Why was I still able to get up today? Why am I still heading to the bathroom? Why am I getting ready for work like usual? Why are there sounds outside? Why are the cars still running outside, carrying people to work, or where ever?
Why is everything still alive?
Why is everything still normal?
Today was a normal day. As normal as anything really. Then, I was crying. And I don't know precisely why.
Why?
Why am I not strong enough?
this sounds like a really bad break up just happened
When I see people with really high hair dos. The ones that have been blowed and moussed and sprayed to an inch of their lives, I get the inexplicable urge to stick my hand in there and see if it disappears.
So the other day, while we were discussing boy bands and the
current trend in today’s coass, my friend and I suddenly found ourselves
discussing nursery rhymes. Yes, our discussions do tend to move in rather random
tangents. It’s awesome. Once, we started talking about volcanoes and somehow
ended up discussing how Hans Christian Anderson is a depressing person.
So, anyway, we were discussing the origins of various
nursery rhymes. How many of you know of the rhyme “Ring around a rosy”? Pretty
much everyone would have heard of this rhyme. There are several versions to
this rhyme but mainly, it goes like this;
Ring around a rosy
A pocket full of posies
Atishoo atishoo
We all fall down
There is also a version where the line “Atishoo – atishoo”
is replaced with “Ashes ashes”. Rather
innocuous yes? Nothing sinister there mister. I even remember playing this in
the school playground in primary where we linked hands and turned in a circle
and at the last line, everyone fell down (regardless of clean pinafores). So,
who would believe that apparently, this rhyme has origins in the Black Plague?
A short history + medical lesson, The Black Plague or the
Bubonic Plague is a highly infectious disease caused by the pathogen Yersinea pestis. It has caused at least
three pandemics and multiple epidemics throughout the course of history, for
example the plague in Europe (1348 – 1350) and the Third Plague Pandemic (1855
-1959) that started in China and spread to various continents. The bacteria is
most commonly transmitted by the Rat flea, Xenopsylla
cheopis. Persons bitten by the flea would be inoculated with the pathogen
and develop the plague. The Bubonic plague, a type of plague, is known as such
because the inoculated pathogen invades nearby lymphoid tissue resulting in
inflamed, necrotic, hemorrhaging lymph nodes or Bubo. There are several
theories regarding why it was named the Black Plague, the first being a
reference to a symptom observed in infected patients where the skin turns black
and necrotic (which is actually due to DIC). The second theory is that the term
“Black” was used to describe the current atmosphere during the plague which was
said to be bleak and depressing (because, really whole towns were wiped out).
Also, interestingly, there are still reports of the plague
cropping up every now and again. And then, you think about all those dead rats
you see on the roads on your way to work.
But this is another discussion for another time.
So, the question is, how is this related to a children’s
rhyme? I’ll go by lines;
“Ring around a rosy” apparently is a reference to a rosy red
rash that would appear on the skin of the infected person.
“A pocket full of posies” is a reference to the custom of
carrying sweet smelling herbs and flowers in pockets due to the belief that the
disease was transferred through bad smells (gives a new meaning to body odour).
“Atishoo – atishoo” signifies sneezing, which is another
symptom shown by the infected person. The other version “Ashes ashes” also has
a meaning in which it is a reference to the custom of burning the dead bodies.
Whether it was already custom to burn dead bodies or rather an effort to
control spread, I don’t really know, but you have to agree, that was smart.
The last line “We all fall down” of course, refers to
everyone dying.
Interestingly if you read it as “Atishoo – atishoo, We all
fall down”, it basically means, you sneeze, you die. Which is kind off awesome.
Because the plague, can also be spread through aerogens and the Pneumonic
plague, one type of plague, is the most lethal form, causing 100% deaths in
infected individuals if they do not receive treatment during the first 24
hours.
So, as interesting as this is, my friend and I already knew
of it. We had read about it before though our sources may have differed. What
we were discussing about was the rhyme “Jack and Jill”. I know, that *points
above*, was just an introduction. LOL.
