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Quizzes
Guess the Scientist!
What famous Victorian-era scientist does this passage describe? (Follow the "extended" link for the answer.)He suffered from incessant retching or vomiting, usually brought on by fatigue; and from painful bouts of wind that churned around after meals and obliged him to sit quietly in a private room until his body behaved more politely. Reading between the lines, his guts were noisy and smelly. "I feel nearly sure that the air is generated somewhere lower down than stomach," he told one doctor plaintively in 1865, "and as soon as it regurgitates into the stomach the discomfort comes on." He was equally forthright with his cousin...: "all excitement & fatigue brings on such dreadful flatulence that in fact I can go nowhere." When he did go somewhere, he needed privacy after meals, "for, as you know, my odious stomach requires that."
He also had trouble with his bowels, frequently suffering from constipation and vulnerable to the obsession with regularity that stalked most Victorians. He developed crops of boils in what he called "perfectly devilish attacks" on his backside, making it impossible to sit upright, and occasional eczema. There were headaches and giddiness. He probably had piles as well.
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Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 07, 2008 -
Comments (2)
Category: Medicine, Quizzes, Guess the Scientist, Science
Name That List, #1
Jincy Willett, one of my favorite writers (who just came out with a new book, The Writing Class), offers an interesting puzzle. The challenge is to identify this list. Googling is cheating.- The spur of cheese.
- The mustard-pot of penance.
- The cobbled shoe of humility.
- The furred cat of the Solicitors and Attorneys.
- The Teeth-chatter or Gum-didder of Lubberly Lusks.
- The Ape’s Paternoster.
- The Fat Belly of the Presidents.
- The Merciless Cormorant, by Hoxinidno the Jew.
Jincy doesn't give the answer, and neither will I. Leave your guesses in the comments.
(Of course, the real challenge is to see how long before you break down and google. Took me about a minute.)
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 07, 2008 -
Comments (0)
Category: Literature, Quizzes, Name That List
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