Category Archives: Health
Pepysing back at the 1665-66 plague of London
I aimed for a weekly post about the health of the natural world, but here I am dwelling on coronavirus again. Is anyone undistracted by this pandemic? This time I dusted off my copies of Samuel Pepys diaries in which … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Health, History
Tagged Black Death, coronavirus, COVID-19, Eyam church, Great fire, London, plague, Samuel Pepys
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Latent impact of COVID-19 in pregnancy?
There was a time when the womb was regarded as a pristine environment for a ‘fetonaut’ to travel safely for 9 months until birth, protected by a shield-like placenta. No longer. The effects of smoking, thalidomide and binge drinking show … Continue reading
Posted in Health
Tagged coronavirus, COVID-19, flu pandemic, Great Recession
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A Day in Dharavi
That day slept in deep memory until Dharavi appeared in news reports about the threat of COVID-19. It wasn’t a Westerner’s curiosity about the plight of poor people that brought me in 2003 after an engagement in Mumbai; it was … Continue reading
Posted in Health, Memoir
Tagged coronavirus, COVID-19, dengue fever, Dharavi slum, Mumbai, rickshaw
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Clean Water Matters
When we turn on a faucet we assume the water is safe to drink. It’s not a safe assumption in many countries, of course, but regarded here as an unwritten right and safeguarded by public officials (Ahem, what about Flint, … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Health
Tagged Elk River, PFAS, pollution, Ralph Waldo Emerson, WV legislature
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Graying, Viruses and Broken Hearts
A long time ago I made a discreet survey of male manes. Perhaps it was an idle way to cure boredom on journeys, but the more I looked the more convinced I became that men who turn gray when young … Continue reading
Posted in Biomedical, Health
Tagged bald, gray hair, heart disease, inflammation, melanocyte, MITF
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