In the Green Witch arc, Sebastian presents a rather interesting book to Sieglinde when she requests to have something to read. The book is called The Family Physician, and it is in fact replicating a real medicinal work of the Victorian era.
The Family Physician: A Manual Of Domestic Medicine was published in London, England, by Cassell & Company in the year 1883. It is one of many books of this kind as at the time family manuals of medicine were becoming more and more popular. Of course, books were still rather expensive to print and were majorly available to the rich.
As many were living in estates outside of the city centers and some traveled abroad, physicians were not always readily available. With that, more and more rich Victorians would rather have a book of medicinal remedies at home to "replace" a visit from a doctor.
The book Sebastian is showing in the arc is one of the later editions by the physicians of the London hospitals. The special edition Family Physician featured in the manga consists of four volumes and includes a diverse list of treatments for many types of illnesses.
Now, Yana does include two supposed remedies used in that book but only one of them is found on the pages: opium tincture. Laudanum was prescribed for various illnesses. As for the bacon, it is a real medical practice of the Victorian era but one recorded in The Successful Housekeeper (1888), not in this manual.
Sebastian has previously stated that he would get familiar with the medicinal treatment options of the time to assist Ciel with his health problems. We can safely assume that this handbook manual is used by him rather often to help young Lord during his various instances of sickness.
This book consists of multiple categories of illnesses that would take a long time to cover fully, but here are those that Ciel canonically either goes through or is likely to go through due to his known chronic condition (asthma):
Night Terrors
Asthma
Cold
Cough
Fever
The sort of treatment that Sebastian would put Ciel through, were he to truly follow the book, is bizarre.
Do not follow these instructions. They are highly outdated and do not follow any medical requirements. Herbs, plants, and chemicals mentioned in this post are highly toxic and should not be ingested or inhaled.
Night Terrors
Night terrors are recognized by Victorians as recurrent and relatively safe, as they are "rarely precursors of fits or epilepsy", though they may be hard to handle, especially in younger children.
In case that a Victorian child was suffering from nightmares, or night terrors as they equated the two, physicians recommended rhubarb and soda also known as Gregory's powder. Combined with a light and digestible meal, this mixture, which is currently regarded as a laxative, was to ensure that the sleep of the child is undisturbed through the night.
Asthma
During the Victorian era, asthma was not recognized as an obstructive disease of lungs, but rather as a neurological condition. Physicians of the time were seemingly very well-aware that asthma was a difficult and longterm condition even if they did not precisely understand its nature; sometimes referring to it as psychosomatic.
Within the treatments that Ciel would have realistically gotten were he, as a Victorian child, to have the kind of asthma attacks that he has had in the manga are:
I. Tobacco, which was believed to relieve paroxysms - sudden asthma attacks.
The book Sebastian has provided us with says that tobacco would be especially beneficial for non-smokers who have not established tolerance to cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Even though individuals who used this method would grow "pallid" and "damp with prespiration" after the process, their asthma attack would be "prevented".
It is possible to assume that with the repeated, consistent smoking pattern Victorian asthmatics tried to balance out their breathing rhythm.
II. Lobelia inflata, also known as puke weed, is another type of tobacco recommended for asthma, though this time it is to be consumed by ingestion in a form of a tincture mixed with water. It was believed that this tobacco helped with asthma "related to indigestion".
The book does state that its authors are unsure whether the plant is very effective as some patients have fallen sick after the use; which is no surprise to the modern reader as lobelia inflata has been discovered to be a toxic plant.
III. Stramonium, also known as thorn-apple, is a kind of medicine recommended by the Victorian physicians when smoking tobacco was not enough.
The leaves of the plant, which is highly toxic due to multiple alkaloids within it, would be crushed and smoked. Smoking stramonium before sleep for prophylactic reasons or at the beginning of an asthma attack was generally considered an effective treatment that worked "like magic".
IV. CigaresĀ de Joy, "anti-asthma" cigarettes created by a Frenchman, are highly regarded by the authors of the book.
Like many other medicinal treatments of the Victorian era, they were, of course, bad for your health as they contained stramonium and arsenic.
V. Coffee is probably the only non-toxic method of treating asthma that Victorian doctors suggest.
However, even with coffee one can't hope to have much satisfaction from the treatment: it is to be given very hot, black (pure cafe noir), without any milk, and on an empty stomach in small quantities. Bigger dosages are advised against while taking coffee with a meal is cosidered to be a cause of asthma attacks.
VI. Nitre-papers are, practically, papers with potassium nitrate.
The papers were meant to be burned so the fumes fill the room.
