New research shows that James Bond was Britain’s most famous spy agent and would have died multiple times due to job-related risk.
Eon Productions produced 25 James Bond films. Researchers analysed them all, beginning with 1962’s Dr No and ending in 2021’s No Time to Die.
They examined, in particular, whether or not the agent was a ‘good traveler’ on the 86 trips he took over the course the film.
According to experts, Bond and any other real-life agents would have experienced sexually-transmitted diseases (STIs), poisoning from alcohol or infections from tropical disease.
Risks to Bond health in the films made by Eon Productions include alcohol consumption (as seen here in ‘Casino Royale’), using another person’s facemask (‘You Only Live Twice’), casual sex, which risks STIs (‘Goldfinger’), eating unwashed fruit (‘Thunderball’), disease in tropical locations and smoking (both ‘Dr. No’)
These are the travel-related health risks that James Bond encountered on his 86 international trips, which involved 47 countries that were ‘geographically identified’. These categories include food safety (dark green), mosquito-borne diseases (yellow), vector and droppedlet borne viruses and other diseases (brown), travel safety (purple), health and safety(purple), human safety (blue), and exposure to animals (red).
The analysis was conduced by Wouter Graumansa and Teun Bousemaab at the Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, along with William Stone at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
‘Overall, we found Bond poorly prepared for travel-associated health risks and particularly naïve to the threat of infectious disease,’ the team say in their paper.
‘Despite increasing access to travel advice online, Bond’s risk of getting infected with infectious diseases did not decrease in recent missions.
“Given the important role agents holding the double-0 status play in international anti-terrorism activities, it is our sincere hope that MI6 will be able to take this responsibility seriously.”
The time it took to watch all the Bond movies required approximately 3,113 hours of each study author’s evenings. This could have easily been used on more urgent social issues, they acknowledge.
For viewings of the most recent film – ‘No Time to Die’, which was released at the end of September – the team were likely the only members of the audience who brought notebooks to the cinema, they point out.
The scientists observed Bond’s foolish behavior and made note of it.
Eon Productions produced 25 James Bond movies. Researchers conducted extensive research. Pictured here is Sean Connery portraying 007 in “Diamonds are Forever”, (1971).
Bond’s above-average level of sexual activity is a risk factor for STIs, as he often ‘does not have sufficient time for a sexual exchange’.
Researchers found there were a total of 59 on-screen sexual liaisons – an average of 2.4 per film.
Bond had a “remarkably high death rate” among his sexual partners. Some cases occurred very quickly after the act.
His partners are more than half dead, but there’s no indication that sexually transmitted infection played any role in their deaths.
Jill Masterson, for example, in 1964’s Goldfinger,’ meets Bond within minutes of meeting him. But Bond quickly becomes sick after she is covered in gold paint from head to foot by Oddjob, the wicked henchman.
In ‘Goldfinger’ (1964), Bond (played by Sean Connery) finds the dead body of Jill Masterson (played by Shirley Eaton)
Bond also generally seems ignorant of the ways to avoid respiratory virus transmission, or simply does not care during his missions.
For example, while in Japan in ‘You Only Live Twice’, he covers his face and mouth with a facemask used recently by another person, in an attempt at disguise.
This is a dangerous practice in the age of Covid-19. It could lead to inhalation of their exhaled and potentially infected respiratory drops.
Given that the SARS-CoV2 virus – the cause of Covid-19 – can be detected on surgical masks for a week after exposure, there’s every chance other respiratory viruses can survive on the fabric too, the authors point out.
Bond, trying to disguise himself in “You Only Live Twice”, covers his face, mouth, and neck with a recent face mask. The SARS-CoV2 virus is detectable on surgical masks up to a week after being exposed. This suggests that even 1960s-era viruses could survive on these fabrics.
Bond has an infamous taste for vodka martinis. But, it may be at the price of low hydration.
Researchers have studied all 25 of the James Bond films made by Eon Productions, starting from 1962’s ‘Dr No’ up to 2021’s ‘No Time to Die’
They say that alcoholic drinks, whether shaken or stirred in a glass, don’t prevent dehydration. This is especially concerning given his extreme levels of activity, many times in hot climates.
On only three occasions was Bond observed drinking non-alcoholic drinks – orange juice in ‘From Russia with Love’, coffee in ‘Dr. Bond was not seen drinking salt water or ‘Casino Royale.
According to them, the fluid balance is not maintained well with this drink. However, Bond tried to vomit it to avoid fatal poisoning.
The attractiveness of mosquitoes that transmit malaria to humans has been increased by alcohol intake, which can also be harmful to the liver.
Bond was also an avid smoker during the early films of the series, but he has since thankfully given up smoking.
The English actor Daniel Craig portrays the character of the secret agent “We Only Live Once” in this picture. It was taken in 2006 in ‘Casino Royale”.
Bond enjoys the most lavish meals possible, but this is not without risks.
According to the authors, he is often seen eating unwashed fruit, despite bacteria living on it. Additionally, he frequently injures himself with vibriosis or norovirus infection from eating raw oysters.
His appreciation of oysters is clearly linked with the belief that they’re an aphrodisiac, but Bond overlooks one of their ‘less-than-arousing side-effects’ – acute diarrhoea.
Bond takes a grape from ‘Thunderball. According to the authors, Bacteria can thrive on skins of fruit, but Bond seems to have a preference for food safety over Bond’s appetites.
In fact, the researchers appear surprised that Bond never suffered from an ‘inopportune bout of diarrhoea in the midst of world-saving action’ at any time during the 25 films.
Toxoplasmosis may have caused Bond’s “foolhardy bravery”, which can sometimes lead to him having to deal with life-threatening situations.
In mice, toxoplasmosis has been linked with a loss of fear of cats – a clever manipulation by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite to increase the probability of transmission by way of ingestion by the feline.
The authors state that although it is speculative, the toxoplasmosis could explain Bond’s sometimes foolish courage when faced with life-threatening danger.
The team conclude that his employer – MI6 – has the ‘clear responsibility’ to provide Bond with appropriate pre-travel advice to mitigate these risks.
The study has been published in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease.