Common cold beyond the Ring?

[MatthewM]

A long time ago I made a thread which asked why do you think Tolkien never mentioned anything about what we call the "common cold" on M-e, in specific with the journey of The Fellowship. The answers we gathered were

1) M-e air was clean and "colds" were non-existent there

2) Tolkien doesn't write about them going to the bathroom, so he isn't going to bother writing about a character having the sniffles.

Either way you look at it, I could imagine that some sort of physical weakness that resembles our "common cold" had to have been taken towards Frodo a little. There's no evidence for this, and maybe he didn't have anything like our cold, but this passage in The Stairs of Cirith-Ungol even gives me the shivers-

"The passage seemed to go on for miles, and always the chill air flowed over them, rising as they went on to a bitter wind."

The hobbits were already probably sweating bullets. I can't see how Frodo couldn't have, along with the burden and weakness he already felt from the Ring, had a little extra "cold". I pick Frodo because, in his already weakened state, it would be more feasible that he got the "cold" rather than Sam.

I'm sure both reasons 1 and 2 I mentioned are correct, and maybe I'm looking a little too deep here. Just thought it was worth a mention.

[Thenamir]

I just have four words for you:

"Thag you very buch."
-- Bilbo Baggins

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Good point, Thenamir! Interestingly, though Bilbo definitely has a cold after the barrel adventure:

...he had... a shocking cold. For three days he sneezed and coughed, and he could not go out...

...the dwarves don't appear to have gotten colds. Would their hardiness mean they are resistent to virus-induced diseases?

[Mithalwen]

Weren't men of Numenorean extraction meant to be more disease resistant ? And dwarves were far too tough I guess.....

Bilbo may have been particularly prone since Gandalf brings him a supply of hankies when he catches him and the dwarves up having chased Bilbo out of the house.....

[MatthewM]

I would imagine certain races were more prone that others, I bet, like Mith said, Numernoreans would have a very good immunity.

I haven't yet read the Hobbit so I didn't know Bilbo caught a cold. Thanks!

[Raynor]

I bet, like Mith said, Numernoreans would have a very good immunity.

I agree:

Originally Posted by Akallabeth, Silmarillion

...they did not thus escape from the doom of death that Iluvatar had set upon all Mankind, and they were mortal still, though their years were long, and they knew no sickness, ere the shadow fell upon them.

[Bêthberry]

This raises a most interesting question. What is the nature of viruses and bacterial infection in Middle-earth and whence do they arise?

I mean, are they part of the original music and thus part of Eru's plan or are they offspring of Morgoth's thought? Did the doom of men require infection and disease? Decay seems to be part of the negative aspects of Middle-earth--hence Galadriel's effort to maintain Lothlorien free from decay--but aren't bacteria and viruses part of that decay process? Thus, one would assume they belong to Sauron's camp/devising.

Are all illnesses morgul wounds (either lesser or greater)?

Given Elrond's reputation as a healer and Aragorn's 'hands of the King' and Ioreth's remembrance of tribal lore, it would suggest that illness does indeed have a role in the morality of Middle-earth.

[Raynor]

In the Silmarillion, "green things fell sick and rotten" after Utumno is built. Also, if I remember correctly, Valinor is as Arda Unmarred would have been, and of Valinor it is said that "it knew no corruption or sickness" (oh well, at least in the begining). The description of Aman in Myths Transformed also gives a similar statement. I believe then that all the (causes of) sicknesses appear first and foremost due to Melkor and his intervention in the Music.

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Given Elrond's reputation as a healer and Aragorn's 'hands of the King' and Ioreth's remembrance of tribal lore, it would suggest that illness does indeed have a role in the morality of Middle-earth.

Very good point...these characters did have exceptional healing powers...sickness must have occured. I think this can somewhat be related to the story of Adam and Eve- all was bliss and clean, until Eve and Adam both ate the apple. Then came sickness, decay, and death. A little different, but you get what I mean- Valinor all clean, Arda just like it, one breaks off and branches into evil, Arda now has sickness and surely knows death (I haven't yet read the Silm so forgive me if some of that was a little off, but to my knowledge that's how it went).