View allAll Photos Tagged infectious diseases
A walkway that connected the infectious diseases ward with the rest of the wards at Ellis Island Museum.
~
All rights reserved
Copyright © Gerardo Galindo
cyberlens@aol.com
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Kenya
East Africa
The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is a mammal native only to Africa. It is a member of the canidae family which also includes dogs, coyotes, dingos, jackals and wolves. The African Wild Dog is known by other names such as the Painted Hunting Dog, African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog and Painted Wolf. In Swahili it is referred to as ‘Mbwa mwilu’.
The African Wild Dogs scientific name ‘Lycaon pictus’ comes from the Greek language for ‘wolf’ and Latin for ‘painted’. The African Wild Dog is the only species in the Genus ‘Lycaon’.
The African wild dog is one of the most endangered animals in Africa with a population of only 6,600 individuals as of 2020.
African Wild Dogs are endangered mostly due to ongoing habitat fragmentation, conflict with human activities and infectious disease. – Wikipedia
Greenfinch garden visits have become even more of a treat since the fall in numbers - over 62% since 1993. This decline is thought to be linked to the highly infectious disease trichomonosis, underlining the importance of clean feeders. They have been moved from the Green to the Red list.
Thank you all for your kind responses.
This was the ward for infectious disease at the hospital in Ellis Island, NY.
~
Copyright © Gerardo Galindo
Contact: Cyberlens@aol.com
Footbridge are buildings that cross the road safely.
Give me a different perspective
Watch this beautiful building.
Taiwan has effectively controlled the spread of infectious diseases,
People can move freely, But reduced consumption and party activities!
If the image is blurred, Please click refresh !
Thank you for your visit, happy weekend ! Blessing…
天橋是安全過馬路的建築物。
讓我有了不同的角度，
觀賞這棟美麗的建築。
台灣有效地控制了傳染病的傳播，
人們可以自由移動，但是減少了消費和聚會活動！
如果圖像模糊，請點擊重新整理！
謝謝您的訪問，周末愉快 ！祝福…
Quick Credits -
Haus of Darcy | Tableau Vivant | Clemmm | LODE | Zibska for WLRP April
Babalú-Ayé is an Orisha strongly associated with infectious disease and healing. The name Babalú-Ayé translates as “Father, lord of the Earth”and points to the authority this orisha exercises on all things earthly, including the body, wealth, and physical possessions. In West Africa, he was strongly associated with epidemics of smallpox, leprosy, influenza, ebola, and HIV/AIDS. Although strongly associated with illness and disease, Babalú-Ayé is also the spirit that cures these ailments. Both feared and loved, Babalú-Ayé is sometimes referred to as the “Wrath of the supreme god” because he punishes people for their transgressions. People hold Babalú-Ayé in great respect and avoid calling his actual name, because they do not wish to invoke epidemics.
Catholic Counterpart- Saint Lazarus - Day, Dec 17.
Due to the spread of infectious diseases, unnecessary going out is prohibited. Still, he took a walk looking for an empty road. Otherwise, you will be under-exercised and your health will be adversely affected
© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved
Street photography from Glasgow, Scotland.
We are NOT "post-pandemic" or "post-Covid" and I am sick of hearing this from main stream media, politicians and prominent businesses.
First, we cannot unilaterally declare that a pandemic is over due to the very nature of a pandemic.
Second, just looking at the month of JUNE to date, we have 10X the number of directly attributed Covid hospitalisations for 2022 than we did for the same period in 2021 or 2020.
Hospitalisations are rising 30-40% week on week at the moment. Why? We're facing a wave of Omicron BA.5 which is even more infectious than previous Omicron variants but, worryingly, doctors are reporting that it is infecting lower down into lung tissue as we saw with the Alpha wave. Secondary pneumonia is now a major issue again and hospitalisations are rising across ALL age groups. Omicron evades vaccine immunity and there is NO natural immunity to Omicron. People are being re-infected with Omicron with repeated infections reported as being worse and worse.
Ignoring the acute risks of Covid, of which there are many, there are now multiple wide ranging and conclusive studies by institutions such as Harvard that are showing that every single Covid infection, no matter how 'mild', is causing permanent internal damage.
Damage to the brain similar to that in Parkinson's Disease.
Damage to the pancreas causing onset of Diabetes.
Damage to lung tissue.
Damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
Damage to cardiovascular endothelium and clotting factors resulting in a 3X increased risk in heart attacks, strokes and pulmonary emboli for at least 6 months post-acute infection.
More importantly, it is causing degradation of your immunity. SARS2 causes reduction in your immunity and damage to T-cells similar to that of HIV, leaving you wide open to opportunistic infections that you would be unable to fight.
SARS2 infection prematurely ages you! Telomeres are the end protections of our chromosomes that you can think of as being similar to the end plastic pieces of a shoelace. These gradually degrade over our lifetimes as part of the ageing process. It is a known quantity and studies have shown that even mild infections of Covid are causing damage to the telomeres of our chromosomes equivalent to 10 years of biological ageing.
Early in the Covid story some people openly called it 'airborne AIDS' because some of the genetic code of the virus is identical to HIV. It may have been tongue-in-cheek at the time but Covid is causing this kind of damage.
Ask yourself why we have rising infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis in children, monkeypox and polio to name a few. We have a massive population with post-Covid immune deficiency.
Even the Bank of England has reported that we are facing a collapse of economy with increasing rates of 'long Covid' affecting the workforce.
All of this information is easy to find in peer reviewed medial journals at revered institutions such as Harvard or in The Lancet. SARS2, as it's predecessor SARS, is a multi-system disease spread by microscopic airborne aerosols.
Keep yourself safe because your government does not care about you.
Protection is not rocket science. Mask in poorly ventilated places and when indoors with an FFP2/3 well fitting mask. Open windows for ventilation and demand that workplaces and public facilities install suitable HEPA filtration. Washing your hands helps against many diseases but it will not stop you from catching Covid.
My notebook has a string to mark the page. As a retired infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist, I cannot help keeping track of the carnage that COVID-19 has brought to the world. These are today's numbers from the Johns Hopkins website that is an excellent source of information: coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html . It did not have to be this way. A coordinated national response instead of a diffused response by states and cities would have been better. Much better.
Leprosy is an infectious disease much feared in the middle ages.
This chapel was especially built for infected people. please see the information board if you wish to know more.
'Smile' is one of my favourite words, it makes me smile. Smiles are infectious and we should try to pass them on as often as possible though due to that other current infectious disease we are forced to cover our smiles. Our eyes can still smile though. Smile and the whole world smiles with you.
To see my favourite 'Smiles' photos from my friends, view my Gallery of Smiles
Created for the Kreative People Group October Contest One Good Word
All photos and textures used are my own. Free font - Kingthings flashbang by Kingthings.
Thank you for taking the time to visit, comment, fave or invite. And a big thank you for all the smiles back 😊 I really appreciate them all.
All rights reserved. This photo is not authorized for use on your blogs, pin boards, websites or use in any other way. You may NOT download this image without written permission from lemon~art.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Kenya
East Africa
The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is a mammal native only to Africa. It is a member of the canidae family which also includes dogs, coyotes, dingos, jackals and wolves. The African Wild Dog is known by other names such as the Painted Hunting Dog, African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog and Painted Wolf. In Swahili it is referred to as ‘Mbwa mwilu’.
The African Wild Dogs scientific name ‘Lycaon pictus’ comes from the Greek language for ‘wolf’ and Latin for ‘painted’. The African Wild Dog is the only species in the Genus ‘Lycaon’.
The African wild dog is one of the most endangered animals in Africa with a population of only 6,600 individuals as of 2020.
African Wild Dogs are endangered mostly due to ongoing habitat fragmentation, conflict with human activities and infectious disease.
For more information see -
Abrevadero para dar de beber al ganado.
El Portal de San Roc formaba parte de la muralla del castillo, edificado en el siglo XIV, era una de las puertas de entrada a la villa, protegida por la Torreta que aún se conserva. Más tarde, en el s. XVI, se construyó el ayuntamiento adosado a la muralla y una nueva puerta de entrada en la misma pared extramuros del edificio consistorial. Posteriormente, el portal más antiguo se consagró a la devoción de San Roque (protector contra las epidemias y las enfermedades infecciosas), se construyó una capilla dedicada a este santo en una de las paredes laterales.
Drinking trough to give the cattle a drink.
The Portal de San Roc was part of the castle wall, built in the 14th century, it was one of the entrance doors to the town, protected by the Turret that is still preserved. Later, in the s. XVI, the town hall was built attached to the wall and a new entrance door in the same wall outside the town hall building. Later, the oldest portal was consecrated to the devotion of San Roque (protector against epidemics and infectious diseases), a chapel dedicated to this saint was built on one of the side walls.
Ráfales / Ràfels (Comarca del Matarranya). Teruel
This is a wall of the old hospital were the pavilion for the infectious diseases were located.
~
All rights reserved
Copyright © Gerardo Galindo
cyberlens@aol.com
Kruger National Park
South Africa
Wild dog relaxing after making a kill.
The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is a mammal native only to Africa. It is a member of the canidae family which also includes dogs, coyotes, dingos, jackals and wolves. The African Wild Dog is known by other names such as the Painted Hunting Dog, African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog and Painted Wolf. In Swahili it is referred to as ‘Mbwa mwilu’.
