. those who never had the disease.
Since the development of Glotik, the disease is seen as something only fools or those opposed to science ever catch.
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