The Remedy {Tuesday's Treasure}

Have you ever wondered how we came to live in such a healthy society ?  Do you ever stop to think about how in the space of less than 100 years we have gone from an average life span of 35 - 50 years to 70-100?  Did you ever wonder how society became germ-o-phobic?  I must confess I had never considered these things until recently when I read the book:  The Remedy. This is one of those books that will change your perspective on life.  Thomas Goetz takes you on an incredible biographical journey through the founding fathers of modern medicine and the scientific method. 

The Details

• Title: The Remedy : Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis
• Format: Paperback
• Number of Pages: 298
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Publication Date: 09 Apr 2015
• ISBN 10: 1592409172
• ISBN 13: 9781592409174
• Author: Thomas Goetz

About the book: "The riveting history of tuberculosis, the world’s most lethal disease, the two men whose lives it tragically intertwined, and the birth of medical science.

In 1875, tuberculosis was the deadliest disease in the world, accountable for a third of all deaths. A diagnosis of TB—often called consumption—was a death sentence. Then, in a triumph of medical science, a German doctor named Robert Koch deployed an unprecedented scientific rigor to discover the bacteria that caused TB. Koch soon embarked on a remedy—a remedy that would be his undoing.

When Koch announced his cure for consumption, Arthur Conan Doyle, then a small-town doctor in England and sometime writer, went to Berlin to cover the event. Touring the ward of reportedly cured patients, he was horrified. Koch’s “remedy” was either sloppy science or outright fraud.

But to a world desperate for relief, Koch’s remedy wasn’t so easily dismissed. As Europe’s consumptives descended upon Berlin, Koch urgently tried to prove his case. Conan Doyle, meanwhile, returned to England determined to abandon medicine in favor of writing. In particular, he turned to a character inspired by the very scientific methods that Koch had formulated: Sherlock Holmes.

Capturing the moment when mystery and magic began to yield to science, The Remedy chronicles the stunning story of how the germ theory of disease became a true fact, how two men of ambition were emboldened to reach for something more, and how scientific discoveries evolve into social truths." - Penguin Random House

To be honest had I seen this book on the library shelf I would have passed it by.  However on the recommendation of a good friend I started reading and discovered a very well written book. In fact I enjoyed it so much I sincerely hope the BBC take this book and make a docudrama out of it!

If you have high school students who are aiming to have a career in the medical field I highly recommend they read this book. This book will change the way you view life.  Thomas introduces you to some of the amazing scientists/Doctors who pursued knowledge in order to make life better and prevent death among the many who were dying daily.  These men set the stage on which modern medicine plays out today.  This book chronicles the very birth of modern medical science as we know it today.   Follow the lives of Robert Koch and Arthur Conan Doyle. You will be surprised to learn how the worlds favourite detective sleuth (Sherlock Holmes) is pivotal to our current understanding of the scientific method and why as a society we are so very preoccupied with chemical disinfectants!

If you have read The Remedy I would love to hear your thoughts on this interesting book.

Blessings
Chareen

Forbrain {Review}

Memory work.  The sound of it makes my skin crawl.  Echos of struggling to implant into my brain all these facts and missing the mark at school.  Well no more struggle to learn. I recently learned about Forbrain a new technology which uses the sound of your own voice to stimulate your brain.   Forbrain is available from Forbrain – Sound For Life Ltd. Forbrain uses technology to enhance your language and learning utilizing your own voice to stimulate your brain.

What we received

• 1 FORBRAIN® unit (weight 50 grams)
• 1 hard case (190 x 165 x 63 mm)
• 1 charging cable (USB to micro USB cable)
• 3 spare mic covers
• 1 User manual
• 1 quick start guide
• 2 year Warranty

How we used it

The unit arrived well packaged and delivered by courier upon signature.  The product comes in a handy storage case which closes/opens with a zip.  The hard shell is lined with firm foam compartment to store the Forebrain unit and USB cable on one side and on the other is a handy net pocket to hold the spare microphone covers and user manuals. We connected the device to my pc for three hours in order to fully charge the battery. The battery will last for six hours of run time. There is a small light which indicates when the unit is on (blue) during charging it is red until the unit is fully charged.

Using Forbrain is very easy.

• Turn the device on by pressing the on / off button 
• Place the hoop behind your heard above the neck.
• The earphones are placed on the bone in front of the ears.  NOT on the ear.
• The microphone is adjusted to be approximately 3 cm from the mouth and slightly to the left.