The African Wild Dogs scientific name ‘Lycaon pictus’ comes from the Greek language for ‘wolf’ and Latin for ‘painted’. The African Wild Dog is the only species in the Genus ‘Lycaon’.
The African wild dog is one of the most endangered animals in Africa with a population of only 6,600 individuals as of 2020.
African Wild Dogs are endangered mostly due to ongoing habitat fragmentation, conflict with human activities and infectious disease. Wikipedia
For more information see -
Mykonos is one of those Greek Islands where everything is painted white except the roofs of the churches which there are many. Originally the white was a lime wash to kill infectious disease pathogens but today it is mostly acrylic paint and is continued for tradition. It makes for a beautiful island.
This church did not have the typical blue domed room featuring instead a bell tower which I thought was worth capturing.
Leprosy is an infectious disease much feared in the middle ages.
This chapel was especially built for infected people. please see the information board if you wish to know more.
Fairfield, Victoria
This is now on a campus of the Melbourne Polytechnic but was once the site of one of the most significant hospitals in Australia. Many of us questioned the wisdom of closing it at the time but now, during the COVOD-19 pandemic, we are left wondering how well it may have served us all during the current crisis. It was famous during the polio epidemic of the 1950s for the number of patients who spent their lives there dependent on the iron lung for survival.
"Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, originally known as Queens Memorial Infectious Diseases Hospital, operated from 1904 to its closure in 1996. Perched high on the banks of the Yarra River at Yarra Bend in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fairfield, it developed an international reputation for the research and treatment of infectious diseases. When it closed, it was the last specific infectious diseases hospital in Australia.
Initially the hospital was devoted to the treatment of patients with fevers. Diseases treated included typhoid, diphtheria, cholera, smallpox, poliomyelitis and scarlet fever, and in its final years, HIV/AIDS became very prominent." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield_Infectious_Diseases_Hospital
Please dear friends stay home, stay safe. We need to fight this pandemic all together but from home. But you can stay connected via internet or by phone with your friends and love ones, keeping your safe distance.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new virus.
The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, and avoiding close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell.
How it spreads:
Coronavirus disease spreads primarily through contact with an infected person when they cough or sneeze. It also spreads when a person touches a surface or object that has the virus on it, then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth.
S. C. Botanic gardens. Los Angeles. California.
If there is one constant in the world, it is the infectious nature of smiling children. In this image, the smile seems to be passed on from the oldest child on the right. In my experience, the purest measure of happiness is the wilde-eyed smile of a young child who is living on the margins of life, who has nothing. Think of that smile compared to a child has comparatively everything? This in no way diminishes their poverty stricken environment, with all it entails: Lack of education, sanitation, living parents, disease, malnutrition, etc. Full of unbridled imagination, children find their own fun, their own games, and make their own toys.
Lots of news these days about immigration, so here’s another post from Ellis Island. At the turn of the 20th century, the biggest risk immigrants brought into the country was disease. Now, the argument against immigration raises other concerns about the people fleeing persecution and seeking a better life here. This past election brought immigration back to the forefront of politics. It seems that throughout the history of the US, each ethnic group that emigrated to America wanted to pull up the gangplank behind them, denying others the same opportunity. The same arguments hold steady from those days nearly a century ago; crime, jobs, cost to taxpayers, religious differences, foreign cultures, language, etc.. The new administration felt compelled to slam the door shut all at once for certain groups of people deemed a national security threat (and unfortunately for those innocently caught on the wrong side of the door). Some applaud this action, others denounce it, but one thing everybody seems to agree on is that we are living in a very different world, and what is quickly becoming a very different country. This is a scene from the infectious disease ward at Ellis Island and the eerie remains from those earlier days.
Abandoned hospital of Infectious and Contagious Disease at Ellis Island. Ellis Island is the former U.S. immigration inspection station and gateway for over 12 million immigrants from 1892 until 1954. Now a museum it is situated in New York Harbor within the states of New York and New Jersey. Print Size 13x19 inches.
Winter might have gone, but it did drizzle for the last two days and this can be a tricky time for fever and other infectious diseases.
A neighbour from the nearby slum protects her child as she walks.
Hillview H/S, Chittagong.
"Work-acquired infectious diseases are among the risks all healthcare workers face; and bloodborne pathogens figure prominently among these. Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids is well documented among healthcare workers. Annual exposure prevalence rates range from 1,500 nurses employed on 40 units in 20 hospitals, poor organizational climate and high workloads were associated with 50% to 200% increases in the likelihood of needlestick injuries and near-misses among hospital nurses."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328993/
As nurses we work in an environment that will kill us. We understand that,. We use protection and procedures to reduce risk, and we come to work with the same mission as always. Usually to save or help some ungrateful son of a bitch who doesn't deserve our assistance. Some drug using wife beating ignorant pseudo criminal who views us and health care in general with suspicion and contempt. Some ignorant person to whom knowledge and education are evil and unnecessary. And to those who firmly think nurses are a sub-class of humanity and who would "report us to administration" and "have our jobs" because we don't offer them Demerol every hour for their little aches and pains. Never mind that many nurses including myself work more hours than we sleep, often in a great deal of unmedicated pain ourselves. But I digress.....
Tonight I discovered a fascinating fact. I was hoping to find the actual infection and death rate of health care workers among the statistics at the CDC. Instead I found this statement......
"Recent experiences with severe acute respiratory syndrome
and the US smallpox vaccination program have
demonstrated the vulnerability of healthcare workers to
occupationally acquired infectious diseases. However,
despite acknowledgment of risk, the occupational death
rate for healthcare workers is unknown. In contrast, the
death rate for other professions with occupational risk, such
as police officer or firefighter, has been well defined. With
available information from federal sources and calculating
the additional number of deaths from infection by using
data on prevalence and natural history, we estimate the
annual death rate for healthcare workers from occupational
events, including infection, is 17–57 per 1 million workers.
However, a much more accurate estimate of risk is
needed. Such information could inform future interventions,
as was seen with the introduction of safer needle products.
This information would also heighten public awareness of
this often minimized but essential aspect of patient care."
wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/11/7/pdfs/04-1038.pdf
I began my search for statistics this evening because I began my own personal nightmare today. I was exposed to most of the dread diseases and killer viruses that our profession has to offer. Not because I did anything stupid, but because others did. The only stupid thing I did was report to work believing that the risks were low, that the system would support me if there was an exposure, and that my personal protective equipment was sufficient.
"James... earn this. Earn it."
Captain John H. Miller, Saving Private Ryan
'No Man is an Island'
No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
“Nessun Uomo è un'Isola”
Nessun uomo è un’isola, completo in se stesso; ogni uomo è un pezzo del continente, una parte del tutto. Se anche solo una zolla venisse lavata via dal mare, l’Europa ne sarebbe diminuita, come se le mancasse un promontorio, come se venisse a mancare una dimora di amici tuoi, o la tua stessa casa. La morte di qualsiasi uomo mi sminuisce, perché io sono parte dell’umanità. E dunque non chiedere mai per chi suona la campana: suona per te».
John Donne
……………………………………………..
Chronicles report that in Italy the epidemic caused by the "new flu" began on January 31, 2020, when two tourists from China tested positive for the new coronavirus, subsequently an infectious outbreak of covid-19 was confirmed on 21 February 2020 in Codogno in Lombardy with 16 cases, increased the day after to 60 cases, with the first deaths occurring in those days (but the presence of cases occurred elsewhere and on earlier dates is not excluded, due to the initial difficulty in recognizing a "virus new and unknown "). The infectious epicenter had been identified in the wet market of the city of Wuhan, located in the center of China: on December 31, 2019 the Whuan Health Commission reported to the WHO of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology (city that was quarantined on 23 January 2020, which was followed shortly after the quarantine of the entire province of Hubei), on 9 January 2020 the Chinese scientific committee reported that a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) had been identified as the causative agent of the infectious pathology, then called Covid-19. In Italy, from the identification of "red areas" at high risk of contagion in Lombardy and Veneto, it wasn't long before Italy was declared a risk zone. The hospitals, with the doctors, nurses, health workers, were all busy dealing with the new emergency: first aid, infectious disease wards, resuscitations, supported by 118 service and law enforcement agencies; the fear on the part of those who were (and are) called to provide assistance, was that of becoming infected and becoming the "greasers" of the new virus towards others, towards their family members. Every day the media viewed the images of military vehicles with dismay, which lined up carrying numerous coffins of innocent victims who died of coronavirus from the hospital in Bergamo. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared that there was talk of a pandemic now, the infection had now acquired a worldwide spread.
News not long appeared in the media, is the theory put forward by the immunologist Antonio Giordano, an Italian scientist transplanted to the USA, who says that southern Italy was less subject to epidemic violence than the north of Italy, because it, the south, it would be protected by a "genetic shield" for an interaction that took place during the evolution of DNA in relation to the external environment. Not wanting to bother the various theories that attempt to explain the epidemiological differences that have been found between northern and southern Italy, one thing is certain in Sicily: the various great terrible epidemics in Sicily have left indelible traces in the relationship of the Sicilians with the their Saints, entities invoked "as a shield" to protect from the worries of life.
