#catarrh

[danskjavlarna]

Source details and larger version.

Not contagious: a collection of vintage disease and illness imagery.

[falseandrealultravival]

Today's tanka-1: sometimes with pictures

many years just raised honeysuckle(スイカズラ）

when I picked flowers smells like peach

スイカズラ(:suikazura) is a honeysuckle herb. As a medicinal effect, it is effective for cough, catarrh, asthma, etc. It contains salicylic acid and people take aspirin. Can be taken as a tea, but may cause vomiting if consumed in large amounts. (From "Herb Encyclopedia 110".)

However, when I actually made tea, the peach scent seemed to fly away. So far I have neglected this herb even though I introduced it into my garden.

18.05.2013

[handeaux]

Remember When Cincinnati’s Best Cure For Colds Was Smoking?

Catarrh is a word rarely used outside humorous contexts these days, but for most of Cincinnati’s history catarrh was nothing to sneeze at (so to speak). Catarrh was, up until about 1940 or so, the accepted medical term for serious nasal congestion and throat irritation; in other words, a bad cold or allergies.

In those pre-antibiotic days, catarrh could be deadly. The City of Cincinnati, between 1865 and 1912, recorded more than 2,000 deaths for which catarrh was a contributing factor. A 1916 advertisement in the Cincinnati Post blamed catarrh for “consumption, general debility, idiocy and insanity.” Another ad, from 1913, claimed catarrh led to bronchitis, pneumonia and cancer, even blindness.

Given such lethal associations, you will not be surprised to learn that newspapers were full of advertisements for potions to cure catarrh, most of which involved substantial infusions of alcohol and mixtures of herbs sure to confound the average botanist. An 1899 advertisement for Stuart’s Catarrh Tablets did not exaggerate when proclaiming:

“The list of catarrh cures is as long as the moral law and the forms in which they are administered, numerous and confusing, from sprays, inhalers, washes, ointments and salves, to powders, liquids and tablets.”

Buried in that list – probably ranked as one of the inhalers – is a curious mode of administration that proved popular for decades, namely smoking. From the mid-1880s onward, Cincinnati newspapers and pharmacies offered specially prepared cigarettes intended to alleviate the dread symptoms of catarrh. Among the most popular were cubeb cigarettes or “cubebs.” Wrapped in standard rice-paper, just like ordinary cigarettes, cubebs were stuffed with the dried, ground berries of a Southeast Asian relative of the pepper plant.

Although often compared to allspice, and sometimes employed to cut pure patchouli oil, cubeb carried with it the hint of the illicit. In 1914, an artist at the Cincinnati Post complained that the Chinese working next-door to the newspaper offices were smoking opium. It turned out to be the telegraph editor, smoking cubebs to treat a head cold. Young boys often graduated from smoking corn silks and wild vines to cubebs until they were old enough to purchase tobacco cigarettes on their own. In Meredith Willson’s musical, “The Music Man,” conman Harold Hill warns the townsfolk of River City that their children are picking up bad habits around the billiard hall:

They’re tryin’ out Bevo, tryin’ out cubebs,

Tryin’ out Tailor-mades like Cigarette Fiends!

Bevo was a non-alcoholic malt beverage, a steppingstone to beer in the same way that cubebs led the way to tailor-made (machine-made) cigarettes. Cubebs were considered appropriate for women, and it appears that a lot of women smoked cubebs until their husbands got used to them smoking, then switched to cigarettes. The Cincinnati Enquirer [31 December 1944] drew the connection to juvenile delinquency:

“Smoking cubeb cigarettes was something that intrigued little boys. They achieved the appearance of evil, astonished a possible nearsighted neighbor, and at the same time were in a position to maintain that they were not touching tobacco. They had a terrible flavor, but a boy got a big kick out of being seen with one between his lips."

Despite the somewhat unsavory reputation, cubebs had their fans, including Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the Tarzan series. Burroughs reminisced for his old school yearbook that, had it not been for cubebs, there might not have been a Tarzan.

Cubeb cigarettes proved so popular that competitors arose, who based their smokeables on herbs (usually not specified) other than cubeb. Smo-Ko tobacco-less cigarettes, for instance, sold itself as:

“A delightful smoke for sick or well. Everybody likes them. Unlike tobacco or cubeb cigarettes, they taste good, smell good, and are good.”

