Health and illness in Shakespeare

Sylvia Morris

January 30, 2012

Shakespeare’s interest in all things medical is well known, and Sujata Iyengar’s book Shakespeare’s Medical Language – A Dictionary, published by Continuum, is a successful addition to the literature on the subject, both a fascinating read and a valuable reference work. She casts her net wide, exploring Shakespeare’s own references to medical matters, the work of medical practitioners, symptoms, cures, and remedies, and the development of theoretical medicine.

Part glossary, part encyclopaedia, the book’s written in an easy-to-follow style, cross-referencing words with their own entries printed in bold, encouraging the reader to flip around the book. Most entries are in three parts: a medical description of the subject, Shakespeare’s references to it, and contemporary sources.

You could use the book as a glossary as you read a play: the entry on falling-sickness, for instance, mentioned in Julius Caesar, links the word with others used by Shakespeare: apoplexy, dizziness and palsy. It then directs you to three pages on epilepsy, lists other plays including sufferers (Othello and Macbeth), and quotes the description of Julius Caesar’s epileptic fit.

Starting from Shakespeare’s words, moving from them towards modern definitions, has many advantages. Iyengar doesn’t attempt to link his every mention of illness to a specific modern one, nor does she assume that Shakespeare’s use of medical terms is consistent. Importantly, there is no patronising assumption that twenty-first century western medicine, which separates body and spirit, has all the answers. We may still have much to learn from less sophisticated societies, including Shakespeare’s.

Teenage girl who died of cancer wins right to be cryogenically frozen

A 14-year-old girl who said before dying of cancer that she wanted a chance to live longer has been allowed by the high court to have her body cryogenically frozen in the hope that she can be brought back to life at a later time.

The court ruled that the teenager’s mother, who supported the girl’s wish to be cryogenically preserved, should be the only person allowed to make decisions about the disposal of her body. Her estranged father had initially opposed her wishes.

During the last months of her life, the teenager, who had a rare form of cancer, used the internet to investigate cryonics. Known only as JS, she sent a letter to the court: “I have been asked to explain why I want this unusual thing done. I’m only 14 years old and I don’t want to die, but I know I am going to. I think being cryopreserved gives me a chance to be cured and woken up, even in hundreds of years’ time”.

Read the comic to answer question.

Old Light

[1] I heard a tale that the sun god was said

to live in a whale and that’s why light seems

to come out of its eyes and why rainbows

form in the mist of the gray whale’s breath.

[5] It’s true, light comes, but it is an old light,

seeing. They look. The way they lift

themselves from the sea: they are shining,

water falling from them as they rise, exhale,

inhale and return below the surface of the

[10] water.

The gray whales themselves are an

intelligence we haven’t yet grasped, Lifecovered

with several hundred pounds of

barnacles and small-eyed. If we could see

[15] them ........ the brief timescale of the planet,

they would look like shape-shifters. If we

thought of time by something other than our

own notions, million-fold years ago, before

our own knowledge of evolution, we’d see

[20] these whales …….. they walked on land.

Even now, existing within their immense

bones, there is body evidence, a hand,

human; vestigial hipbones; and remnants of

legs they no longer need. They lived ……..

[25] land when we lived in water. When we look

at them we see our own future.

And when they come up again for air

and the water falls from them back into the

seawater, it is a shine of beauty in a world of

[30] desert, dunes in the background. As their

hind legs have disappeared into them, out of

our sight, and their hands have become

hidden, the compass set into their brains,

you’d think you might be able to be one with

[35] them, as with a cousin, but it’s a cousin lost

in time. It makes us so small in the

firmament. It makes us remember something

we can’t quite name, only feel.

Looking at these whales in the shallow

[40] water, thinking of the great turn of evolution

and change on earth, we wonder if one day

we will return to the seawater, along with

these long-enduring, longest-living mammals

on Earth.

