Do You Want to Be Truly Period Correct?

[Quartermaster James]

Exactly what sort of skeletal bestiality is depicted in the Freaky Fishmonger's avatar this time!?!

[Mission]

I call it "Man Arguing with Goat." The Smithsonian Natural History Museum calls it "Man Taming Goat."

[Coastie04]

If he were Scottish, I'd suspect a very different title.

Coastie

[Mission]

If it were what you guys are hinting, wouldn't the goat be facing in a different direction?

I like it. In the grand scheme, I believe it represents many things. Man and bureaucracy. Man teaching child manners. Man trying to avoid falling off cliff with help of his faithful goat 'Sparky.'

[Quartermaster James]

Could be a very well trained goat...

I once knew a guy, who knew a guy, who kept a giant sea squid trained to - - -

Well, that's a story for another thread.

Then there was the mudshark, and a vigorous circular motion

Hitherto unknown to by people in this area but destined

To take the place of the mudshark in your mythology...

[CrazyCholeBlack]

Here is the link to the Jamestown Society's article on the above mentioned "Writen in Bone" exhibit. It contains a few clearer photos. http://www.jamestowne.org/Written_In_Bone.htm

As a side note, I find that I have those "tailors notches". I have a small chip along the bottom edge of my front tooth which I recieved from sewing. Needless to say, don't try to pull a needle free from heavy canvas with your teeth

Chole

[Graydog]

If it were what you guys are hinting, wouldn't the goat be facing in a different direction?

Maybe the goat is French?

[Professor Death]

a cultured goat? goat for play? oh boy, its time for me to compose a rhyme about this scene. hmm, let me think of a good one....

[Zingara Carmella]

http://www.cleaning1...oaphistory2.cfm

above is a link with a bit of soap history

Here is a link that discribes some of the oils that were used in some or cleaning

http://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/Oil-P...rties-p-21.html

Here is a more concise writing on hygiene during the centuries.

http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/pdf/h...-of-washing.pdf

a bit of soap history from the caribbean/south america area

Da Costa Soap" used to be brought to Brazil by slaves who came from the African Coast, since around 1620, inform travelers and Portuguese chroniclers, of that time.

It used to come from an area between Ghana and Cameroon, and mainly from Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and Togo.

Although Brazil has always imported also other soaps, such as russian soap, american soap, Marseille soap (from France) or english soap - there are records in the Brazilian National Archive - the Da Costa Soap, has always been the favorite one among slaves and freedmen.

Among the iai�s, the success was not different. The texture of the skin of their mucamas was widely envied by them. They all wanted to use the same "savon" soap, in french - (after all "everything" was French - in Brazil, at the time) but they preferred a savonette, a "savon of toilette. " a toilette soapbar. And to do this the mucamas needed to change the scent of the original Da Costa Soap. How to do it? It was not that difficult.

Usually, during the night, gardens of Casa Grande (manor) in the coffe plantation farms - used to emanate diverse and delicious aromas of so different flowers. There were so many that it was difficult to pick: Jasmine? Manac�s? Rosemary? Or maybe Almecegueiras? Magnolias? Oh, ok; a few petals of patchouli .

And voil�! The mixture was then applied to the Da Costa Soap; that then yes, was appreciated by the nhanh�s. And the scented Da Costa Soap used to show up.

According to Gilberto Freyre in his universal work, "Master and Slaves", it was the Muslim slaves - due to their hygiene habits who introduced the custom of bathing in Brazil.

And after slavery abolition they began to sell such soap to the population of Brazil - in general. Traditional or scented ones. Initially, on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, then capital of the republic. And then throughout our country, Brazil.

here is another link that you might find interesting

http://www.springerl...mx76pgea1b9ka8/

There is another kind of soap use till now is made of coconut oil and it dates from the colonization times, very soft at the skin can be home make (I'm from Brasil)

[AlexRoberts]

Amazing how people lived. God that must of been hard and cities must of smelled terrible.

Fleas........

I know how it is to live with Bedbugs and fleas.

I'm Actually moving out of a friends house cause of it.