Dr. Blosser’s Cigarettes, though containing “medicinal herbs, flowers and berries,” categorically contained no tobacco or cubebs.

In addition to respiratory ailments, cubeb was employed for some other, less openly discussed diseases. There was no question that cubeb oils had some effect upon the mucous membranes and sensitive membranes occur at various unmentionable places in the body, so early advertisements often propounded the effectiveness of cubeb concoctions upon gleet, fluor albus and seminal weakness, all symptoms of gonorrhea.

Cubeb also found its way into various nooks and crannies of the pharmacological inventory. Cubeb was part of a concoction given to children before bedtime to prevent bedwetting. The formulation has probably evolved over the years, but cubeb was also one of the original ingredients in Vick’s Croup and Pneumonia Salve, later known as Vick’s Vapo-Rub. Cubeb also helps flavor various gins including Hendrick’s and Bombay Sapphire.

Cubebs made a slight return in the 1960s, just as the dangers of tobacco usage starting sinking into the national consciousness. Dr. Theodore R. Van Dellen’s syndicated health column for 22 January 1969 in the Enquirer was titled “Those Cubebs” and reported that physicians around the country were prescribing cubebs as a way to wean from tobacco:

“Dr. Viginia E. Edwards of Mansfield, Ohio, still recommends the cubeb cigarette for her patients with angina, heart trouble and peptic ulcer who can’t or won’t give up smoking.”

By then, cubebs were hard to come by and few drug stores carried them anymore. They had been consigned to fans of musicals and medicinal trivia.

[sickdaysofficial]

Sickdays 18 May: Cold

Powers/No Powers Choose-Your-Own-Adventure ‘verse (Modern Captain America AU)

Submitted by @builder051

________________________

Nat’s finished her second cup of coffee and is about to go for a third when she hears a curse and a muffled thump from the cubicle across the way.  She lets her brow wrinkle as she bites the inside of her cheek, then sets her mug down above her keyboard, torn about whether she should go and investigate.  Steve looked like hell when he came in this morning, and she can’t imagine her unannounced presence is going to be taken well.

Thus, she announces herself.  “K, bye,” she says loudly, picking up and setting down the receiver of her desk phone, then pushing back her chair and standing up.  “That was pointless,” she mutters about her feigned phone call.  “Steve, you’re still on Project Roosevelt, aren’t you?”

Nat crosses the aisle and leans on the doorway to Steve’s cube.  “You have the files, right?”

But Steve doesn’t seem to be listening.  He’s buried head-first under his desk, sweeping used tissues into a trash can held at a 45 degree angle to keep an ungodly amount of pencil shavings from escaping onto the carpet.

“Wow,” Nat murmurs, bending down to grab one he’s missed.  She flicks it into the bin with two fingers.  “They have mechanicals in the supply room, you know?”

“Yeah,” Steve replies with a sniffle, wiping his nose on the inside of his elbow.  “I just… like this kind.”  He sweeps up the last of the Kleenex and gestures to the cup of perfectly sharpened #2′s beside a stack of legal pads on his desk.  Nat wonders vaguely how many of his emails have handwritten first drafts.

“Hm.”  Nat hazards a smile.  “Speaking of things we both seem to need.”  She glances at the filing cabinet in the corner of Steve’s cubicle, decorated with commemorative WWII fridge magnets.  “I’ll trade you.  Project Roosevelt file folder for my extra box of tissues.”

Steve sighs, looking embarrassed.  “I– This–”  He shakes his head.  “I’m sorry.  This cold.  I’m not supposed to have it.”  His voice crackles on the last word, and he clears his throat.  Nat can practically hear him swallowing gunky green mucous.  She hopes he waits till he gets home to cough it back up.

“It’s no big deal,” Nat says.  “Germs are germs.  The strains mutate.  Most of us stay home when we’re sick, though.”

“I don’t want Buck to catch it,” Steve explains thickly, reaching into the tissue box behind him.

“So you’re here spreading your cold, cough, and flu to all the rest of us?”

Steve sighs.  “Sorry.”

“You better be handing out DayQuil as party favors next week.”  Nat grins.

“I promise I’ll take some when I get home.  I’ll be better by tomorrow,” Steve says earnestly.  