TEXTO

Brazil has declared an end to its public health emergency over the Zika virus, 18 months after a surge in cases drew headlines around the world.

The mosquito-borne virus was not considered a major health threat until the 2015 outbreak revealed that Zika can lead to severe birth defects. One of those defects, microcephaly, causes babies to be born with skulls much smaller than expected.

Photos of babies with the defect spread panic around the globe as the virus was reported in dozens of countries. Many would-be travellers cancelled their trips to Zika-infected places. The concern spread even more widely when health officials said it could also be transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person.

The health scare came just as Brazil, the epicentre of the outbreak, was preparing to host the 2016 Olympics, fuelling concerns the Games could help spread the virus. One athlete, a Spanish wind surfer, said she got Zika while training in Brazil ahead of the Games.

In response to the outbreak, Brazil launched a mosquito-eradication campaign. The health ministry said those efforts have helped to dramatically reduce cases of Zika. Between January and mid-April, 95% fewer cases were recorded than during the same period last year. The incidence of microcephaly has fallen as well.

The World Health Organization (WHO) lifted its own international emergency in November, even while saying the virus remained a threat.

“The end of the emergency doesn’t mean the end of surveillance or assistance” to affected families, said Adeilson Cavalcante, the secretary for health surveillance at Brazil’s health ministry. “The health ministry and other organisations involved in this area will maintain a policy of fighting Zika, dengue and chikungunya.”

All three diseases are carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

But the WHO has warned that Zika is “here to stay,” even when cases of it fall off, and that fighting the disease will be an ongoing battle.

Text 3

The Mice In Council

One day a group of mice decided to call a meeting to see what they could do about the cat which was always trying to catch them. They talked about lots of plans but none of them seemed like they would work. At last, a young mouse got up and said that a bell should be hung around the cat\'s neck so all the mice would be able to hear when he was coming closer. All the mice thought this was an excellent idea. However, an older mouse got up and spoke, "This is a really good idea but who is going to tie the bell around the cat\'s neck?"

Most Teenagers happy with their lives but
schoolwork anxiety and bullying an issue

Most teenagers happy with their lives but schoolwork anxiety and bullying an issue
Teenagers who feel part of a school community and enjoy good relations with their parents and teachers are more likely to perform better academically and be happier with their lives, according to the first OECD PISA assessment of students’ well-being.
PISA 2015 Results analyses for the first time students’ motivation to perform well in school, their relationships with peers and teachers, their home life, and how they spend their time outside of school. The findings are based on a survey of 540,000 students in 72 participating countries and economies who also completed the main OECD PISA 2015 test on science, mathematics and reading.
Many students are very anxious about school work and tests and the analysis reveals this is not related to the number of school hours or the frequency of tests but with how supportive they feel their teachers and schools to be: on average across OECD countries, 59% of students reported they often worry that taking a test will be difficult, and 66% reported feeling stressed about poor grades. Some 55% of students say they are very anxious for a test even if they are well prepared. In all countries, girls reported greater schoolwork-related anxiety than boys; and anxiety about schoolwork, homework and tests is negatively related to performance.
Teachers play a big role in creating the conditions for students’ well-being at school and governments should not define the role of teachers solely through the number of instruction hours. Happier students tend to report positive relations with their teachers. Students in schools where life satisfaction is above the national average reported a higher level of support from their teacher than students in schools where life satisfaction is below average.
“These findings show how teachers, schools and parents can make a real difference to children’s well-being,” said OECD Chief of Staff Gabriela Ramos, launching the report in London. “Together they can help young people develop a sense of control over their future and the resilience they need to be successful in life. There is no secret, you perform better if you feel valued, if you feel well treated, if you are given a hand to succeed!”
Adaptado de: <http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/most-teenagers-happywith-their-lives-but-schoolwork-anxiety-and-bullying-an-issue.htm> Acessado em 19 de abril de 2017.

Question refer to the comic strip below.

Read the cartoon below and answer question.