San Sebastiano (together with San Rocco), is carried in procession in numerous Sicilian feasts; He was invoked to protect against the plague (and all contagious diseases) as early as 1575, the year in which the plague raged in Sicily.
Santa Rosalia on 9 June 1625 was carried in procession, her mortal remains accompanied by the song "Te Deum Laudamus", while they passed in the lazaretto quarters of Palermo, they operated the instantaneous healing of the sick poor under the eyes of those present, so that the infection stopped (since then she became the patron saint of Palermo).
In the Sicilian town of Castroreale, "u Signuri Longu" (the tall Christ), is a life-size wooden statue hoisted on a pole about 14 meters high, this Crucifix is carried in procession and is invoked because considered miraculous, having saved the Mrs. Giuseppina Vadalà of Castroreale from certain death: now dying, she was miraculously healed at the passage of the Sacred Crucifix (we are in the year 1854, the cholera epidemic in Messina killed about 30,000 people in the short two-month period).
This photo-story of mine was made in Sicily after the partial reopening of May 18: I dedicate it to the Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, who died on February 7, 2020 in Wuhan, for having tried to fight against the new coronavirus, and of which he was trying to throw a cry of alarm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Le cronache riportano che in in Italia l’epidemia causata dalla “nuova influenza” ha avuto inizio il 31 gennaio 2020, quando due turisti provenienti dalla Cina sono risultati positivi al nuovo coronavirus, successivamente un focolaio infettivo di covid-19 è stato confermato il 21 febbraio 2020 a Codogno in Lombardia con 16 casi, aumentati il giorno dopo a 60 casi, coi primi decessi avvenuti in quei giorni (ma non è escludersi la presenza di casi avvenuti altrove ed in date antecedenti, causa la difficoltà iniziale a riconoscere un “virus nuovo e sconosciuto”). L’epicentro infettivo era stato individuato nel mercato umido della città di Wuhan, situata nel centro della Cina: il 31 dicembre 2019 la Commissione Sanitaria di Whuan segnalò all’OMS dei casi di polmonite ad eziologia ignota (città che fu messa in quarantena il 23 gennaio 2020, alla quale fece seguito poco dopo la quarantena dell’intera provincia di Hubei), il 9 gennaio 2020 il comitato scientifico Cinese riferì che era stato identificato un nuovo coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) quale agente causale della patologia infettiva, poi chiamata Covid-19. In Italia, dalla individuazione di “zone rosse” ad alto rischio di contagio in Lombardia ed in Veneto, non passò molto tempo che l’Italia tutta fu dichiarata zona a rischio. Gli ospedali, con i medici, gli infermieri, gli operatori sanitari, furono tutti impegnati a fronteggiare la nuova emergenza: in prima linea i pronto soccorso, i reparti di malattie infettive, le rianimazioni, supportati dal servizio 118 e dalla forze dell’ordine; il timore da parte di coloro che erano (e sono) chiamati a prestare assistenza, era quello di essere infettati e diventare gli “untori” del nuovo virus verso gli altri, verso i propri familiari. Sui media ogni giorno si osservavano con sgomento le immagini di mezzi militari che, in fila, trasportavano numerosi le bare di vittime innocenti decedute a cause del coronavirus, provenienti dall’ospedale di Bergamo. L’11 marzo 2020 l’OMS dichiarò che oramai si parlava di pandemia, l’infezione aveva acquistato oramai una diffusione a carattere mondiale.
Notizia non da molto apparsa sui media, è la teoria avanzata dall’immunologo Antonio Giordano, scienziato italiano trapiantato negli USA, che afferma che il meridione d’Italia è stato meno soggetto alla violenza epidemica rispetto al settentrione d’Italia, perché esso, il meridione, sarebbe come protetto da uno “scudo genetico” per una interazione avvenuta nel corso dell’evoluzione del DNA in rapporto con l’ambiente esterno. Non volendo scomodare le varie teorie che tentano di spiegare le differenza epidemiologiche che si sono riscontrate tra il nord ed il sud Italia, in Sicilia una cosa è certa: le varie grandi terribili epidemia avutesi in Sicilia, hanno lasciato tracce indelebili nel rapporto dei Siciliani coi loro Santi, entità queste invocate “come scudo” a protezione dagli affanni della vita.
San Sebastiano (insieme a San Rocco), viene portato in processione in numerose feste Siciliane; Egli venne invocato a protezione contro la peste (e di tutte le malattie contagiose) fin dall’anno 1575, anno in cui in Sicilia infuriò la peste.
Santa Rosalia il 9 giugno 1625 venne portata in processione, le sue spoglie mortali accompagnate dal canto “Te Deum Laudamus”, mentre passavano nei quartieri lazzaretto di Palermo, operavano la guarigione istantanea dei poveri malati sotto gli occhi dei presenti, cosicchè il contagio si arrestò (da allora divenne la Santa Patrona di Palermo).
Nella cittadina Siciliana di Castroreale, “u Signuri Longu” (il Cristo alto), è una statua lignea a grandezza naturale issata su di un palo alto circa 14 metri, tale Crocifisso viene portato in processione ed è invocato perché considerato miracoloso, avendo salvato la signora Giuseppina Vadalà di Castroreale da morte certa: oramai moribonda, fu miracolosamente guarita al passaggio del Sacro Crocifisso (siamo nell’anno 1854, l’epidemia di colera a Messina uccise circa 30.000 persone del breve periodo di due mesi).
Questo mio foto-racconto è stato realizzato in Sicilia dopo la parziale riapertura del 18 maggio: lo dedico al medico Cinese Li Wenliang, morto il 7 febbraio 2020 a Wuhan, per aver cercato di combattere contro il nuovo coronavirus, e del quale tentava di gettare un grido di allarme.
The closed asylum at Whittingham Preston, revisited March 2008
Whittingham Hospital opened officially on 1st April 1893, built by bricks made on site, the source being what became to be known as the "duck pond" but referred to on maps as the "fish pond". The kiln for the manufacture of the bricks was situated, apparently, in what is known "Super's Hill Woods", at the back of the hospital, on the road to Grimsargh. The hospital was built in four "phases", the first being St Luke's (the Main), followed by St John's (the Annex), then Cameron House, and lastly St Margaret's (the New or West Annex). In addition to these 'divisions' there was also a Sanatorium of fourteen beds built for Infectious Diseases, which became known as Fryars' Villa, later to become part of the accomodation for the resident staff. The hospital served the community for almost 150 years, and, in its' day, was a virtually self sufficient community.
Proposal for an additional Asylum within Lancashire was called for and, following decisions as a result of the Local Government Act of 1888, it was decided to build an Asylum. The first choice of site was just behind Fulwood Barracks in Preston, but this gave way to a preferential site at Got Field Farm, to be known as Whittingham. This site was chosen, primarily, because there was a good natural supply of fresh water more readily available than other sites, and it was within easy reach of Preston.
On completion of St Luke's division, the first part of the hospital to be built, rules for staff were published; staff had to be on duty by 0600 and retire to bed by 2200. They were allowed to go out one day every three weeks and one Sunday every month. Any 'attendant' who lost a patient, had to pay the expenses incurred in their retrun to the hospital. In 1878 Cooper & Tullis built the Annex (St John's division) following the purchase of 68 acres of land. The Annex was completed in 1880 and then accommodated 115 patients. The Post Office was constructed within St John's division with the agreement of the Postmaster General; the hospital now had its own Post Office! In 1884 telephone communications were established with Preston at an annual cost of £20. In the same year, an Infectious Diseases Sanatorium was established, known as Fryars' Villa, named after Alderman James Fryar who, at one time, was Chairman of the Hospital Committee.
In 1890 the "Lunacy Act" was passed by Parliament; this was one of the greatest pieces of legislation in the history of Asylum. 1892 saw arrangements being made for the grounds to be illuminated by the new 'electric lamps', and this was completed in 1894.
In 1901 the introduction of 10/- (ten shillings - (50 pence today)) per week was introduced for staff on annual leave in lieu of rations. The attendant staff wanted a shorted working week at this time, as their recorded working week was 98 hours! Annual leave at this time was; 10 days for Attendants; 12 days for Second Charges and 14 days for Charge Attendants. The daily diet of patients and staff included one glass of Ale which was brewed on site in the hospital's own brewery!
1912 saw the construction of the New Annex (or West Annex) to become known as St Margaret's division; prior to this, Cameron House was completed and opened and named after James Cameron.
In 1914 the Clock Tower, which was a prominent landmark, rising from above the main corridor in St Luke's division, was taken down, never to be returned to its place of splendour, and faded into history - it is only seen on very old photographs, some of which we hope to include in later editions. St Margaret's officially opened in the same year, 1914, and the patient population in the following year, 1915, is recorded as being 2,820.
In 1918/19 the New West Annex (St Margaret's) was evacuated as an Asylum and turned over to the Military for their use in the care of sick and injured from the First World War. There are four graves in the hospital cemetery which are under the care of the War Graves Commission relating to casualties of the First World War (there is one from the Second World War too, although this one appears to be the grave of an Italian internee).
Committee records show at this time, the change of name from "Whittingham Asylum" to "Whittingham Mental Hospital".
Coxen Hole, is the largest city on the island of Roatán, and the capital of the Bay Islands department of Honduras, with a population of 5,070 as of census 2001. It is also the location of the island's Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport.
