What do the following children's books have in common?
- All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
- The Little House novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
- They were all written at least sixty years ago.
- They all contain characters who came down with that dreaded Victorian malady: scarlet fever.
- They were the reason why I, having read them all, correctly diagnosed Sam with scarlet fever last week. The doctors were skeptical, but in the end a throat swab doesn't lie.
So yeah, I don't hold a grudge against the doctors... though I have every right to, because they may not think I noticed it, but I was VERY aware of the "Uh-Oh, Crazy Mom Alert" looks and barely veiled eyerolling, even over the phone.
The good news: We caught the illness early, gave it a serious penicillin smackdown, and by watching Will vigilantly, were able to catch it even earlier with him, before he got all rashed up.
The bad news: No velveteen rabbits got a chance to become real.
12 comments:
I think you are just being hysterical. I think Victorian doctors had a machine that can clear that up. Or no, wait: the other kind of hysterical, meaning funny (and all you can do with that is keep going as you are).
I had scarlet fever when I was a kid, and I think my Mom also diagnosed based on literature. It was still barely fashionable in the early 1970s, so the doctor was more accommodating to her suggestions as I recall.
I would like to start a band and call it Wandering Uterus. Who's with me?
Jagosaurus, only -- ONLY -- if we're an itinerant rockabilly band and I get to play the banjo.
Having a similar experience with a missed diagnosis, I couldn't agree more that you have to do your own research and advocate for yourself. Think of a family doctor as an overeducated, haughty, sensitive, prescription pad. It's not their fault. This doesn't apply to surgeons however. Surgeons are God. All hail the surgeon!
i think you should start small, maybe with some mumps so you can sport that spotted kerchief tied round your head. and then maybe move onto a nice malaise a la Rose in Eight Cousins...just don't contract whatever killed Beth.
Itinerant rockabilly band it is. I look forward to your magical banjo workings.
Well done! Next up: grippe, ague, consumption, and typhus.
So the fact that I've never read, or wanted to read, any of these books means that I am going to die?
I knew it!
All I'm going to say, Carrie, is that if you ever want to make something of yourself as a hypochondriac, you're going to have to read a lot more older kiddie lit. Kids were always getting sick from cool-sounding ailments back then. Our newfangled vaccinations have ruined all that.
...because, really, what in life CAN'T be explained with a wandering uterus?
I am glad to know that children's literature serves such a concrete, prophylactic function in our lives!
We produce the Best Nursing Paper Writing Services Online services as we have an array of writing services in our firm for meeting other requirements. Our Custom Dissertation Writing Help for sale are affordable to our clients.
192.168.l.254.254 is a private IP address that comes under C class IP address. 192.168.l.254 IP address most commonly used private address as the default gateway IP address by many leading router brands.
Post a Comment