As grandpa used to say, " Well, shut my mouth!" I've heard the two things that really changed history were sewers and garbage collection.
RE: I SURVIVED THE BLACK DEATH. DID YOU?
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I SURVIVED THE BLACK DEATH. DID YOU?
No doubt to both.
And we have the Romans to thank for sewers. Some say the ancient Greeks, but there is disagreement, and most agree that, even in Greece, those sewers that still exist date from Roman times.
I can only imagine what Paris and London were like before sewers, and it's not a pleasant thought. The descriptions from back in the day were uniformly pretty foul.
That was always one of the things that fascinated me about Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles due west of Key West, and the Florida Keys, and the largest masonry structure ever constructed in the New World. Some sources say it is second only to the Great Wall of China, though that statistic I question.
16 million bricks, and it was never even completed, because they realized midway through that they had overweighted the coral island it was built upon, which was collapsing beneath its weight.
They had built a system of brick cisterns around the base, to hold fresh water for the soldiers stationed there, only to discover that most of them cracked and allowed salt water intrusion, rendering them useless.
Similarly, they had designed the fort to have the tides flush the waste away from the fort twice a day, only to discover belatedly that the tides did no such thing, leaving a stinking mess surrounding the fort, creating a breeding ground for disease. Ah, the Army Corps of Engineers, at it again.
Needless to say, Fort Jefferson was considered to be among the worst military duty possible, despite its naturally gorgeous location. Trust it to the U.S. military to screw up even paradise. ;-)
During the Civil War it was used as a prison, and its most famous inmate was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who had set the leg of John Wilkes Booth, following his assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Mudd was imprisoned for his efforts, despite zero evidence ever being brought that he had known Booth prior, or had any inkling of his involvement in Lincoln's assassination.
So, basically, ny doctor Booth sought out would have suffered the same fate. No justice in any real sense.
Notwithstanding, when yellow fever hit the fort, a situation made far worse by the sewage situation, and prisoners and soldiers alike began dropping like flies, Dr. Mudd distinguished himself through his selfless efforts to save all those affected, and was ultimately commended for his efforts; ultimately, through the efforts of his wife and those at Fort Jefferson whom he treated, he was granted a full pardon.
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Well, very fascinating history. I ponder about such things as these and about the condition of the souls in Europe during the Black Death. Were we to be transported back to those days I think we'd be stunned by the stink and filth. There is even reference to the Kings Palace in Paris during the 1500's as being filthy. People crapped in corners and under stairs and things. Well... obviously not my ancestors. They all brushed their teeth and bathed regularly... at least once a year!
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Yes, I agree, for a modern to go back to more ancient times would be a rude awakening indeed, not to mention that our immune systems would likely not be up to the task, being so used to proper sanitation, and modern luxuries such as refrigeration.
We would likely be simultaneously exposing them to all manner of new (to them) germs, with obvious consequences, and devastating results.
Butterfly Effect indeed.
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Paris as a whole had the reputation of widespread filth, as did London, and really any city with a large, concentrated population.
They simply had no real means of keeping it clean, nor was it considered a priority, when there were wars to be fought and new lands to be annexed.
Public health and safety weren't even on the radar yet.
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I would dearly love to go back in time and see those days. What utter fascination it would be. Never thought about how insufficient our immune systems would be however. To go back to those days would certainly change one's perspective. I lament, at times, how humans just seem to trudge along in our low level of consciousness and wonder if we will ever rise above our violent behaviors toward each other, but then I look back, even to the 1800's, when there was virtually no consideration of the environment and compare that to now and realize we do progress. I mean look, we have sewers! and weekly trash pick up! Blessings.
I have to tell you too, I celebrate your love of music. Such a wonderful gift your father, I think it was, gave you. I feel joy for you.
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Yes, with all the doom and gloom in the headlines it is sometimes difficult to realize that we are, truly, living in one of the least violent times on our planet. Yes, indeed, there is hope.
And I do have a great deal of faith that many are choosing to choose love, to raise their vibrations, and thus the vibration of the planet as a whole, even when sometimes it seems difficult to see.
But then, the higher we ascend, the more heavily discord weighs upon us, so its effect seems exaggerated. I have certainly felt this a great deal.
As for music, I must credit both parents, and both older sisters, as well as numerous friends and acquaintances.
Music is one of the things that bonded us, even when we could agree on nothing else, and it has helped me immensely over the years.
Amazing how sometimes the right piece of music can lift even the foulest of moods, and the effect is lasting. A rare gift indeed. ;-)
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Yes, I was thinking of that yesterday. "What!?", I said to myself. "No wars?"
Cool to imagine your family deeply rooted in music.
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