The city was founded in 1835 when several families moved to Roatán from the Cayman Islands. It is named after pirate Captain John Coxen/Coxon. Roatán was once home to over 5,000 pirates.
Bus service connects Coxen Hole with other points on the island. Coxen Hole Stadium is located in the town. There is also a small hospital, Woods Medical Facility.
Roatan is an island in the Caribbean, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) off the northern coast of Honduras. It is located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, and is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras.
The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan. It is approximately 77 kilometres (48 mi) long, and less than 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) across at its widest point. The island consists of two municipalities: José Santos Guardiola in the east and Roatán, including the Cayos Cochinos, further south in the west.
The island rests on an exposed ancient coral reef, rising to about 270 metres (890 ft) above sea level. Offshore reefs offer opportunities for diving. Most habitation is in the western half of the island.
The most populous town of the island is Coxen Hole, capital of Roatán municipality, located in the southwest. West of Coxen Hole are the settlements of Gravel Bay, Flowers Bay and Pensacola on the south coast, and Sandy Bay, West End and West Bay on the north coast. To the east of Coxen Hole are the settlements of Mount Pleasant, French Harbour, Parrot Tree, Jonesville and Oakridge on the south coast, and Punta Gorda on the north coast.
The easternmost quarter of the island is separated by a channel through the mangroves that is 15 metres wide on average. This section is called Helene, or Santa Elena in Spanish. Satellite islands at the eastern end are Morat, Barbareta, and Pigeon Cay. Further west between French Harbour and Coxen Hole are several cays, including Stamp Cay and Barefoot Cay.
Located near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea (second largest worldwide after Australia's Great Barrier Reef), Roatán has become an important cruise ship, scuba diving and eco-tourism destination in Honduras. Tourism is its most important economic sector, though fishing is also an important source of income for islanders. Roatán is located within 40 miles of La Ceiba. The island is served by the Juan Manuel Gálvez Roatán International Airport and the Galaxy Wave Ferry service twice a day.
The Indians of the Bay Islands are believed to have been related to either the Paya, the Maya, the Lenca or the Jicaque, which were the tribes present on the mainland. Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage (1502–1504) came to the islands as he visited the neighbouring Bay Island of Guanaja. Soon after, the Spanish began trading in the islands for slave labour. More devastating for the local Indians was exposure to Eurasian infectious diseases to which they had no immunity, such as smallpox and measles. No indigenous people survived the consequent epidemics
Throughout European colonial times, the Bay of Honduras attracted an array of individual settlers, pirates, traders and military forces. Various economic activities were engaged in and political struggles played out between the European powers, chiefly Britain and Spain. Sea travellers frequently stopped over at Roatán and the other islands as resting points. On several occasions, the islands were subject to military occupation. In contesting with the Spanish for colonisation of the Caribbean, the English occupied the Bay Islands on and off between 1550 and 1700. During this time, buccaneers found the vacated, mostly unprotected islands a haven for safe harbour and transport. English, French and Dutch pirates established settlements on the islands. They frequently raided the Spanish treasure ships, cargo vessels carrying gold and silver from the New World to Spain.
During the War of the Austrian Succession (King George's War in the US), a detachment of the British Army under Lt. Col John Caulfeild garrisoned the island from 1742 to 1749. The garrison was originally found from two companies of Gooch's Virginia Regiment, but these were eventually amalgamated into Trelawney's 49th Foot (later the 1st Royal Berkshire Regiment).
In 1797, the British defeated the Black Carib, who had been supported by the French, in a battle for control of the Windward Caribbean island of St. Vincent. Weary of their resistance to British plans for sugar plantations, the British rounded up the St. Vincent Black Carib and deported them to Roatán. The majority of Black Carib migrated to Trujillo on mainland Honduras, but a portion remained to found the community of Punta Gorda on the northern coast of Roatán. The Black Carib, whose ancestry includes Arawak and African Maroons, remained in Punta Gorda, becoming the Bay Island's first permanent post-Columbian settlers. They also migrated from there to parts of the northern coast of Central America, becoming the foundation of the modern-day Garífuna culture in Honduras, Belize and Guatemala.
The majority permanent population of Roatán originated from the Cayman Islands near Jamaica. They arrived in the 1830s shortly after Britain's abolition of slavery in 1838. The changes in the labour system disrupted the economic structure of the Caymans. The islands had a largely seafaring culture; natives were familiar with the area from turtle fishing and other activities. Former slaveholders from the Cayman Islands were among the first to settle in the seaside locations throughout primarily western Roatán. During the late 1830s and 1840s, former slaves also migrated from the Cayman Islands, in larger number than planters. All together, the former Cayman peoples became the largest cultural group on the island.
For a brief period in the 1850s, Britain declared the Bay Islands its colony. Within a decade, the Crown ceded the territory formally back to Honduras. British colonists were sent to compete for control. They asked American William Walker, a freebooter (filibuster) with a private army, to help end the crisis in 1860 by invading Honduras; he was captured upon landing in Trujillo and executed there.
In the latter half of the 19th century, the island populations grew steadily and established new settlements all over Roatán and the other islands. Settlers came from all over the world and played a part in shaping the cultural face of the island. Islanders started a fruit trade industry which became profitable. By the 1870s it was purchased by American interests, most notably the New Orleans and Bay Islands Fruit Company. Later the Standard Fruit and United Fruit companies became the foundation for modern-day fruit companies, the industry which led to Honduras being called a "banana republic".
In the 20th century, there was continued population growth resulting in increased economic changes and environmental challenges. A population boom began with an influx of Spanish-speaking Mestizo migrants from the Honduran mainland. Since the late 20th century, they tripled the previous resident population. Mestizo migrants settled primarily in the urban areas of Coxen Hole and Barrio Los Fuertes (near French Harbour). Even the mainlander influx was dwarfed in number and economic effects by the overwhelming tourist presence in the 21st century. Numerous American, Canadian, British, New Zealander, Australian and South African settlers and entrepreneurs engaged chiefly in the fishing industry, and later, provided the foundation for attracting the tourist trade.
In 1998, Roatán suffered some damage from Hurricane Mitch, temporarily paralysing most commercial activity. The storm also broke up the popular dive-wrecks Aguila and Odyssey.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new virus.
The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, and avoiding close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell.
How it spreads
Coronavirus disease spreads primarily through contact with an infected person when they cough or sneeze. It also spreads when a person touches a surface or object that has the virus on it, then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth.
EVERYONE PLEASE PLAY YOUR ROLE, EVERYONE IS A FIGHTER!
Yesterday was a day I had been looking forward to - to finally finishing the huge task of sorting, editing and posting 1,161 photos from our amazing birding trip to South Texas in March 2019. Having spent exactly one year doing this, it feels rather strange to be digging into my archives for images to upload. How sad it is that we (hopefully all!) will be missing seeing so much beauty this year, due to the Coronavirus/COVID-19. I'm glad to see that all my neighbours are doing their very best to keep themselves, and everyone else, safe by staying home all the time. It is grim news from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, that he would expect to see cases of the virus spike again in the fall.
So, for now, back to the archives. For each photo, I will use the same description that I added under a different, already posted image. Stay safe and stay well, everyone! Please be kind and appreciative to all those who still have to work, including health care workers (my daughter is one of them), first responders, food store workers, truckers and so many, many more.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id
www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...
"A short while after taking photos of a Great Gray Owl on 8 June 2016, I learned that a dead Great Gray Owl had been found in this general area. I really hope it was not this magnificent owl or the other Great Gray Owl I saw and photographed not too far away. I don't know if the owl had been hit by a car, or not. Always sad to hear this kind of news.
Whenever I post a photo taken of this owl, I have to smile, thinking of what happened while I was taking photos of a Wilson's Snipe on this day. Occasionally, when I'm along one of the roads SW of the city, friend Pam also happens to come along. So, on 8 June 2016, I had pulled over to take a few photos of a beautiful Snipe that was perched on a fence post, when I was suddenly aware of a car pulling up alongside of me - and Pam was who I thought of straight away. However, when I turned to look, I found myself looking into the face of a Police Officer sitting in his Police car!!! Almost always, when I pull over, I turn on my hazard blinkers, or at the very least, the indicator. Didn't that time, so I was feeling very guilty. However, the Police Officer hadn't stopped for that reason. He just wanted to check that all was OK. He asked what I was photographing and I pointed out the bird. He said he had wondered if maybe I had seen a bear on the distant hillside (I wish!). Then he apologized for making the bird fly just before he drove off, with a friendly "Take Care" : ) I almost decided to leave for home, but then changed my mind and went in search of (hopefully) an owl. Not a good feeling, though, each time I pulled over, lol!
The feel of goose bumps and half-numbed skin from my car's air-conditioning was the most wonderful feeling that day, when I couldn't bear being inside my place one more day. It feels like an oven each summer, but this year, with the crazy weather we have been having, the heat had already been too much. I had already stayed home for three days in a row, as the two day trips at the weekend had totally knocked me out. This day, though, I couldn't take the indoor heat any longer, and so I took a drive SW of the city. By the time I got back home, I felt cold, which was so good. Travelled all my usual roads and back roads, seeing all the usual things, including Wilson's Snipe, Red-winged Blackbirds and Mountain Bluebirds.
