'World's dirtiest man' covered in 'pus and soot' dies after first bath in 60 years
A man known as the 'world's dirtiest' lived as a hermit without washing for nearly 70 years before villagers finally persuaded him to bathe
A man passed away shortly after bathing for the first time in almost seven decades, in a case that has been examined by parasitologists. He declined to shower or wash for the overwhelming majority of his life - a lifestyle riddled with unhealthy practices - but remarkably outlived most people in his country.
Amou Haji allegedly led a fairly ordinary life until his young adulthood in Fars Province, Iran. Then, following what he described as several emotional disappointments and heartbreak, he was left psychologically damaged and adopted a reclusive way of life.
He withdrew to a pit he excavated outside the village of Dezh Gah, and was welcomed by his neighbours, who attempted to provide him with food, accommodation and hygiene supplies - which he declined.
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According to local media, Amou haji - a nickname meaning "old timer" in Farsi - feared that soap and water would make him ill or bring him bad luck, and detested the scrutiny his circumstances attracted, famously noting that people's efforts to "care" for him or alter his way of living made him profoundly sorrowful, reports the Daily Star.
So, to survive, the man was content to rely on scavenging and roadkill.
His primary sustenance would frequently be decomposing remains abandoned by other predators, and he didn't object in the slightest - even declaring his absolute favourite meal to be rotting porcupine. He also consumed an average of five litres of water daily, either from his corroded oil tin - unsterilised and contaminated, according to media reports - or straight from puddles he came across.
Despite refusing assistance from those living nearby, Haji had one indulgence. He was frequently given tobacco, and would often be spotted smoking several cigarettes at the same time.
When his supply ran out, he would occasionally be seen smoking a pipe filled with animal excrement.
Another peculiar habit was that, whenever his hair grew long enough to obstruct his vision, he would burn it off rather than cut it.
In 2014, Haji made global headlines when the Tehran Times published an interview detailing his way of life. That notoriety led to an encounter with parasitologist Dr Gholamreza Molavi, whose team conducted tests to assess Haji's health for any underlying conditions.
Remarkably, the results revealed no signs of any ailments whatsoever, save for one. He had contracted trichinosis, a foodborne parasitic infection, most likely from his diet, yet displayed none of the associated symptoms.
His medical team concluded that his way of living - which he had maintained for roughly 60 years by that point, at the age of 80 - had strengthened his immune system to unprecedented levels.
At the age of 94, Haji agreed to wash himself for the first time in decades. Local accounts suggest that villagers had attempted for years to clean him - on one occasion even trying to forcibly throw him into a river, from which he fled by leaping from a moving vehicle.
In late 2022, a group of local residents finally managed to coax and persuade him to use a private bathroom.
Subsequent reports revealed that after his bath, onlookers were astonished to discover that his exposed skin was covered in pus and soot accumulated over decades.
Within days of his wash, Haji fell ill, according to news agency IRNA. His health deteriorated rapidly over the following weeks, and he passed away in October 2022.
Having spent more than half a century building up layers of soot, dirt and pus that effectively acted as a shield against the elements, local speculation strongly indicated that removing it would send his immune system into shock.
Nevertheless, medical professionals from the Tehran School of Public Health noted that the sudden psychological strain of breaking his lifelong habits may have had an effect, but at 94 years of age, his passing was most likely attributable to natural causes and old age.
At the time of his death, Haji had considerably outlived the average life expectancy for Iranian men, which stands at 74.9 years.