The chemical compound of nitre-papers is an irritant and causes damage to the lungs, though Victorian doctors describe multiple cases of children and adults alike "peacefully" falling asleep around ten minutes into the paper burning. The latter is probably no surprise as potassium nitrate fumes have an adverse effect on the human body, causing nausea and dizziness.
VII. Nitrite of amyl is one more nitric chemical compound that is recommended by the Victorian doctors to inhale in order to treat asthma.
Now, this chemical is highly toxic in all forms and especially so in direct inhalation and ingestion; it can cause blindness, brain damage, lung scarring, and death.
VIII. Chloroform is yet another questionable way of managing asthma in the Victorian era.
While the authors of the book can be given credit for mentioning that overdoing chloroform is never the aim, and even provide a story of a man who died doing so, they do still praise the method greatly. According to the manual, chloroform is to be applied in a few drops on a handkerchief one can press to the nose and inhale through.
It is rather clear here that Victorians truly did see asthma as a disturbance within the nervous system and provided methods of sedating the patient.
IX. Ipecacuanha, an imported plant native to Brazil, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia, is a remedy that the authors seem rather perplexed about. They do recommend it as an effective method of asthma treatment but they do not specify how it is to be applied.
We are left wondering how exactly Victorians used this plant. Ipecacuanha, or ipecac as it is known within the medical field now, is highly toxic in all its forms and is especially dangerous to ingest. Brain damage and organ failure are only some side effects of ignoring safety precautions.
X. Potassium iodide is a medication recommended for ingesting directly in the amount of two tablespoons three times a day. Praised for postponing or even fully stopping asthma attacks, this medicinal treatment was highly regarded by the Victorian doctors.
It is worth mentioning that potassium iodide has adverse side effects and is an allergen for many people. However, it is a recognized medical supplement that should be taken only, if ever, upon doctor's prescription.
Cold
Victorians recognized that cold was a rather complicated condition as it could either be a simple cold of a precursor to other, more serious, diseases: bronchitis, pneumonia, quinsy, consumption (tuberculosis), pleurisy, rheumatism, neuralgia, and more.
Doctors seemed to believe that the main cause of a common cold was dampness rather than anything else: a damp bed, a damp seat, a damp house or room, a damp robe, and more. Bathing for a prolonged amount of time was discouraged as it "caused colds".
The physiological nature of a cold was that it was seen as an inflammation of a mucuous membrane within the air-passages.
Victorians recommended that one who has caught a cold should stay quiet and not talk much, not eat too much food though drink plenty of water. The most jarring thing is, they recommend - within the book in Sebastian's possession - that colds are to be immediately treated with an aconite tincture. Needless to say, aconite is toxic in all forms and causes nausea and dizziness, vomiting, heart and lung problems, as well as death.
Out of safery reasons, we will abstain from providing any sort of recipes here. Aside from aconite, or when aconite was simply not enough, Victorian doctors suggest the following remedies:
Camphor
Phosphorus
Belladonna
Bryony
Nux vomica
Ipecacuanha
Bismuth
Arsenic
All of these ingredients are highly toxic and their effect on the human body greatly varies. Regardless, these should not be taken in absolutely any form.
Cough
Victorians recognize multiple varieties of a cough and state that there's no universal panacea for all of them. Still, they do recommend a few home remedies that are mixtures made of rather unusual components.
One suggests mixing a Paregoric elixir, which is a highly toxic substance containing deadly hydrogen cyanide, with oxymel, cascarilla, and chloric ether. Another proposes a method to treat dry cough: mixing morphia, hydrogen cyanide, and chloric ether together before ingestion.
Other cold treatments include:
Aconite [ā ]
Alum [ā ]
Asafoetida [!]
Belladonna [ā ]
Chamomile oil
Chloroform [ā ]
Coltsfoot [!]
Drosera
Gelsemium [!]
Ipecacuanha [ā ]
Nitric acid [ā ]
Sulphur [!]
Tartar emetic [ā ]
ā - toxic, deadly! - unsafe, may cause health problems for some people
Fever
The last condition that we can see Ciel canonically go through is a fever, which he seems to catch during the events of the Book of Circus arc. Now, treatment of a simple fever in Victorian times was rather unique as the doctors suggested using aconite or belladonna tincture to reduce the fever.
If it happened so that a patient's fever has not gone down after a long while, arsenic mixture is used. If nothing else helped and the fever is accompanied by shooting pain, highly toxic bryony is applied.
