Worm Spirit of Ku 42x45 , hand-dyed and commercial fabric, embellished with paint. The Ku, a worm spirit, is thought to be an ancient Chinese explanation of actual parasitic infestation. The basic concept is as follows: A human 'host' fills a container with various poisonous insects, worms, and snakes, which devour each other for 100 days. The one surviving creature contains the concentrated poison of all the dead creatures and is then allowed to mate with another in a water-containing vessel. The seed of the male floats on the surface and is the 'ku poison.' This poison is placed into the food of the human victim, and the seeds develop into worms which gnaw on the viscera of the victim, ultimately killing him. Upon his death, worms crawl out from orifices of the corpse, thus explaining parasitic disease. Private collection.