So, what is it about “Jack and Jill”? The rhyme goes:
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came
tumbling after
The rhyme has another verse but what confused my friend and
I was the fact that Jack fell down
and apparently broke his crown. And
we were saying, that’s head injury, right there. He had a cranial fracture for
sure and kids are actually singing this! And Jill came tumbling after! And who
knows what kind of injury she sustained! It was a rather heated discussion
whether he was really in danger and did he really have a cranial fracture, and
was there a possibility of an epidural hemorrhage. We agreed that prompt action
and ATLS would have helped.
So, because this piqued my interest, I decided to Google it.
And surprise, surprise.
I actually found several theories as to the origin of this
particular rhyme, but I’m going to be talking about the one that I liked the
most. Apparently, the rhyme Jack and Jill has roots in French History! Jack,
actually refers to King Louis the XVI and Jill, refers to Queen Marie
Antoinette. King Louis the XVI during the French Revolution was deposed, accused
of treason and beheaded, hence Jack breaking his crown. Jack breaking his crown
also implies the loss of King Louis’ status as the King. And Jill came tumbling
after because Queen Marie Antoinette was also beheaded.
Talk about head injuries.
The other theories in decreasing order of what interest I
found in them are:
·King Charles I of England, tried to impose tax
on liquids but was barred by his parliament leading him to order the reduction
of the volume of a ‘Jack’ which is a half pint while the tax remains the same. This
actually, means he still gets more tax. As a result of the reduction of a half
pint, consequently there was a decrease in the volume of a quarter pint, a Jill
(actually spelled Gill). Thus, Jill came tumbling after. Fetching a pail of
water actually means the act of watering the liquor which they resorted to
because the tax was expensive.
·Jack and Jill refer to dollars and cents
respectively, and going up the hill means a rise in value. But due to the
plague (hey, another plague reference!), there was a lack of water and thus a
drop in currency (tumbling down the hill).
So there you are two nursery rhymes and their origins. I
read a few other awesome ones too of course. Like my favorite, “Oranges and Lemons”
(also execution related). And contrary to what my friend and I believed, the
lullaby “Rock a bye Baby” did not mean baby dying. But you have to look that up yourself because this is getting rather long.
Still here?
Congratulations on making it this far. Give yourself a pat
on the back. Now go Google nursery rhymes. ;)
Incidentally, did you know that in one version of
Cinderella, one of the step sisters actually cut off part of her feet in order
to fit into Cinderella’s glass slippers? She ended up marrying the prince.
Go learn some stuff
akunona
Take note that all of this should be taken with a grain of salt. Most of it is just speculation and there are various versions flying about that even the most persistent researcher, which is not me, would take some time to explain. Good, cited sources are also hard to come by and if you believe everything they told you on the net, you probably also believe that some of the world leaders are shape shifting reptilians (which is a different story, here's a link if you want to know more about that)
Pagan holiday? A remembrance for that executed father who married couples illegally? Some thing to do with the criminal underworld? Whatever your argument, this :
is not a heart.
This, however:
is (a rough drawing of) a heart.
And then, we have the malay word "hati". Which means, heart. But also, oddly, translates into this:
which, if you can't tell, is a liver.
But, enough of semantics. As interesting as they may sound.
Any plans for "lover's day"? Or, in my case, "Single's Awareness Day"?
Hmm. Probably not, since according to my calander, it would be a Tuesday. And I go to work on Tuesdays. So does everyone else. But hey chocolate's on sale.
Dermatology and Venereal diseases posting started last Monday. Next week would be the oh so awesome second week, in which we pretty much do nothing anyway. Maybe a paper needs to be written at some point. I have no idea of the plans. I did score on the pretest. But that generally just puts pressure on me to score during the post test. And damn it, I don't need pressure. I however, do need a holiday.
In recent beings, nothing much. Just generally being. Finished one book out of the three I bought last weekend. It was nice. Now reading a second book, which is also nice. But I'm only halfway through. And I have a horrible itch to draw something but I don't want to just draw. I want to draw something nice. Something pretty.
So, yeah. Have at it. I'mma gonna go and finish reading my book.
akunona
all the drawings were done by me in MSpaint. Have at it, no terms and conditions apply, though I do wonder what would you be doing with a picture of a liver.
