On spotting her late brother approaching her in the market, Angelina handled the situation admirably by screaming her tits off and collapsing. Well, you would, wouldn’t you? While I like to think I’d have reacted with a raised eyebrow and a suitably ironic quip, the smart money would be on me running away at Mach 4, leaving a yellow and brown contrail in my wake. In any event, Ms Narcise eventually managed to recover enough to take her brother home.
At this point, I’m sure there is plenty of understandable scoffing about the unreliable nature of medical reporting in Haiti. You’ve probably gone so far as to develop a big moustache and pipe, and adopted the traditional leaning-on-the-mantlepiece pose of the late Victorian father figure declaring it all to be Stuff and Nonsense. Well, the death of Clairvius Narcisse was better documented than most- he had checked into the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Desjardines, Haiti, complaining of fever and body aches. The doctors treating him were American, or American-trained, and diagnosed Clairvius with hypotension, respiratory disorders, pulmonary edema. Despite several days of treatment, his condition deteriorated and he was officially declared dead as a doornail- and buried by his family the next day.
Clairvius’ account of the events was that he had actually remained conscious throughout the treatment and burial, although completely paralysed. The night after his burial he had been dug up by a Bokor (a Haitian shaman) who then pumped him full of potions that left him mobile, but in a trance-like stupor. He then spent two years as a slave for the Bokor on a sugar plantation- his slavery ending when the Bokor died (allegedly killed by one of his other zombie slaves.)
With no more drugs being administered by the Bokor, Clairvius regained his senses. However he suspected his brother had arranged the poisoning and abduction, so he stayed away from his family for 16 years, until he heard that his brother had died.
Some theories suggest that Clairvius was an imposter, but his family were firmly convinced of his identity as were neighbours. He spent the remaining 14 years of his life accepted as the man he claimed to be, returned from the dead. In fact, he became a local celebrity who often fielded request for photos of him posing nect to his grave.
Researchers believe the drug used to keep him in the zombie-like state was Datura stramonium, better known as Jimsom weed. The drug used to initially “kill” him and leave him paralysed and catatonic is rather more mysterious. While numerous sources have focused on tetrodoxin (extracted from puffer fish) and bufotoxin (from toad venom), it has not proved possible to replicate anything remotely close to the convincing “death” experienced in this case.
The case of Clairvius Narcisse remains a mystery, and the most well-known tale of Haitian zombification, inspiring the classic Wes Craven movie “The Serpent and the Rainbow”. It’s a movie well worth catching, particularly if you’re a big fan of scenes where people get their ballbag nailed to their chair. And who isn’t?
TheGothicLibrarian
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