When I felt it was time to start on my homeward journey, I reckoned I might as well check one more time for a Great Gray Owl. I almost drove past the one in this photo, as it was on the far side of the road when I first spotted it and, from a distance, just blended in with the light and shadows of the forest. I took a few quick shots, then drove down the road and turned around, hoping that the owl would still be in the same place, which thankfully it was. It eventually flew across the road and landed in a tree or two and then made its way to an open area where it continued to hunt. After a few minutes, it dove into the long grass and completely disappeared from sight. I thought I must have missed seeing it fly away, but it eventually did reappear and immediately flew across the road again, with a small rodent in its beak. A quick stop on a fence post (with its back to me, sigh) and then it flew off into the trees. No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken of them, each owl is just as exciting as the very first.
Having been so very fortunate to see this owl, I thought I would check one more time to see if the second owl that I saw a few days ago was anywhere in sight. Nothing - but I did watch and photograph a sweet pair of Mountain Bluebirds. Not my 'usual' pair, though I did see them briefly, earlier on my drive."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE TO LOCAL FRIENDS: Fish Creek Provincial Park is now closed to vehicle access, in an attempt to keep people out of the park.
"We are asking all Albertans to assist us by complying with the public access restriction and to stay home during this critical time.
If you have plans to travel to a provincial park or provincial recreation area, please rethink your plans. We all need to do our part to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable Albertans ....” Minister of Environment and Parks, Jason Nixon. STAY HOME!
In the extremely difficult and stressful time that we are all in now, please do remember to be patient and to be kind and thankful to everyone who still has to work, especially Health Care workers - my daughter is one of them, and she said that she is overly stressed and exhausted, partly because of families and visitors who lose their temper over restrictions that have been put in place in the hospital.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 16 March 2020: 74 confirmed cases in Alberta, 342 in Canada. 4 deaths in Canada - so far, all have been in British Columbia.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 17 March 2020: 97 confirmed cases in Alberta, 447 cases in Canada. 70 confirmed cases in the Calgary Zone. 7 deaths in Canada.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 18 March 2020: 119 confirmed cases in Alberta, 83 confirmed cases in Calgary Zone, 591 in Canada. 8 deaths in Canada.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 19 March 2020: 146 confirmed cases in Alberta, 101 confirmed cases in Calgary Zone, 736 in Canada. 9 deaths in Canada, 1 death in Alberta.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 20 March 2020: 195 (up from 146!) confirmed cases in Alberta, 101 confirmed cases in Calgary Zone, 846 in Canada. 10 deaths in Canada, 1 death in Alberta.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 22 March 2020: 259 (up from 226) confirmed cases in Alberta, 1,302 (up from 1,048) in Canada. 19 deaths in Canada, 1 death in Alberta.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 23 March 2020: 301 (up from 259) confirmed cases in Alberta, 1,432 (up from 1,302) in Canada. 20 deaths in Canada, 1 death in Alberta.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 31 March 2020: 690 (up from 661) confirmed cases in Alberta, 7,708 (up from 6287) in Canada. 422 in the Calgary Zone (4 deaths). 89 deaths in Canada, 8 deaths in Alberta. Completed tests (as of March 30) in Alberta 46,057.
www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx
National Parks in Canada have now been shut down.
All Alberta provincial parks and public lands are now closed.
Olympics 2020 in Japan has been postponed to 2021.
Smallpox Vaccination Certificate dated 7th of July, 1857, for my great grandfather (born 1850) who at an age of 7½ year old was vaccinated in Copenhagen, Denmark.
-----
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by one of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980 [Source: Wikipedia]
surface of the planet Venus below the cloudy Atmosphere (just kidding it is warped moldy sticker deco in Vienna (wien) on a wall in Naschmarkt)
God I miss my home (not Venus)!!!
Peace and Noise!
Mushroombrain phone home mit handy!
Dr. Violette Tessier works at a group medical practice with four other doctors. The cabinet is organized for primary care medicine. Dr Violette Tessier has also competencies in infectious diseases. Her husband, Dr Victor Tessier, has knowledges in muscles, bones and joints. They work with a young feminine doctor of the same promotion and two experimented doctors – a man and his wife – who are the main owners of the cabinet. Twice a year, Violette lefts the group for two weeks as Red-Cross delegate. This time, she must check the needs in a village after a flood. The way until the village, and the fields on both sides are declared “landmine safe” after a long internal conflict ending 9 years ago. At approach of the village, the road is covered with sand and stones. One kilometer before the arrival, the white Land Rover stops, a tree is lying across the road. It is too heavy to be moved away by two persons. The driver and Violette decided to go on foot, holding each a basic medical bag. Violette lifts her leg over the trunk and puts her left foot on the over side. A yellow flash, a loud bang and a big pain on her foot, Violette fells on her back. Looking at her shredded shoe, Violette, as doctor, understands on the instant she’ll lose her foot soon. The driver built a tourniquet and Violette takes a syringe from her bag and injects a painkiller in her own leg. She is transported to the next hospital. The surgeon is very experienced in amputation and does his best to prepare a useful stump.
Violette is back home after her interrupted mission. Her amputation is about 12 cm above the ankle. She stops on a bench. She feels as a dozen ants run between her calf and the bandage. She massages herself through the fabric.
Yesterday, she received information: the deminers worked one weeklong and didn’t find one other landmine. This only one was probably convoyed from upstream by the flood. The deminers could also clean a contaminated place 7 km upstream on the side of the river. The place was only marked by yellow bands but not yet cleaned because nobody was living around and the bridge was destroyed.
Before the full healing, Violette is back on her workplace. To speak at desk with a patient, it’s easy, but when she must auscultate him in the next room, she needs thought for each move with her flat-heeled shoe and her two crutches. Before, she had her full concentration on her patient, and she moved without thinking about. She need put her crutches in a corner to have two free hands for the care to the patient.
Victor puts on a Vivaldi record and settles down on the sofa. Violet sits down next to him. She puts her crutches aside; she snuggles against her husband and closes her eyes.
After updating pictures by other artists, I have my own work and I wrote a story (to be continued)
“Tuberculosis remains one of the major diseases afflicting children throughout the world. Although the exact number of annual cases of childhood tuberculosis is unknown, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated approximately 1 million new cases and 400,000 deaths per year in children due to tuberculosis.[1] Many of these cases go undiagnosed and untreated.” - www.medscape.com
“The main source of transmission of TB infection to a child is usually an adult with positive tuberculosis in the lungs. TB in children is mainly due to a failure to cure the infectious adult patients. Adults who do not complete their TB treatment put young children below ten years of age at risk to become infected with TB bacilli with a high risk of becoming active tuberculosis.” - www.doh.gov.za
*image taken for World Health Organization, Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.
'No Man is an Island'
No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
“Nessun Uomo è un'Isola”
Nessun uomo è un’isola, completo in se stesso; ogni uomo è un pezzo del continente, una parte del tutto. Se anche solo una zolla venisse lavata via dal mare, l’Europa ne sarebbe diminuita, come se le mancasse un promontorio, come se venisse a mancare una dimora di amici tuoi, o la tua stessa casa. La morte di qualsiasi uomo mi sminuisce, perché io sono parte dell’umanità. E dunque non chiedere mai per chi suona la campana: suona per te».
John Donne
……………………………………………..
Chronicles report that in Italy the epidemic caused by the "new flu" began on January 31, 2020, when two tourists from China tested positive for the new coronavirus, subsequently an infectious outbreak of covid-19 was confirmed on 21 February 2020 in Codogno in Lombardy with 16 cases, increased the day after to 60 cases, with the first deaths occurring in those days (but the presence of cases occurred elsewhere and on earlier dates is not excluded, due to the initial difficulty in recognizing a "virus new and unknown "). The infectious epicenter had been identified in the wet market of the city of Wuhan, located in the center of China: on December 31, 2019 the Whuan Health Commission reported to the WHO of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology (city that was quarantined on 23 January 2020, which was followed shortly after the quarantine of the entire province of Hubei), on 9 January 2020 the Chinese scientific committee reported that a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) had been identified as the causative agent of the infectious pathology, then called Covid-19. In Italy, from the identification of "red areas" at high risk of contagion in Lombardy and Veneto, it wasn't long before Italy was declared a risk zone. The hospitals, with the doctors, nurses, health workers, were all busy dealing with the new emergency: first aid, infectious disease wards, resuscitations, supported by 118 service and law enforcement agencies; the fear on the part of those who were (and are) called to provide assistance, was that of becoming infected and becoming the "greasers" of the new virus towards others, towards their family members. Every day the media viewed the images of military vehicles with dismay, which lined up carrying numerous coffins of innocent victims who died of coronavirus from the hospital in Bergamo. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared that there was talk of a pandemic now, the infection had now acquired a worldwide spread.
News not long appeared in the media, is the theory put forward by the immunologist Antonio Giordano, an Italian scientist transplanted to the USA, who says that southern Italy was less subject to epidemic violence than the north of Italy, because it, the south, it would be protected by a "genetic shield" for an interaction that took place during the evolution of DNA in relation to the external environment. Not wanting to bother the various theories that attempt to explain the epidemiological differences that have been found between northern and southern Italy, one thing is certain in Sicily: the various great terrible epidemics in Sicily have left indelible traces in the relationship of the Sicilians with the their Saints, entities invoked "as a shield" to protect from the worries of life.