[Mission]

I found this comment sort of interesting. It's from Mathias Gottfried Purmann's book Chirurgia curiosa: or, the newest and most curious observations and operations in the whole art of chirurgery, translated into English in 1706. (I am omitting the (very) graphic description of the tumor-removal. )

"No Part of the Body is so much troubled as the Face with all Kinds of Tumours, as Swellings, Spots, Freckles, Pimples, Warts, Ganglions, and other Exulcerations, without mentioning the several Disasters and Maladies happening to the Eyes, Ears, Nose, Mouth, &c." (Purmann, p. 24)

[Mission]

Now here's something useful to inform your period characterization and behavior...

"This sort of Ulcers do also sometimes proceed from a Hurt, occasioned by a Fall, Push, or Blow in the Inside of the Nose, which after by the Patient's continual picking of it with his Fingers, keeps it always Sore and Raw..." (Purmann, p. 25)

[Mission]

Ah, some more fun details from Purrman for those of you who wish to accurately represent the period.

"At first 'tis only a Breaking out, or a dry Scab; afterward a Ficosa or filthy Scald; then a Corrosive Scald, and at last an Heredetary Scald. At first they are but Pimples, or small Ulcers in the Skin upon the Head, which are not apt to change their Colour very early, but at length grow Yellowish, moist, and throw out a sharp itching Sanious Matter, spread further and render the Skin Rough, Uneven, and causes the Hair to fall off. At length they turn to dry Scales, under which are abundance of Holes, containing filthy Matter, something less Thick and Viscous, but is now more malignant with an Increase of Ulcers, which at last grow Dry, Yellow, Greenish, Black and Nasty." (Purmann, p. 43)

[Mission]

The 'Disease'...

“Pimples or small Bumps upon the face… begin about the Nose and Forehead and from thence increase and spread further about the Face. They are white at their first Appearance and without Pain; some of which Suppurate [form pus], and at least emit a little white Matter if they are squeezed, others grow dry of themselves, and afterwards very Red, somewhat larger and bigger, and yet contain white Matter in them. These also cause no great Pain, unless they are squeezed very hard. At length having go the upper-hand, the white and red Pimples vanish and become great red Bumps and little Tumours, especially in great Wine-Drinkers and common Drunkards, and then are called Rubra Facies, and Gutta Rosacea.

The Cause of these Pimples is partly a Hot and Inflamed Blood, and Liquors [fluids in the body, not liquor as we normally think of it] thickned by a too great Acidity, which by the Impulse of other Liquors, is driven towards the Skin, and stopping in the small Veins, cause small Pimples, but if they increase and obstruct the Glandules of the Skin about the Nose, they grow into larger and redder Bumps, or small Tumours. Sour Drink and Victuals is also said to be another Cause of this Distemper.

And the cure...

The Cartesianists [followers of Rene Descartes, who believed the mind was wholly separate from the body – how this relates to his point, I have no idea], and especially Dr. Dolæus [writer of a book on the cure of gout] say, that in the Fat Parts of the Body, and especially in the Face, where the small Vessels abound with Spirits and Nutrimental Juices, there may easily happen an Extravasation [leakage of a fluid] of such Juices of the Skin, which coagulating there, produce Pimples, Blisters, Morphew [a scaly eruption], and Bumps in the Face, and spread all over it.” (Purmann, p. 96)

“Pimples, at first being commonly like the Skin in Colour, and without Pain, the Patient seldom looks after the Cure of them; but when they grow bigger, Redden, spread all over the Face and disfigure the Countenance, then they begin to enquire after a Cure, and sometimes ‘tis too late. Bu if there be any Hopes, make use of the following Water which I have used with Effect.

Rx Aqu Flor. Fabar. Spermat. Ranarum and {dram}iij. Solant Rosar and {dram}ij. Pulp. Citron. Sagill. Salomon Lill Alborum {ounce}jfs Ol. Tartar. per deliqu {dram}iij. Sacchar. Saturn Tinct Benzoin ana {dram}ifs Boracis Venet. Cerus. lot. ana {dram}j. Mercur. deleas {dram}js. m. f. L. a mixture

[This above appears to contain Mercury, but it may not. There was a plant they called mercury that is not, in fact, the metal we think of when we see the term. Since I haven't found a translation for 'Mercur. deleas', I can't say what this is exactly.]

