> A slow-acting virus, like that of scrapie in sheep, is introduced into the human body via the tattooing needle and makes its way to the brain, where within a few years it causes the afflicted to steal cars, burgle houses, and assault people. I first formulated my viral theory of criminality when I noticed that at least nine of ten white English prisoners are tattooed, more than three or four times the proportion in the general population. The statistical association of crime with tattooing is stronger, I feel certain, than between crime and any other single factor, with the possible exception of smoking.

Thank you for this.

The guy is a British psychiatrist.

A lot of people consider the effects of lead from leaded gas to have been a major factor driving criminality over decades, so it seems odd for someone to not even be aware of that enough to specifically address it.

The good doctor was spoofing that.

Is it widely supposed criminal tendencies cause lead ingestion, then?