Thankfully, during the cases of remittent fever lasting for many days none of these mixtures were applied. Instead, the patient would be given ice to suck, cold water to drink, or some lemonade. Vomiting was to be calmed down with application of chloroform or ipecacuanha. Quinine, which has many dangerous side effects, would also be given. The most the patient would get aside from such dangerous medicine is nutritious meals and a lot of water.
Overall, it seems like using The Family Physician for treatment of many conditions that boys like Ciel would go through in real life Britain would cause more disadvantages than benefits for the patient. Over-reliance on toxic stimulants and deadly chemical substances could not possibly be good for anyone whose health was compromised.
Edits of the manga pages are made by us.
Please, do not use them.
Ā I know what youāre going to say. Sebastian? As a dad in canon? Thisās a joke right? You canāt be serious! Heās a demon! Heās just doing it because of the contract! Thatās what I used to think too and then I read the Campania and the Emerald Witch arc. Because in the manga theyāre portrayed as a butler and his employer and in my opinion a father and a son not whatever hentai screwed up shit that was happening in the anime that Iāve never really gotten over. Believe it or not. Iāve actual got some things that Iād say count as proof for this but firstly we need to establish what three things Ciel asked from him when they made their deal.Ā
1. That Sebastian never lie to him.
2. That Sebastian obeys every command that Ciel gives him (it only counts if he saysĀ āThis is an orderā)
3. Protect him without fail until he completes his revenge.Ā
Now we have the rules and I can get into this really long post. The first two terms are pretty straight forward where some of the confusion comes in is number 3 what counts asĀ āprotectingā Ciel without fail? Does he protect him from sickness and mental anguish? Does he protect his happiness or does he simply keep him from getting physically hurt? Canon has an answer for that. When Ciel made that a term Sebastian actually asked what he meant by that did he mean keep him safe from all illness? If so he could keep him inside his stomach for the rest of eternity (Iām paraphrasing but he says something like this in Black ButlerĀ ābook of Atlantisā or the luxury liner arc if you wanna check it out). Ciel understandably didnāt like that and explicitly statedĀ āphysical harmā. Whyās this important for this meta? Because of something Sebastian does in the Jack the Ripper arc. He hid Cielās eyes from the gory as hell sight in front of him and told him not to look.
What was the point in this? It wouldnāt have meant anything it didnāt hurt him physically, it was just blood and other things right? And knowing how horrific this poor kidās backstory is heās probably seen worse than it. I mean what those animals did to him was pretty bad and then having to watch a sacrifice as well? Along with watching Sebastian brutally murder all the others as well? Heās seen a lot of shit. If he was just salivating over his soul why did he choose to cover his eye and yank him backwards? Why show any sort of protectiveness over him. You can be possessive over your food of course you can but to protect them from something theyāve already seen? Seems a bit weird if ya ask me. Itās an oddly parental thing to do you could say.
These two pannels happen in the book of circus, granted Cielās sick here and as a butler Sebastian would probably think this is expected of him to check on him but he couldāve just asked. He didnāt have to check his head like that. Again itās a very parental thing to do. But these are just random instances right? It doesnāt matter much right? Except he does a few other things to that are again oddly parental of him in this arc
He picks him up like a literal baby.
Heās cradling him against his chest and if you look here.
Heās actually patting his back because heās coughing, do you see the way Hana drew it so itās moving? He didnāt need to do that either but he does, heās patting his back to help him breathe a little better. You may say whatever you like about Sebastian but this remains an irrefutable fact. Heās treating him like a parent would treats their sick child and this is canon. Heās comforting him and as we established in the beginning. This isnāt a part of their contract. Heās only meant to keep Ciel safe from physical harm. Go to chapter 29 and youāll see this just as I have. But the real dad feels happen much later. For anyone who isnāt caught up with the manga but would like to thereās spoilers under the cut.
Hi, Chibi! I hope your day is going well! āŗļø Sorry for bothering you (and please feel free to ignore this ask if itās too much of a hassle), but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on flower language in the new keychains that are being released as part of the Rich Black merch?
My apologies for the late reply! It was not for lack of interest; on the contrary! Thanks for dropping such a fun question!
Well then, without further delays, let us dive into FLOWER LANGUAAAGGEEEE......... though be warned that I am actually pretty bad at recognising flowers. Since none of these keychains came with descriptions, all I can do is hopefully having identified the plant right, or search for flowers that look similar, and deduce which one it probably is based on the shape of the leaves, petals, and pistils. So if anyone happens to catch an error, please do help out!
Sebastian Michaelis - Pomegranate Flower
Sebas' flower is the pomegranate flower. In Japanese flower language it means "mature beauty" and "binding relation", or in other words, "contract". It might also be cheesy, but in Japanese "pomegranate flower" is "zakuro", and the sound of "zakuro" is likewise homophone of "The black" in Japanese. ( Ā“čøļ½)
(Also, I love Sebas' new costume here.)
