The Malady

This may not bring you any comfort, Your Majesty, but from what you told me, it sounds to me that your mother died from breast cancer.

— Lady Conarith, once again being an otherworldly know-it-all

plain text transcript

This may not bring you any comfort, Your Majesty, but from what you told me, it sounds to me that your mother died from breast cancer.
Lady Conarith, once again being an otherworldly know-it-all

The Malady is what the Hylians refer to when diagnosing cancerous tumors. They do not know anything about cancer, but they do understand that it causes growths in the body that reek havoc in the areas in which they are found. The disease is so feared because little is known about it, and it can affect anyone at any period in their life from all walks of life. Rich or poor, man or woman, adult or child, healthy or unhealthy, anyone can suddenly develop The Malady and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. In most cases, even a proper diagnosis is impossible until after an autopsy is done unless the growths are so large that they can be observed on the skin. In life, the afflicted just suffer until they inevitably die, and there is very little that can be done to alleviate their pain.

Transmission & Vectors

It is unknown how or even if The Malady can be transmitted. The general consensus of the medical community is that it cannot affect others, but that has not stopped the general public from fearing people who are infected. Those who are infected find themselves shunned by their communities more often than not, and die destitute on the streets unless they have enough money to be treated admitted to a clinic or personally treated by a house doctor.

Causes

The cause also remains unknown. There is no rhyme or reason as to who gets the disease; it has been observed on many different kinds of people. The only thing that those afflicted have in common is that they are all Hylian; no other race has been observed to suffer from it as far as the Hylian medical community knows. However, it has been observed that Central City has more cases than any other settlement, that this illness can be traced back to 10,000 years ago, and that it seemly has remained dormant until after the fall of Calamity Ganon.

Show spoiler

In reality, it is the unknown material that the ancient Sheikah used to build their technology that is increasing the Hylians' predilection for The Malady. The five pillars that used to house the Guardians and are sprouted around the city are contaminating the groundwater that the inhabitants of the city use for drinking and washing. Even though they built machines and have been exposed the longest, the Sheikah are immune because they are physiologically immune to the effects that the metal has on their bodies.

Symptoms

Symptoms can vary depending on where the growths are found, but all afflicted generally suffer from fatigue, irritability, difficulty sleeping, nausea, and pain of various degrees depending on the severity and advancement of the disease.

It comes and goes, you know? The pain, not my menses. Although, I will say that I no longer keep track of it. There's no point; it comes and goes as Hylia pleases. And only the Goddess knows how much I hate it when it comes.

— Hunnie Dahl, suffers from maladious growths in her ovaries

plain text transcript

It comes and goes, you know? The pain, not my menses. Although, I will say that I no longer keep track of it. There's no point; it comes and goes as Hylia pleases. And only the Goddess knows how much I hate it when it comes.
Hunnie Dahl, suffers from maladious growths in her ovaries

Treatment

Because it is so difficult to diagnose, patients are generally only treated for their symptoms with available medicines made from natural ingredients. Those who have the money for treatment general take increasingly stronger medications for pain, even if it can only take the edge off. Common pain medications are made from ingredients that are known for its health-boosting effects such as the oil from the hearty bass, or the vegetable of the hearty radish.

Prognosis

Diagnosis usually does not come until after death, but for those who are "lucky" enough to be diagnosed early, it tends to already be too late. The luckiest of those who develop the disease tend to die within 20-30 years of when they first display symptoms, while those with a more aggressive strain can die in as quickly as 60 days.

Cultural Reception

While the medical community is striving to learn all that it can about this disease, the general population is largely kept in the dark. While it is not a common disease, the condition is so terrible that everyone is afraid of contracting it. The public believes that it is contagious, although how contagious seems to vary depending on the person's level of education. The least educated tend to believe that it is as contagious as chickenpox. Those who are not educated enough to understand that it is not contagious, yet still understand that they will not contract it from breathing the same air as someone who is afflicted, believe that as long as they avoid being too intimate with the person (i.e. sharing a drink, kissing, sex, etc.), they will be safe.

Type

Physiological

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Species

• Hylian