San Sebastiano (together with San Rocco), is carried in procession in numerous Sicilian feasts; He was invoked to protect against the plague (and all contagious diseases) as early as 1575, the year in which the plague raged in Sicily.
Santa Rosalia on 9 June 1625 was carried in procession, her mortal remains accompanied by the song "Te Deum Laudamus", while they passed in the lazaretto quarters of Palermo, they operated the instantaneous healing of the sick poor under the eyes of those present, so that the infection stopped (since then she became the patron saint of Palermo).
In the Sicilian town of Castroreale, "u Signuri Longu" (the tall Christ), is a life-size wooden statue hoisted on a pole about 14 meters high, this Crucifix is carried in procession and is invoked because considered miraculous, having saved the Mrs. Giuseppina Vadalà of Castroreale from certain death: now dying, she was miraculously healed at the passage of the Sacred Crucifix (we are in the year 1854, the cholera epidemic in Messina killed about 30,000 people in the short two-month period).
This photo-story of mine was made in Sicily after the partial reopening of May 18: I dedicate it to the Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, who died on February 7, 2020 in Wuhan, for having tried to fight against the new coronavirus, and of which he was trying to throw a cry of alarm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Le cronache riportano che in in Italia l’epidemia causata dalla “nuova influenza” ha avuto inizio il 31 gennaio 2020, quando due turisti provenienti dalla Cina sono risultati positivi al nuovo coronavirus, successivamente un focolaio infettivo di covid-19 è stato confermato il 21 febbraio 2020 a Codogno in Lombardia con 16 casi, aumentati il giorno dopo a 60 casi, coi primi decessi avvenuti in quei giorni (ma non è escludersi la presenza di casi avvenuti altrove ed in date antecedenti, causa la difficoltà iniziale a riconoscere un “virus nuovo e sconosciuto”). L’epicentro infettivo era stato individuato nel mercato umido della città di Wuhan, situata nel centro della Cina: il 31 dicembre 2019 la Commissione Sanitaria di Whuan segnalò all’OMS dei casi di polmonite ad eziologia ignota (città che fu messa in quarantena il 23 gennaio 2020, alla quale fece seguito poco dopo la quarantena dell’intera provincia di Hubei), il 9 gennaio 2020 il comitato scientifico Cinese riferì che era stato identificato un nuovo coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) quale agente causale della patologia infettiva, poi chiamata Covid-19. In Italia, dalla individuazione di “zone rosse” ad alto rischio di contagio in Lombardia ed in Veneto, non passò molto tempo che l’Italia tutta fu dichiarata zona a rischio. Gli ospedali, con i medici, gli infermieri, gli operatori sanitari, furono tutti impegnati a fronteggiare la nuova emergenza: in prima linea i pronto soccorso, i reparti di malattie infettive, le rianimazioni, supportati dal servizio 118 e dalla forze dell’ordine; il timore da parte di coloro che erano (e sono) chiamati a prestare assistenza, era quello di essere infettati e diventare gli “untori” del nuovo virus verso gli altri, verso i propri familiari. Sui media ogni giorno si osservavano con sgomento le immagini di mezzi militari che, in fila, trasportavano numerosi le bare di vittime innocenti decedute a cause del coronavirus, provenienti dall’ospedale di Bergamo. L’11 marzo 2020 l’OMS dichiarò che oramai si parlava di pandemia, l’infezione aveva acquistato oramai una diffusione a carattere mondiale.
Notizia non da molto apparsa sui media, è la teoria avanzata dall’immunologo Antonio Giordano, scienziato italiano trapiantato negli USA, che afferma che il meridione d’Italia è stato meno soggetto alla violenza epidemica rispetto al settentrione d’Italia, perché esso, il meridione, sarebbe come protetto da uno “scudo genetico” per una interazione avvenuta nel corso dell’evoluzione del DNA in rapporto con l’ambiente esterno. Non volendo scomodare le varie teorie che tentano di spiegare le differenza epidemiologiche che si sono riscontrate tra il nord ed il sud Italia, in Sicilia una cosa è certa: le varie grandi terribili epidemia avutesi in Sicilia, hanno lasciato tracce indelebili nel rapporto dei Siciliani coi loro Santi, entità queste invocate “come scudo” a protezione dagli affanni della vita.
San Sebastiano (insieme a San Rocco), viene portato in processione in numerose feste Siciliane; Egli venne invocato a protezione contro la peste (e di tutte le malattie contagiose) fin dall’anno 1575, anno in cui in Sicilia infuriò la peste.
Santa Rosalia il 9 giugno 1625 venne portata in processione, le sue spoglie mortali accompagnate dal canto “Te Deum Laudamus”, mentre passavano nei quartieri lazzaretto di Palermo, operavano la guarigione istantanea dei poveri malati sotto gli occhi dei presenti, cosicchè il contagio si arrestò (da allora divenne la Santa Patrona di Palermo).
Nella cittadina Siciliana di Castroreale, “u Signuri Longu” (il Cristo alto), è una statua lignea a grandezza naturale issata su di un palo alto circa 14 metri, tale Crocifisso viene portato in processione ed è invocato perché considerato miracoloso, avendo salvato la signora Giuseppina Vadalà di Castroreale da morte certa: oramai moribonda, fu miracolosamente guarita al passaggio del Sacro Crocifisso (siamo nell’anno 1854, l’epidemia di colera a Messina uccise circa 30.000 persone del breve periodo di due mesi).
Questo mio foto-racconto è stato realizzato in Sicilia dopo la parziale riapertura del 18 maggio: lo dedico al medico Cinese Li Wenliang, morto il 7 febbraio 2020 a Wuhan, per aver cercato di combattere contro il nuovo coronavirus, e del quale tentava di gettare un grido di allarme.
On April 5, 2017, FDNY, NYC Health and Hospitals, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in association with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted a full-scale exercise to practice transferring a patient with a highly infectious disease, such as Ebola, from a regular emergency room or clinic to Bellevue Hospital, the special pathogen hospital for New York City.
Architect: Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møller (internationally also known as C. F. Møller Architects)
Built in: 2008-2011
Builder: Regionservice, Region Skåne
Facts
Area: 19,000 m² new build – 5,000 m² conversion
Construction sum: 860 MSEK
Engineer: PEAB AB
The cylindrical emergency and infectious diseases unit at Malmö University Hospital, Sweden, is designed to minimize the risk of spreading diseases. The distinctive shape also provides a new landmark for the hospital complex. Patients enter the isolation ward via an airlock from the walkway that surrounds the entire building. The exterior lifts are used exclusively by patients of the infectious diseases unit and for hospital waste, while the interior lifts are used to transport staff, supplies and clean materials. Each storey can be divided into sealed-off smaller units in the event of an epidemic.
C. F. Møller Architects furthermore designs fixtures for the emergency and infectious diseases unit.
Source; C. F. Møller Architects
The 750-bed Ellis Island Hospital of infectious and contagious disease wards were abandoned in 1954. It was part of the former U.S. immigration inspection station and gateway for over 12 million immigrants from 1892 until 1954. Now a museum it is situated in New York Harbor within the states of New York and New Jersey. Print size 8x10 inches.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_toad
The common toad, European toad or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the toad (Bufo bufo, from Latin bufo "toad"), is an amphibian found throughout most of Europe (with the exception of Ireland, Iceland, and some Mediterranean islands), in the western part of North Asia, and in a small portion of Northwest Africa. It is one of a group of closely related animals that are descended from a common ancestral line of toads and which form a species complex. The toad is an inconspicuous animal as it usually lies hidden during the day. It becomes active at dusk and spends the night hunting for the invertebrates on which it feeds. It moves with a slow ungainly walk or short jumps and has greyish brown skin covered with wart-like lumps.
Although toads are usually solitary animals, in the breeding season, large numbers of toads converge on certain breeding ponds, where the males compete to mate with the females. Eggs are laid in gelatinous strings in the water and later hatch out into tadpoles. After several months of growth and development, these sprout limbs and undergo metamorphosis into tiny toads. The juveniles emerge from the water and remain largely terrestrial for the rest of their lives.
The common toad seems to be in decline in part of its range but overall is listed as being of "least concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1] It is threatened by habitat loss, especially by drainage of its breeding sites, and some toads get killed on the roads as they make their annual migrations. It has long been associated in popular culture and literature with witchcraft.