Remember to shake it very well as often as you use it, and washing the Face with it, give it time to dry in of it self. If any think the following better, they may use it.

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Rx. Unguent Rosat Alabast ana {dram}j Flor Sulph. {dram}j Lact Sulph {scruple}v Sace Saturn Ocul Cancr ppt ana {dram}ifs Ol. Rosar Tart per deliqu ana q s m ad Liniment formam [Note: the reprinting of this prescription was very hard to read and may not be completely correct as written here.]

This Medicine was a long time kept as a great Secret, in the Possession of Dr. Michael at Lipzick.” (Purmann, p. 98-9)

[Mission]

I thought this was sort of vivid in its description. It's from John Atkins' The Navy Surgeon:

“But to return: There is still a farther Inconvenience attends Heat and Moisture, in such warm Countries as Guiney and the West-Indies, and contributes to the Sickness of a Ship’s Company, and that is, their being productive of infinite Numbers of Insects, (ab his oriuntur cuncta cuobus,) Ants especially who raise Hills in Africa to eight or ten Foot high, Garisons that will devour a

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dead Sheep in a Night’s Time: Of these we get Variety, and numberless Commonwealths on Board with out Woods, as also Cockroaches, Maggots, and Flies of various Species.

I shall not pretend any of these to be the malignant Species that blight and destroy Plants, or effect Murrain in Cattle, or Plague among Men, according to Dr. Bradley; but this I may be confident in, that by nesting themselves in infinite Numbers among dry Provisions, they prey on the Heart and Substance of it, and so make them less Salutary and fit for Nutriment. Salt and Heat does the same by wet Provisions; especially Irish Meat most used in the West Indies, being half eat up as we call it, with Salt, in a few Months after landing there, giving room to Complaints and Sickness.” (Atkins, Navy Surgeon, p. 355-6)

[Mission]

I was watching the DVD extras for some recent movie set in the 1970s and the set decorator or someone like that was noting how much effort they went to 'recreate' the 70s and how difficult and, in some cases, expensive it was to find this and that prop for the set. Some of it had to be recreated because they either couldn't find or didn't want to pay for the original stuff. And I thought to myself...but I remember the 1970s! It wasn't that long ago! That stuff should be easy to find!

Some of it is, but some of it isn't. I think it was on this forum where we discussed how we think antiques are better made because they have survived for so long. And yet, what has survived for so long is the better made, and usually more expensive, items. All the day-to-day cheap stuff falls apart over time and gets thrown away without another thought. So maybe the 1970s isn't that easy to recreate for a movie.

And then we try to recreate a time period from 300 years ago, with whatever documentation we can scrounge up.

I've said it before, but I'll bet we'd be lucky to get half of it correct. As many surgical accounts as I've read and I still keep learning things I had fixed in my mind are not completely correct. This isn't to say we utterly fail, because I think we get better and better over time, but it is amazing how much more there always seems to be.

[Mission]

Here's a fun quote for you. It's from Master Johann Dietz, Surgeon in the Army of the Great Elector and Barber to the Royal Court, which was translated by Bernard Miall in 1923 from the German version of Dietz's memoirs. Dietz was born 1665 and died in 1738. At this point in his career he was serving as a surgeon on a Dutch whaling vessel. I figure this to be in the 1680s.

"No one may ease himself on board ship; it may be that he is very ill; he must nevertheless get up and make his way to the gunwhale, with one hand holding on to his breeches and the other gripping a rope, even though the ship is rolling and pitching under full sail: a practice which at one time caused me the greatest anxiety, until I obtained permission from the captain to use the built-in privy in his cabin. Now and then, however, it drenched me most unpleasantly, so that I came out wet and filthy; since when the vessel suddenly flung its bows into the air and the stern plunged downwards the salt water spouted up through the hole; so that I had to make use of the privilege with caution." (Dietz, p. 127)

[Captain Jim]

Salty bidet...with sharks!

[Coastie04]

At least the occasional stern head geyser would wash out the pipe...