Ciel Phantomhive - White Rose
White rose has many meanings in Japanese flower language, but the one most befitting with Ciel is probably "youth" and "beginning", but more negatively, "a new start after death".
For sure, it is a very befitting "flower description" of the unnamed sick boy who died, and "Earl Ciel Phantomhive" who got a new start.
Grell Sutcliffe - Lycoris
Beyond a shadow of the doubt, her flower is the Lycoris......cuz... you know, the āLycoris that Blazes the Earth" (ā½Ļā¼). In Japanese flower language, the lycoris stands for "passion" and "life energy".
A trivia that has nothing to do with flower language, it's just the etymology: the lycoris in Japanese is called higanbana (å½¼å²øč±), wherein "higan" means "the other side", as in "afterlife". So "higanbana" means "the flower on the other side". I think it is a nice little thing that Grell is represented as the flower on the other side.
If anyone is interested, at the bottom of this post I explained the meaning of Grell referring to herself as "the single red flower" in chapter 105.
Undertaker - White Lily
A very obvious and straightforward one. The white lily is quite commonly associated with ādeathā, and in Japanese culture it is not too different. (Traditionally in Japanese funerals they donāt need to be lilies at all; they just need to be serene, soft colours. Often orchids and chrysanthemums are used for traditional ceremonies. The white lily is probably popularised because of westernisation.)
White lilies are actually meant to represent āpurityā and āinnocenceā rather than ādeathā. Most likely, that these flowers only came to be associated with ādeathā, because people often use lilies to remember the deceased as a pure and innocent being during funerals.
Agni - Lotus
Agni is represented by the Lotus, which in Japanese flower language means: "untainted heart", "divinity" and "estranged love." In Buddhism-influenced Japan, Lotuses are seen as something very special for itās quality of remaining untainted.
Lotuses grow from deep mud. However dirty, when they emerge they are untainted by the soil. As the Buddha Shakyamuni taught, He too was born on the soil of the world, but lived and emerged, unsoiled by the world. #LotussesTooAwesomeForTheWorld
How āliving unsoiled from the originā reflects upon Agni is clear, but what I also find heart-wrenchingly beautiful is the āestranged loveā part. Agni was estranged from his direct home, then later from his home country, but he had his Prince whom he loved and respected. Now.... heās gone however... where is his love going? Surely itās still around somewhere! But from where will it come?
Okay from this point on is when I need your help.
Joker - Garden Rose
I am not sure, but I THINK these flowers are the Garden Rose...? because of the rumpled petals and the butterfly-shaped leaves. (Correct me if Iām wrong! I mean, I probably am)
I am very sorry to say that I canāt even find this type of flower in Japanese. If I google āGarden Roseā in English I canāt find the Japanese name of this plant, so I canāt look up the flower language...
Charles Grey - Different White Rose?
I....... These flowers look like white roses, but theyāre a bit more solid around the centre and open around the edges... so itās not the clearly defined petal-type ofĀ āclassicā white rose like Cielās...
But I wouldnāt know what these would be then. Someone help me? My apologiesssss m(_ _"m)
Wolfram Gelzer - Monkshood
FINALLY a flower again I can identify. Iāll eat something if this flower isnāt Monkshood, cuz you know why? It is also known as āWolfās baneā ( Ā“čøļ½) (Yes, I am half woman half dad, okay?)
In Japanese flower language, the Monkshood represents āchivalryā, āgloryā āhatred for peopleā and ālearningā. I find it beautiful how this deeply flawed puppy who is working so hard on himself to be good has a flower that represents ālearningā. āHatred for peopleā is also befitting, because being indoctrinated in fantasy-Nazi Germany, youād come to hate people too. Cuz people can be awful.
I am just not sure how far Yana dug into the āwolfās baneā part though... because monkshoods are very poisonous, and historically used as wolf-killers by cover raw meat in monkshood juice. Hmm...... Oh well!
Well, that was that! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making this! Again, if anybody knows the answers to the flowers I couldnāt identify, or catches a mistake, please do help me out! (*Ā“ā½ļ½*)ć
The latest Tweets from ano š½ (@anoderp). š²š¾ 25ā she/they | software eng & artist! into FE/octopath/kirby/ocs but mostly just drawing whateve
Atsuko-chanā @atsuko-chan87 - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
discoholicmusic
germansingergirl
dededos
stormborns
romaincrisis
titsay
kaledo-art
pixelskylines