Taxonomy
The common toad was first given the name Rana bufo by the Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae in 1758.[3] In this work, he placed all the frogs and toads in the single genus Rana. It later became apparent that this genus should be subdivided, and in 1768, the Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti placed the common toad in the genus Bufo, naming it Bufo bufo.[4][5] The toads in this genus are included in the family Bufonidae, the true toads.[2]
Various subspecies of Bufo bufo have been recognized over the years. The Caucasian toad is found in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus and was at one time classified as Bufo bufo verrucosissima. It has a larger genome and differs from Bufo bufo morphologically [6] and is now accepted as Bufo verrucosissimus.[7] The spiny toad was classified as Bufo bufo spinosus. It is found in the Mediterranean area and grows to a larger size and has a spinier skin than its more northern counterparts with which it intergrades.[8] It is now accepted as Bufo spinosus.[9] The Gredos toad, Bufo bufo gredosicola, is restricted to the Sierra de Gredos, a mountain range in central Spain. It has exceptionally large paratoid glands and its colour tends to be blotched rather than uniform.[10] It is now considered to be a synonym of Bufo spinosus.[11]
Bufo bufo is part of a species complex, a group of closely related species which cannot be clearly demarcated.[1] Several modern species are believed to form an ancient group of related taxa from preglacial times. These are the spiny toad (Bufo spinosus), the Caucasian toad (Bufo verrucosissimus) and the Japanese common toad (Bufo japonicus). The European common toad (Bufo bufo) seems to have arisen more recently.[6] It is believed that the range of the ancestral form extended into Asia but that isolation between the eastern and western species complexes occurred as a result of the development of the Central Asian Deserts during the Middle Miocene.[12] The exact taxonomic relationships between these species remains unclear.[6] A serological investigation into toad populations in Turkey undertaken in 2001 examined the blood serum proteins of Bufo verrucosissimus and Bufo spinosus. It found that the differences between the two were not significant and that therefore the former should be synonymized with the latter.[13]
A study published in 2012 examined the phylogenetic relationships between the Eurasian and North African species in the Bufo bufo group and indicated a long evolutionary history for the group. Nine to thirteen million years ago, Bufo eichwaldi, a recently described species from south Azerbaijan and Iran, split from the main lineage. Further divisions occurred with Bufo spinosus splitting off about five million years ago when the Pyrenees were being uplifted, an event which isolated the populations in the Iberian Peninsula from those in the rest of Europe. The remaining European lineage split into Bufo bufo and Bufo verrucosissimus less than three million years ago during the Pleistocene.[14] Very occasionally the common toad hybridizes with the natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) or the European green toad (Bufo viridis).[15]
Description
The common toad can reach about 15 cm (6 in) in length. Females are normally stouter than males and southern specimens tend to be larger than northern ones. The head is broad with a wide mouth below the terminal snout which has two small nostrils. There are no teeth. The bulbous, protruding eyes have yellow or copper coloured irises and horizontal slit-shaped pupils. Just behind the eyes are two bulging regions, the paratoid glands, which are positioned obliquely. They contain a noxious substance, bufotoxin, which is used to deter potential predators. The head joins the body without a noticeable neck and there is no external vocal sac. The body is broad and squat and positioned close to the ground. The fore limbs are short with the toes of the fore feet turning inwards. At breeding time, the male develops nuptial pads on the first three fingers. He uses these to grasp the female when mating. The hind legs are short relative to other frogs' legs and the hind feet have long, unwebbed toes. There is no tail. The skin is dry and covered with small wart-like lumps. The colour is a fairly uniform shade of brown, olive-brown or greyish-brown, sometimes partly blotched or banded with a darker shade. The common toad tends to be sexually dimorphic with the females being browner and the males greyer.[16] The underside is a dirty white speckled with grey and black patches.[15][17]
Other species with which the common toad could be confused include the natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) and the European green toad (Bufo viridis). The former is usually smaller and has a yellow band running down its back while the latter has a distinctive mottled pattern. The paratoid glands of both are parallel rather than slanting as in the common toad.[15] The common frog (Rana temporaria) is also similar in appearance but it has a less rounded snout, damp smooth skin, and usually moves by leaping.[18]
Common toads can live for many years and have survived for fifty years in captivity.[19] In the wild, common toads are thought to live for about ten to twelve years. Their age can be determined by counting the number of annual growth rings in the bones of their phalanges.
Distribution and habitat
After the common frog (Rana temporaria), the edible frog (Pelophylax esculentus) and the smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris), the common toad is the fourth most common amphibian in Europe.[15] It is found throughout the continent with the exception of Iceland, the cold northern parts of Scandinavia, Ireland and a number of Mediterranean islands. These include Malta, Crete, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands. Its easterly range extends to Irkutsk in Siberia and its southerly range includes parts of northwestern Africa in the northern mountain ranges of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. A closely related variant lives in eastern Asia including Japan.[15] The common toad is found at altitudes of up to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) in the southern part of its range. It is largely found in forested areas with coniferous, deciduous and mixed woodland, especially in wet locations.[17] It also inhabits open countryside, fields, copses, parks and gardens, and often occurs in dry areas well away from standing water.
Behaviour
The common toad usually moves by walking rather slowly or in short shuffling jumps involving all four legs. It spends the day concealed in a lair that it has hollowed out under foliage or beneath a root or a stone where its colouring makes it inconspicuous. It emerges at dusk and may travel some distance in the dark while hunting. It is most active in wet weather. By morning it has returned to its base and may occupy the same place for several months. It is voracious and eats woodlice, slugs, beetles, caterpillars, flies, earthworms and even small mice.[21][22] Small, fast moving prey may be caught by a flick of the tongue while larger items are grabbed with the jaws. Having no teeth, it swallows food whole in a series of gulps.[21] It does not recognise its prey as such but will try to consume any small, dark coloured, moving object it encounters at night. A research study showed that it would snap at a moving 1 cm (0.4 in) piece of black paper as if it were prey but would disregard a larger moving piece.[23] Toads seem to use visual cues for feeding and can see their prey at very low light intensities where humans are unable to discern anything.[24] Periodically, the common toad sheds its skin. This comes away in tattered pieces and is then consumed.[21]
When attacked, the common toad adopts a characteristic stance, inflating its body and standing with its hindquarters raised and its head lowered. Its chief means of defence lies in the foul tasting secretion that is produced by its paratoid glands and other glands on its skin. This contains a toxin called bufagin and is enough to deter many predators although grass snakes seem to be unaffected by it.[15] Other predators of adult toads include hedgehogs, rats and mink, and even domestic cats.[22] Birds that feed on toads include herons, crows and birds of prey. Crows have been observed to puncture the skin with their beak and then peck out the animal's liver, thus avoiding the toxin.[22] The tadpoles also exude noxious substances which deter fishes from eating them but not the great crested newt. Aquatic invertebrates that feed on toad tadpoles include dragonfly larvae, diving beetles and water boatmen. These usually avoid the noxious secretion by puncturing the tadpole's skin and sucking out its juices.[22]
A parasitic fly, Lucilia bufonivora, attacks adult common toads. It lays its eggs on the toad's skin and when these hatch, the larvae crawl into the toad's nostrils and eat its flesh internally with lethal consequences.[25] The European fingernail clam (Sphaerium corneum) is unusual in that it can climb up water plants and move around on its muscular foot. It sometimes clings to the toe of a common toad and this is believed to be one of the means by which it disperses to new locations.[26]
In 2007, researchers using a remotely operated underwater vehicle to survey Loch Ness, Scotland, observed a common toad moving along the bottom of the lake at a depth of 324 feet (99 m). They were surprised to find that an air-breathing animal could survive in such a location.
Reproduction
The common toad emerges from hibernation in spring and there is a mass migration towards the breeding sites. The toads converge on certain ponds that they favour while avoiding other stretches of water that seem eminently suitable.[21] Adults use the same location year after year and over 80% of males marked as juveniles have been found to return to the pond at which they were spawned.[28] They find their way to these mainly by using olfactory and magnetic cues. Toads experimentally moved elsewhere and fitted with tracking devices have been found to be able to locate their chosen breeding pond when the displacement exceeded three kilometres (two miles).[29]
The males arrive first and remain in the location for several weeks while the females only stay long enough to mate and spawn. Rather than fighting for the right to mate with a female, male toads may settle disputes by means of the pitch of their voice. Croaking provides a reliable sign of body size and hence of prowess.[30] Nevertheless, fights occur in some instances. In a study at one pond where males outnumbered females by four or five to one, it was found that 38% of the males won the right to mate by defeating rivals in combat or by displacing other males already mounted on females.[31] Male toads generally outnumber female toads at breeding ponds. A Swedish study found that female mortality was higher than that of males and that 41% of females did not come to the breeding pond in the spring and missed a year before reproducing again.[32]
The males mount the females' backs, grasping them with their fore limbs under the armpits in a grip that is known as amplexus. The males are very enthusiastic, will try to grasp fish or inanimate objects and often mount the backs of other males. Sometimes several toads form a heap, each male trying to grasp the female at the base. It is a stressful period and mortality is high among breeding toads.[15] A successful male stays in amplexus for several days and, as the female lays a long, double string of small black eggs, he fertilises them with his sperm. As the pair wander piggyback around the shallow edges of the pond, the gelatinous egg strings, which may contain 3000 to 6000 eggs and be 3 to 4.5 metres (10 to 15 ft) in length, get tangled in plant stalks.[21]
The strings of eggs absorb water and swell in size, and small tadpoles hatch out after two to three weeks. At first they cling to the remains of the strings and feed on the jelly. They later attach themselves to the underside of the leaves of water weed before becoming free swimming. The tadpoles at first look similar to those of the common frog (Rana temporaria) but they are a darker colour, being blackish above and dark grey below. They can be distinguished from the tadpoles of other species by the fact that the mouth is the same width as the space between the eyes, and this is twice as large as the distance between the nostrils. Over the course of a few weeks their legs develop and their tail gradually gets reabsorbed. By twelve weeks of age they are miniature toads measuring about 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long and ready to leave the pond.[21]
Development and growth
The common toad reaches maturity at three to seven years old but there is great variability between populations.[15] Juveniles are often parasitised by the lung nematode Rhabdias bufonis. This slows growth rates and reduces stamina and fitness. Larger juveniles at metamorphosis always outgrow smaller ones that have been reared in more crowded ponds. Even when they have heavy worm burdens, large juveniles grow faster than smaller individuals with light worm burdens.[33] After several months of heavy worm infection, some juveniles in a study were only half as heavy as control juveniles. Their parasite-induced anorexia caused a decrease in food intake and some died.[34] Another study investigated whether the use of nitrogenous fertilisers affects the development of common toad tadpoles. The toadlets were kept in very dilute solutions of ammonium nitrate of various strengths. It was found that at certain concentrations, which were well above any normally found in the field, growth was increased and metamorphosis accelerated, but at others, there was no significant difference between the experimental tadpoles and controls. Nevertheless, certain unusual swimming patterns and a few deformities were found among the experimental animals.