“Either that, or just stay home tomorrow.”

Steve nods.  Sneezes.  Wipes his nose.  Then nods again.

“Here, let me get you those tissues.”  Nat slips back into her cubicle and takes the spare box from the beneath her spider plant.  When she returns, Steve’s in his filing cabinet, digging, and sniffling into his sleeve.

“What was it you needed?  Roosevelt?”

“Actually,” Nat says, deciding to come clean, “I don’t need anything.  That was just to get you to talk to me.”

Steve closes the drawer with his shoulder.  “Hey, I would’ve talked to you.”

“Yeah, but if I’d just come over and told you to take a sick day, would you have listened?”

“Hm.”  Steve tips his head to the side, the drip under his nose following suit.  “Guess not.”

“Right.”  Nat places the box firmly into his hands.  “Now.  I’m going for coffee.  What do you want?  Mint tea or something?”

“No, I’m fine–”

Nat glares at him.

“That’d be fine,” Steve says.  “That would be perfect, actually.”

[ask-sickstuck]

How about a sick Roxy, and John tries to care for her while Rose is away? Sickness is up to you!

eB: so how’s party central?

eB: think of anything else for me to bring besides pizza?

eB: i feel kinda like a loser showing up with just that when you’ve got tons of drinks.

eB: but i guess you’re the one with the house of booze and mom away on another book tour…

tG: its not good my dude

eB: what’s that supposed to mean?

tG: im sick as FUCK

tG: my nose is so fuckin pink

tG: ive been preaagmin on mimosas a little bit but nothing too wild

tG: *pregamin

eB: oh.

eB: um.

eB: geez.

eB: i guess i’ll also bring tissues?

tG: that would be great john :)

tG: thank you :)

eB ok then.

eB: see you tonight.

tG: alright :)

John looked at his phone, a bit unsure about the night. He expected an out of control, no-parents party. It would still be a couple of years until he could buy alcohol, and he was excited to get completely wasted with his friend.

“Well, at least she’s not cancelling,”  John thought to himself. “I’ll probably get sick, but at least she’s not too vain to keep me from even seeing her. She could probably use some help, anyway. It must be hard feeling sick alone.”

“John!” Roxy beamed, her face pinker than usual. “You’re finally here!”

“Hey, I came when I was supposed to this time.” John looked away for a second, embarrassed.

“I know, I know, I just missed you.”

“Oh.” John’s heart sunk. “She must’ve been lonely.”

“I saw you just last week,” John acted aloof as he sat the pizza down on the table inside. “Hungry?”

“Oh, no, I kind of forgot about that,” said Roxy. “I should’ve told you not to bring it. I don’t want any.”

“Mind if I eat?”

“Go ahead,” Roxy sniffled. “Maybe watchin’ you will make me hungry. I was hopin’ that I’d be up to it this mornin’. But, it just sounds kind of gross.”

“Whatever,” said John as he opened the box. “You feeling any better?”

“No, worse, honestly,” Roxy giggled, and then coughed a bit. Jaspers rubbed up against her leg and looked up at the pizza.

John gave a concerned look, and Roxy assured him,

“I’ll be fine. You bring the tissues, though?”

“Oh, yeah,” said John. “I threw a box in my bag with some cold medicine.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet of you,” said Roxy, stretching her back a bit and then settling into the chair. “Now, you can help yourself to alcohol, but no fancy mixin’ if you don’t know what you’re doin’. I am on low battery mode and my ass ain’t gettin’ up for much.” Roxy sighed and then pointed at John,

“That means you pick the movie, too.”

“Cool, I know just what we should watch.” said John. “You want to move back to your bed after I eat? I was just thinking, that would probably be a lot more comfortable for you.”

“Sure,” Roxy was a bit surprised, but John was right, and she did have a big bed. Roxy then held up her almost empty glass.

“But, I want you on my refill duty. Nurse, 50 mg of alcohol, stat!”

“That’s like, the coolest job ever,” John smiled, his face stuffed with pizza. He stood up, quickly shoving his chair in before snatching her glass.

“I’m on it!” John stared up at all of the shelves of different liquor. “Now, what exactly is this again?”

Roxy giggled.

“Champagne, orange juice, and a little bit of pink moscato for some extra fun.”

“Okay,” John tried to figure out what was what. “I think I’ll start with that for myself, too.”

