Medicine – JAMES D. MACDONALD

Plagues Gone Past

Where are the plagues of yesteryear? So there I was, reading Fifty Years in the Magic Circle by Signor Blitz (the memoirs of a mid-19th-century magician) when I saw this bit (pp. 58-59): Irish Wit. During the season, a band of Russian horn-players appeared at the Theatre Royal. Their style of music was originalContinue reading “Plagues Gone Past”

COVID Near You

Modeled on Flu Near You, this is a crowd-sourcing site for COVID-19 infections. Sponsored by Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, it seems like a good idea. The more people who participate the more useful it will be. https://covidnearyou.org/#!/

A Complete Silk Act

One of the perennial topics in these parts goes something like this: “I’ve signed up for a talent show. What should I do?” Let me make a suggestion, under the rubric “everything old is new again.” In Jean Hugard‘s Silken Sorcery (1937), the last chapter describes the Stillwell Silk Act. Here’s what Hugard says: CHAPTER XII THEContinue reading “A Complete Silk Act”

The Hill Case — Part 5

What We Know And How We Know It, Part 5. What We Know: Betty and Barney Misidentified the Jack O’Lantern Resort as a Flying Saucer How We Know It: The Jack O’Lantern Resort has been located on US 3 in Woodstock, NH, since the 1940s. Its logo is a large, stylized jack o’lantern. In theContinue reading “The Hill Case — Part 5”

Mental Health

Mental illness. It happens, just like physical illness. If you had the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, you’d get help. If you had the signs and symptoms of diabetes, you’d get help. We’ve gone to a lot of time and trouble to make sure everyone knows the signs and symptoms of an awfulContinue reading “Mental Health”