Medical texts from circa 2000 B.C. indicate that both castor oil and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) were common medications 4000 years ago. I know that my grandparents believed in and used those “cures.”
The legendary Paul Bunyan had a legendary wife. Her name was Minnie. Mickey Mouse had a girlfriend. Her name was Minnie. I suppose that both ladies wore Minnie skirts.
On occasion, the regional folk of Himachal Pradesh, India select a young married man to be the participant in a ritual known as bhoonda. The selected person has three months to twist and weave a 600 foot grass rope. At the appointed hour, the ends of the rope are tied on opposite sides of a very high mountain gorge. The chosen man then straddles a woolen saddle (which has been tied onto the tethered lifeline) and hopefully rides the saddle along the rope until he is safely across the gorge. The tradition dates back at least one thousand years and although no records are known to exist, the elders say that fewer than half of the “chosen” have survived the dangerous journey. Survivors are forever heroes, until they are forgotten.
Some diseases can disastrously reappear. Not long ago, health experts expressed optimism that cholera had been eradicated in Haiti, as the nation had recorded no incidents of the intestinal infection for a span of 100 years. However, subsequent to the 2010 Haitian earthquake, more than 6000 fatalities have been attributed to regional cholera outbreaks.
Martha Washington was known to be actively involved in meal preparations during her marriage to George. Her primary cookbook of reference (Booke of Cookery and Booke of Sweetmeats) was a handwritten volume from the 1600’s which had been a wedding gift. However, the family heirloom was a gift for her first marriage. George was her second husband.
Christopher Columbus never reached the mainland of what would become the United States. After his ship Santa Maria was wrecked, he salvaged timber from the vessel to construct a fort on Hispaniola for some “volunteers.” Then he and most of the crew returned to Spain, but not on the Santa Maria.
According to some “experts,” Classical Chinese acupuncture includes exactly 900 individual needle points on the human body network of “meridians.” Each needle point has a distinct influence. I don’t even trust myself with plastic chopsticks, much less metallic body-poking needles. Well, I suggest that you do not opt to participate in any Indian bhoonda rituals and that you do have a splendid week.