[sickdaysofficial]

Day 1: The Oblivious Partner (Klance)

Written by @caramelfuzz

“MY HAIR!”

Keith winced as his boyfriend snatched the umbrella from his hand and scampered as quickly as he could towards the science building-without Keith, naturally-to protect his hair from being messed up by the rain.

Keith walked leisurely after his boyfriend, feeling himself beginning to shiver. He knew he was coming down with something, so why try to fight it? The damage had already been done so there was no sense in risking dropping all his things by running to the building.

Keith was shivering uncontrollably after the five-minute walk in the rain, and could already feel that this cold would be a doozy. He allowed himself to cough briefly, both to get Lance’s attention and to rid himself of the tickle that plagued his throat.

Lance looked back from where he’d been chatting with Hunk and Pidge and twirled the umbrella in his hands, flashing a cheeky grin.

“Thanks babe! You know I have to protect my hair at all costs.”

“Mm-hmm. I know, Lance. All that styling you did earlier can’t be wasted.”

“You mind if I keep this during lab?”

Before Keith got a chance to respond Lance was throwing a “thank you!” over his shoulder and racing to his class.

-

By the time Keith’s 3-hour lab was finished, he was pretty sure his lab partners hated him even more than they had before. Rollo had even done some work for once when Keith’s hands were shaking so badly that he couldn’t hold the boiling beaker properly with the shoddy tongs they were given. Why did it have to be so freaking cold in the labs? Keith, whose clothes had finally dried, was dismayed to see that Lance’s lab had gotten released before his own, and that Lance had apparently decided he needed his boyfriend’s umbrella more than Keith, and had taken it from its spot in one of the cubbies outside of the lab.

“H’kxthch! Hh…heh’kdch’uh!”

Aaaaaaand there were the rest of Keith’s symptoms that had been making themselves increasingly known throughout the lab. Nyma had scooted her stool a little further from Keith every time he sneezed and she’d moved almost four feet by the time Professor Coran had dismissed the class, casting a concerned glance towards Keith as he exited the room as quickly as possible.

Keith was trying to avoid Shiro, as his adoptive brother had been looming a few feet away from him throughout the entire lab, trying not to embarrass him by fussing, and completely neglecting his duties as TA.

“Keith!”

Great. I’m gonna get a lecture about forgetting an umbrella—oh wait! LANCE has my umbrella.

Keith rolled his eyes, still bitter about his boyfriend’s betrayal from earlier. As he turned around to talk to Shiro, the tickle from earlier once again assaulted his nose, and he was forced to muffle four sneezes into his jacket sleeve, not having time to try to stifle.

“Ha’mmphsh! Mmph! Ksh! Eh’mpch!”

“Bless you! I was just about to comment on the frequency with which you were doing that, Keith.”

“Why don’t you comment on the frequency with which you refused to help a student because you were focused on me?” Keith snapped, trying to locate something to wipe his nose on in his backpack, his sleeves were used up, and now that he had access to his things again he wanted to find something dry to sniffle into.

He was pleasantly surprised when Shiro handed him a travel packet of tissues, feeling a little guilty for his harsh words. Shiro was just concerned for his health after all.

“Thaggs. Sorry for beigg ad ass, it’s just that Ladce—”

“Let me stop you right there, buddy. Blow your nose so I can understand you.”

Keith blushingly complied, softly blowing while refusing to make eye contact with his brother. Once he trusted his voice not to be so congested, he tried again.

“Lance took my umbrella from me this morning and ran to class because he didn’t want to mess up his hair. I was just a little chilled in lab, but I think I’ll be okay now that I’ve warmed up.”

He tried to sniffle as discreetly as possible as another relentless tickle was awakened in his sinuses.

Shiro looked skeptical, but didn’t comment as they made their way to the front of the building in silence, both shocked when they saw Lance sitting on a bench with Keith’s bright red umbrella.

“Hey! Sorry for taking your umbrella. My lab got out like an hour early so I went ahead and ran to the post office and came back to walk with you so you won’t get all wet like you did this morning!”

Shiro decided not to make a comment on Keith’s health while Lance was around, taking pity on the frantic manner with which Keith hid the pack of tissues in his pocket and instead elected to depart in the opposite direction, offering a small wave to signify his departure.

