Inhaling the breath of a duck that was captured in a test tube was once used to treat disorders of the mouth and throat in children. Talk about quack medicine!
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Fujian Province in south-east China has the highest incidence of respiratory and gastrointestinal tract cancers in the whole country.聽The culprit in all likelihood is well water which is...
Danbury, Connecticut used to be the center of the American hat industry.聽It was also known for the 鈥淒anbury shakes,鈥� a condition that encompassed tremors, incoherent speech, difficulty in walking...
Phocomelia is a birth defect that has been linked to the drug thalidomide. This word derives from the Greek words for 鈥渟eal鈥� and 鈥渓imb.鈥� Thalidomide prescribed to pregnant women for morning...
Plaster of Paris derives its name from the fact that it was originally obtained from rock quarried at Montmartre, a suburb of Paris. This common construction material indirectly led to the first...
In 1853 the Queen鈥檚 personal physician, Dr. John Snow dripped an ounce of chloroform on a handkerchief which was then held next to the royal mouth as Prince Leopold was delivered.聽 Her Majesty was...
Chances are you鈥檒l see sodium acid pyrophosphate or sodium bisulfite listed on the label of a package of frozen French fries. They鈥檙e added to deal with that bane of potato lovers, the dark, gray...
To make an antivenin, small doses of poison are injected into horses or goats.聽 The amount of toxin is not enough to kill the animal but is enough to trigger the production of antibodies.聽 These...
Gelotophobia can best be defined as the 鈥減otentially debilitating fear of being laughed at.鈥� A person suffering from gelotophobia may hear a stranger鈥檚 laugh and believe it is aimed at him or her....
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