http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1707
Here are some one liners...
The Cossacks Rebel against Peter the Great -- It was a mistake, but the Cossacks think Peter the Great is the Anti-Christ so it is off to war. I also talk about the Ukraine-Russian conflict.
Measuring the Pulse of the People and Jim the Horse -- Sir John is the first English doctor to recommend measuring the pulse of patients regularly. He also tests medicines. I talk about the FDA and a classic screw-up with Jim the Horse that brought it about.
Billiards and Forbes Field -- Billiards takes off like a shot and John Forbes is born... the guy that Forbes Field is named after.
The Cossacks Rebel against Peter the Great
For years, rebels and discontents have been escaping into the semi-autonomous region surrounding the River Don. It is also the home of the Don Cossacks. Peter the Great has been taxing beards in an attempt to modernize Russia, but the Cossacks see it as a religious intrusion. Indeed, the Bible does prohibit the shaving of the corners of one's beard, a commandment that is subject to interpretation, but does that make Peter the Great the Anti-Christ? To the Cossacks... apparently so. The Cossacks are especially worried about Imperial encroachment upon the salt mines that they depend upon for food preservation. When Peter the Great sends Imperial bounty hunters into the region to pick up a few escaped serfs, the Cossacks see it as an invasion and ambush them. Several Russian counties will take part in this hullabaloo, including parts of Ukraine. The Cossack rebellion is on. [1] [2]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
FYI, Russia was in the midst of a rather difficult war with Sweden at the time so the ambush of Imperial bounty hunters looks like an accident of circumstance... just one last straw that broke the camel's back for the Cossacks. And everyone still remembered the Cossack-Polish War that forced Ukraine into the arms of Russia for protection. Generally speaking, Ukraine did not want direct control from Russia but they knew that without Russian protection they were open to a Polish invasion. In the modern day, that whole region is STILL worried about invasion. During the recent Russian-Ukraine conflict, Poland announced plans in November 2015 to increase the number of army personnel and equipment by 50% in order to protect their border integrity and in June 2015, the United States committed to moving tanks into the region. What could possibly go wrong? [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
FYI, Russia was in the midst of a rather difficult war with Sweden at the time so the ambush of Imperial bounty hunters looks like an accident of circumstance... just one last straw that broke the camel's back for the Cossacks. And everyone still remembered the Cossack-Polish War that forced Ukraine into the arms of Russia for protection. Generally speaking, Ukraine did not want direct control from Russia but they knew that without Russian protection they were open to a Polish invasion. In the modern day, that whole region is STILL worried about invasion. During the recent Russian-Ukraine conflict, Poland announced plans in November 2015 to increase the number of army personnel and equipment by 50% in order to protect their border integrity and in June 2015, the United States committed to moving tanks into the region. What could possibly go wrong? [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Measuring the Pulse of the People and Jim the Horse
Sir John Floyer publishes his first volume on Chinese medicine but it is more than a simple translation of Chinese medical advice. He is suggesting to his fellow physicians that they measure the patient's pulse as a normal part of diagnosis. Sir John provides a great deal of data and examples of how the Chinese have benefited from this practice. It is his custom to be exhaustively complete... painfully so, at times. A few years ago he published a book on medicines after taking the medicines himself. He believed (AND HE WAS CORRECT) that many doctors would prescribe medicines for their patients that the doctor would never dream of taking themselves. He categorized these medicines by taste and smell and even blistered his tongue a few times. He listed the diseases for which the medicines could help, or were utterly useless. [9] [10] [11]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
I'd like to say that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) was born out of a careful consideration of the future needs of the public, but it came about because of Jim the Horse. It was a classic screw-up. In the early 1900s, Jim the Horse was the source of antibiotics to fight diphtheria. Unfortunately, he caught tetanus (that disease we might get if we cut our hand on a rusty nail). Jim the Horse was put down, but some of the contaminated medicine had already gone out. 13 children died. It was a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided. (Some of the medicine was missed due to incorrect dating on the label.) The FDA began its monitoring yet the draconian measures they take cannot guarantee that 13 more people will not die. They can put out warnings galore: "This sleep medicine may cause insomnia" or "This drug may turn you into an axe murderer," and so forth. No one is listening any more. Someone, somewhere WILL be injured or die from a drug and the only guarantee you have is that your family can sue... unless the government grants the company limited immunity from prosecution. [12] [13]
I'd like to say that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) was born out of a careful consideration of the future needs of the public, but it came about because of Jim the Horse. It was a classic screw-up. In the early 1900s, Jim the Horse was the source of antibiotics to fight diphtheria. Unfortunately, he caught tetanus (that disease we might get if we cut our hand on a rusty nail). Jim the Horse was put down, but some of the contaminated medicine had already gone out. 13 children died. It was a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided. (Some of the medicine was missed due to incorrect dating on the label.) The FDA began its monitoring yet the draconian measures they take cannot guarantee that 13 more people will not die. They can put out warnings galore: "This sleep medicine may cause insomnia" or "This drug may turn you into an axe murderer," and so forth. No one is listening any more. Someone, somewhere WILL be injured or die from a drug and the only guarantee you have is that your family can sue... unless the government grants the company limited immunity from prosecution. [12] [13]
Billiards and Forbes Field
- * Billiards is being played in coffee houses in Berlin. By 1727, it will be played in every café in Paris. [14] [15]
- * John Forbes is born. (A British general during the French-Indian Wars) Forbes Field will become the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the University of Pittsburgh's Pitt Panthers. [16]
This Year in Wikipedia
Year 1707, Wikipedia.
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