Keith, feeling yet another tickle prick in his nose, just offered a smile in response to Lance’s long-winded explanation and followed his boyfriend outside.

Lance kept most of the umbrella for himself, so Keith’s shoulder was soaked by the time they made it to his dorm, causing him to have to fight off small shivers as he hugged Lance goodbye, not wanting to kiss his boyfriend if he was in fact coming down with something, which he probably was at this point.

Lance, though disappointed that he didn’t get a farewell kiss, decided that Keith was just grumpy about being left in the rain earlier, and brushed it off.

Keith frantically scrubbed his wrist under his nose as soon as he was turned away from Lance, he just had to hold back the sneeze until he made it inside— “Heh!”

“Did you say something, Keith?”

“Ihh-Ndo. Bye! I’ll see you at didder!”

Keith nearly slammed the door behind him as he let out an embarrassingly loud “Heh-ISHEW!”

He snuffled into his arm pitifully, half wishing that Lance had been observant enough to notice his current affliction.

After grabbing some tissues and swiping at his streaming nose, he curled up in bed for a short nap. Just half an hour, he thought to himself, trying to set an alarm but not…making it…

-

“-eith? Keith, honey, are you awake? Oh, sweetie you look terrible!”

Lance exclaimed, palming Keith’s forehead and tutting at the heat.

“You seemed fine earlier, how did you get so sick?”

“Umb…I thigk I bight have gotted a bit chilled durigg lab. Shiro always said that if I kept mby hair wet I’d get sick…”

He murmured, not really thinking about what he was saying. He looked up to see Lance tearing up a bit,

“W-wait what’s wrogg? What did I do?”

He panicked, getting up to try to hug his boyfriend but doubling over with a harsh set of coughs,

“No, it’s not you babe. How could I not notice you were soaking wet before lab? And I’m the one who forgot my umbrella. It should be me who’s sick, not you!”

Lance sniffled, looking up to see Keith offering a tissue. Keith got the adorable little embarrassed look he sometimes got when he was being romantic,

“I’d buch rather be the ode who’s sick if it beads you dod’t have to suffer, Landce.”

Lance giggled at his boyfriend’s congested words,

“Okay loverboy, blow your nose and then we can cuddle and watch a movie,”

“No cuddligg, I dod’t wadda get you sick, but a bovie soudds great.”

“Blow your nose, Keith! Then we’ll negotiate how much I’m gonna cuddle you!”

[ask-sickstuck]

Can you do Eridan with the flu?? :o?

Not Eeling Yourself

Holding a tissue to his nose, Eridan moaned,

“Fef? I’m really sick.”

Feferi stroked Eridan’s cheek.

“Yeah, I know you’re knot feeling well. It’s going to take a few days before you get over this bug.”

“That’s all? I’m getting worse,”

“I’m not shore you’re getting worse,” said Feferi. “You might just be feeling a little extra awful since you’re getting sleepy.”

“My gills got all gross,” Eridan complained. “Now I have an infection to deal with.”

“I don’t think they’re infected,” said Feferi, gently touching Eridan’s neck as she looked in his purple gills. As she gently examined him, she added,

“Nope, no infection. They just seem irritated to me. Do they hurt a lot?”

“Yeah,” sniffled Eridan. “They sting.”

Feferi gave her moirail a snuggly hug and then clasped her hand over his forehead.

“Poor Eridan,” Feferi cooed. “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to check your temperature, and then since you can’t think of any other requests from me, maybe we could get you to sleep.”

“I don’t know…” Eridan trailed off. He pulled out another tissue and used it. As he thought about it, he certainly was miserable, and he was more tired now that he’d been up for a while. Maybe he could sleep.

“Alright…” Eridan decided.

Feferi kissed his temple and popped up to grab the thermometer.

Eridan smiled, figuring his girlfriend left a mark of lipstick.

“How does your chest eel?” asked Feferi.

“Not too bad,” Eridan admitted.

“That’s great,” Feferi smiled, looking relieved as she dipped the the thermometer in a tub of vaseline. She then sat it on top of the open container as she tugged down Eridan’s pants and gently guided his legs open. Eridan tightened up a bit.

“You gonna take my temp now?” He asked.

“Yeah, angelfish. That’s alright, isn’t it?” Feferi stroked the back of Eridan’s thigh.