A comparison was made between the growth rate of newly metamorphosed juveniles from different altitudes and latitudes, the specimens studied being from Norway, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and France. At first the growth rates for males and females was identical. By the time they became mature their growth rate had slowed down to about 21% of the initial rate and they had reached 95% of their expected adult size. Some females that were on a biennial breeding cycle carried on growing rapidly for a longer time. Adjusting for differences in temperature and the length of the growing season, the toads grew and matured at much the same rate from the four colder localities. These juveniles reached maturity after 1.09 years for males and 1.55 years for females. However, the young toads from lowland France grew faster and longer to a much greater size taking an average 1.77 years for males and 2.49 years for females before reaching maturity.[36]
Conservation
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers the common toad as being of "least concern". This is because it has a wide distribution and is, over most of its range, a common species. It is not particularly threatened by habitat loss because it is adaptable and is found in deciduous and coniferous forests, scrubland, meadows, parks and gardens. It prefers damp areas with dense foliage. The major threats it faces include loss of habitat locally, the drainage of wetlands where it breeds, agricultural activities, pollution and mortality on roads. Chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease of amphibians, has been reported in common toads in Spain and the United Kingdom and may affect some populations.[1]
There are parts of its range where the common toad seems to be in decline. In Spain, increased aridity and habitat loss have led to a diminution in numbers and it is regarded as "near threatened". A population in the Sierra de Gredos mountain range is facing predation by otters and increased competition from the frog Rana perezi. Both otter and frog seem to be extending their ranges to higher altitudes.[1] The common toad cannot be legally sold or traded in the United Kingdom[37] but there is a slow decline in toad numbers[1] and it has therefore been declared a Biodiversity Action Plan priority species.[17] In Russia, it is considered to be a "Rare Species" in the provinces of Bashkiria, Tataria, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous County and Irkutsk,[17] but during the 1990s, it became more abundant in Moscow Province.[17]
It has been found that urban populations of common toad occupying small areas and isolated by development show a lower level of genetic diversity and reduced fitness as compared to nearby rural populations. The researchers demonstrated this by genetic analysis and by noting the greater number of physical abnormalities among urban as against rural tadpoles when raised in a controlled environment. It was considered that long term depletion in numbers and habitat fragmentation can reduce population persistence in such urban environments
Roadkill
Many toads are killed by traffic while migrating to their breeding grounds. In Europe they have the highest rate of mortality from roadkill among amphibians. Many of the deaths take place on stretches of road where streams flow underneath showing that migration routes often follow water courses.[39] In some places in Germany, Great Britain, Northern Italy and Poland, special tunnels have been constructed so that toads can cross under roads in safety. In other places, local wildlife groups run "toad patrols", carrying the amphibians across roads at busy crossing points in buckets. The toads start moving at dusk and for them to travel far, the temperature needs to remain above 5 °C (41 °F). On a warm wet night they may continue moving all night but if it cools down, they may stop earlier.[40] An estimate was made of the significance of roadkill in toad populations in the Netherlands. The number of females killed in the spring migration on a quiet country road (ten vehicles per hour) was compared with the number of strings of eggs laid in nearby fens. A 30% mortality rate was found, with the rate for deaths among males likely to be of a similar order.[41]
Bufotoxin
The main toxic substance found in the parotoid gland and skin of the common toad is called bufotoxin. It was first isolated by Heinrich Wieland and his colleagues in 1922 and they succeeded in identifying its structure about 20 years later.[42] Meanwhile other workers succeeded in isolating the same compound and its parent steroid bufotalin from the Japanese toad (Bufo japonicus). By 1986, researchers at the Arizona State University had succeeded in synthesizing the toad venom constituents bufotalin, bufalitoxin and bufotoxin.[43] The chemical formula of bufotoxin is C40H60N4O10. Its physical effects resemble those of digitalis[44] which in small doses increases the strength with which the heart muscle contracts and which is used in the treatment of congestive heart failure. The skin of one toad contains enough toxin to cause serious symptoms or even death in animals and man.[45] Clinical effects include severe irritation and pain to eyes, mouth, nose and throat, cardiovascular and respiratory symptoms, paralysis and seizures, increased salivation, vomiting, hyperkalemia, cyanosis and hallucinations.[45] There is no known anti-venom.[45] Treatment consists of supporting respiratory and cardiovascular functions, prevention of absorption and electrocardiography to monitor the condition. Atropine, phenytoin, cholestyramine and lidocaine may prove useful in its management.[45]
Cultural significance
The toad has long been considered to be an animal of ill omen or a connection to a spirit world. This may have its origins in the fact that it is at home both on land and in the water. It may cause repugnance because of its blackish, wart-like skin, its slow movements and the way it emerges from some dark hole. In Europe in the Middle Ages, the toad was associated with the Devil, for whom a coat-of-arms was invented emblazoned with three toads.[46] It was known that the toad could poison people and, as the witch's familiar, it was thought to possess magical powers. Even ordinary people made use of dried toads, their bile, faeces and blood.[47] In some areas, the finding of a toad in a house was considered evidence that a witch was present.[47] In the Basque Country, the familiars were believed to be toads wearing elegant robes. These were herded by children who were being trained as witches. Between 1610 and 1612, the Spanish inquisitor Alonso de Salazar Frías investigated withcraft in the region and searched the houses of suspected witches for dressed toads. He found none.[48] These witches were reputed to use undomesticated toads as ingredients in their liniments and brews.[48]
An English folk tale tells how an old woman, a supposed witch, cursed her landlord and all his possessions when he demanded the unpaid rent for her cottage. Soon afterwards, a large toad fell on his wife and caused her to collapse. The toad was thrown into the fire but escaped with severe burns. Meanwhile, the old witch's cottage had caught fire and she was badly burnt. By next day, both toad and witch had died, and it was found that the woman's burns exactly mirrored those of the toad.[
The saliva of the toad was considered poisonous and was known as "sweltered venom" and it was believed that it could spit or vomit poisonous fire. Toads were associated with devils and demons and in Paradise Lost, John Milton depicted Satan as a toad when he poured poison into Eve's ear.[47] The First Witch in Shakespeare's Macbeth gave instructions on using a toad in the concoction of spells:[50]
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.
It was also believed that there was a jewel inside a toad's head, a "toadstone", that when worn as a necklace or ring would warn the wearer of attempts to poison them.[51] Shakespeare mentioned this in As You Like It:[52]
Sweet are the uses of adversity
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.
Mr. Toad Esq. is one of the main characters in the children's novel The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame.[53] This has been dramatized by several authors including A. A. Milne who called his play Toad of Toad Hall. Mr. Toad is a very conceited, anthropomorphic toad and in the book he composes a ditty in his own praise which starts like this:[54]
The world has held great heroes,
As history books have showed;
But never a name went down to fame
Compared with that of Toad!
The clever men at Oxford
Know all there is to be knowed.
But none of them know half as much
As intelligent Mr. Toad!
George Orwell in his essay Some Thoughts on the Common Toad described the emergence of the common toad from hibernation as one of the most moving signs of spring.
Oh man It's good to be home!
I just got back from a three-week photoshoot.
I've been working with the WHO (World Health Organization) in photoshoots that will be used in campaigns to help raise awareness of Tuberculosis (TB), a serious infectious disease, in selected countries.
Back in August, we went to Syria. This time around, we went to Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan.
It is really an interesting subject matter. There is honestly a lot to talk about here; but for now, all I have for you guys is this image.
This is a TB patient in one of the government-based TB clinics in Lahore, Pakistan.
*image taken for World Health Organization, Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.
Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre started 1981, combining the Morris Hospital (the former Northfield Consumptive Home) and the Metropolitan Infectious Diseases Hospital opened on Hampstead Road for the treatment of patients 7 October 1932.
During World War Two the commonwealth defence department used the Morris Hospital for returned service personnel.
From 1946 the Royal Adelaide Hospital regained control, treating tuberculosis and cancer.
The 750-bed Ellis Island Hospital of infectious and contagious disease wards were abandoned in 1954. It was part of the former U.S. immigration inspection station and gateway for over 12 million immigrants from 1892 until 1954. Now a museum it is situated in New York Harbor within the states of New York and New Jersey. Print size 8x10 inches.