“Yeah…yeah, it’s alright.” Eridan started to relax.

“You’re really not eeling yourself, are you?” Feferi cooed. “Okay, it’s going in now.” Feferi eased the thermometer inside of Eridan’s rectum, watching his eyebrows move uneasily as he pouted during the insertion.

“It feel alright?” she asked, and Eridan shuddered a little.

“Yeah, Fef, I just…” Eridan trailed off. “I just don’t feel very good.”

“I know, Eridan,” said Feferi, holding onto the thermometer. “Just focus on my touch, okay? Good.”

Eridan wiggled his legs a bit uncomfortably as they waited on the thermometer to beep.

Feferi pulled the thermometer out very slowly, and then she read the number.

“Oh, guppy, your temperature’s been elevated a bit more.”

“How high?” asked Eridan.

“103.7,” said Feferi as she redressed her moirail. “Let’s get you to sleep. You want to stay out here on the couch?”

Eridan’s breath hitched and he sneezed into a tissue. He had to grab another out of the box to unload the rest of his violet snot.

“Yes…” Eridan decided, still wanting to be whiny.

Feferi wiped at Eridan’s gills a bit to try to make him more comfortable and covered him with a blanket.

“Feel betta,” she whispered, kissing Eridan on the cheek.

[ask-sickstuck]

Can you write something were terezi gets sick and nepeta takes care of her?

Nepeta’s Great Break-In

Nepeta picked the lock and snuck up to Terezi’s room, getting ready to pounce. She would pay for not showing up to flarp…and she would pay by flarping anyway, and starting off at a disadvantageous point after being caught by the element of surprise.

Nepeta could hear slight rustling from Terezi’s block, but she didn’t think she had been detected yet. Things were still going in her favour. She had locked on to her enemy’s location. Nepeta crouched down, wiggled her rear and made the grand attack.

With a large leap, Nepeta slammed down on the floor, right at Terezi’s feet. The teal-blood shrieked and swung her cane into Nepeta’s shoulder. Nepeta roared and bit down on Terezi’s ankle.

“What the fuck?!? What the fuck?!?” Terezi yelled. “Nepeta…is that you?”

“Yes! Catching you in your own habitat when you least expect it! Nothing can stop us from flarping today?”

“Nepeta, stop, get off of me.”

Nepeta looked up, a bit confused.

“Time out?” Nepeta asked.

“Yes, time out, I’m not playing!”

Nepeta stood up.

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to do anything today,” said Terezi, getting out a new box of tissues from the closet. “I just want to rest. I’m getting sick.”

“You should’ve sent me a message.”

“It’s kind of hard to do anything when I can’t smell,” said Terezi. “Me disappearing for a day usually doesn’t worry anyone. Not that you seemed worried.”

“Well, I guess I was inconvenienced and felt like you didn’t apuureciate me as a friend, but I’m worried now,” said Nepeta. “And I still don’t know where we stand. Shouldn’t you tell a pal about things like that?”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” sniffled Terezi.

“We could’ve always changed our plans,”

“Well, technically we did by me not showing up.”

“That’s not a very nice way to go about it. What do you expect me to do if something really does happen to you? Not come looking?”

“Don’t be like that,” Terezi cackled. “How weak do you think I am? I’ll be fine.”

Nepeta looked over Terezi’s splotchy face, concerned.

“Could we still hang out?” Nepeta asked.

“I’m really just going to be listening to stories today,” sniffled Terezi. “We’ll flarp some other time, alright?”

“Hmmm…I don’t think you’re getting off the hook that easy,” said Nepeta, taking Terezi’s arm. “I think you should go sit down, and I’ll clean up a little fur you. It’s messy because you can’t smell your way around, right?”

“Well, yeah…” Terezi admitted. “But I’ll have everything taken care of in a few days.”

“Don’t worry, I’m already here!” Nepeta grinned. “I can handle it! And you’ll make less of a mess if you ask me to get you medicine and tissues, right?”

“Yeah, but I’d rather do it myself.”

“Come on, we’re friends, right?” Nepeta said as she lead Terezi to a chair. “I owe you for breaking in.”

“I guess you did do that,”

Nepeta giggled.

“So what would you rather first? Should I tidy up your room or make you an apology lunch?”