IF the Forbrain is in the correct position you will hear your own voice clearly when you speak. It sounds like you are speaking through a high quality sound system. There is no need to do any adjusting to the unit as it comes with a default setting for optimum sound and use.

It is recommended that Forbrain be used daily in order to maximize results. It can be used with students as young as 5 years old for 15 minutes a day , older teens and adults 20 minutes a day will bring about results.

Forbrain is used to

• Help with focus and attention difficulties
• Assist those with Auditory Processing Disorders
• Reading difficulty
• Memory work
• Speech and Fluency improvement
• Singing (to find the correct tone)
• Strengthening auditory reception and processing.
• Clarifying speech and communication 
• Speech and language development
• Improve Attention and memory

Forbrain has a short 2 min video on YouTube explaining how the audio vocal loop is utilized in order to stimulate your brain. If you are wanting a more detailed explanation of how to use Forbrain and the technology/science behind it you can watch a 20 minute workshop on Forbrain on YouTube.

Nathaniel has been using Forbrain daily for the last seven weeks.  He wears it for approximately 20 min a day Monday to Friday.

He is using it to memorize scripture (we are working our way through Philippians in 28 Weeks).  He puts on the Forbrain and reads the scripture memory card.  Interestingly we had unsuccessfully tried to learn this before. This time with Forbrain Nathaniel had memorized 70% of the first six verses in chapter one within 5 days!

He is also using it to learn his multiplication tables, and spelling. 

Connect with Forbrain 


Over All I thought ...
Forbrain has been a fabulous new resource in our homeschool.  The simplicity of use (put it on and speak out loud) has made it a very easy to use part of our daily home educating. The possibilities of use include working on dialogue (reading out loud and giving each character a unique voice), rhythm (poetry) and diction (correct pronunciation and clear speech for speaking in front of an audience).  

Blessings
Chareen

200 Years of Australian Fashion (Part 1 of 2) {Field Trip}

Last week Friday we joined another homeschooling family for a day trip into Melbourne city to go to the 200 Years of Australian Fashion exhibition, which is currently on display at The Ian Potter Centre. There are 101 outfits by ninety designers and makers on display in four galleries.

When you arrive you feel as though you are transported back in time as you enter the display via this passage way.  

Oldest Dress c.1805
This evening dress is believed to be the oldest surviving dress made in Australia and is estimated to have been worn in c.1805.  The fabric is muslin which is thought to have originated in India.   The silver in this dress used to be golden but has faded over the years.  The dress is entirely hand made .

Maternity Dress c.1828
This gown was hand-sewn out of silk serge (this is a woven fabric with diagonal ridge patterns of brown and cream thread)and only worn in private within the home. It has a front-opening bodice, drop front cut into the skirt to show the shift as the waistline lowers and skirt widens.

Cotton and Silk evening Gown c.1855
This beautiful gown was worn by Anne Lavinia Grice who was the wife of a prominenet pastroalist and bussinessman.  She arrived in Australia in 1843 and married in Sydney before moving to Melbourne in the 1850's. The dress is made of cotton, silk, metal, mother-of-pearl and baleen.

The Department Store
During the 1850's in Australia small general stores (repositories) sold a range of drapery and trimming supplies to the working class.  The upper class acquired their clothing at men's tailors and outfitters and woman"s dressmaking establishments.  By the mid to late nineteenth century impressive emporiums had appeared on the scene and changed the streetscape and increased the local availability of fashionable clothing.

Silk and Cotton Dress c.1877

Silk Bonnet c.1875
This bonnet is from Mrs O'mera Millinery Establishment in Inverell, New South Wales
 

Dressmaking and Tailoring

• Dressmaking is based on draping fabric around a form and was traditionally practiced by women around the world.
• Tailoring was historically practiced by men and is the art of measurements, pattern cutting and shaping. 
• The nineteenth century saw the beginning of the practice of applying labels to clothing  and therefore the recognition of designers and allow us to now track an individual's signature style.
• It was during this time that tailors began to make men as well as women's equestrian wear.
• In 1861 a census revealed that 20% of woman worked outside the domestic environment. 
• Black was worn as a symbol of sadness at the death of a loved one.

Wedding Outfit 1889
This outfit is made of wool, silk, metal, cotton, wax and plastic.  It was purchased and worn by Mrs Ethel Florence Francis for her wedding to Cr David Phillips.  They were married at the Sydney Rd Methodist Church in Brunswick Melbourne on 30 January 1889.

Cape 1895
This cape is made from silk, metal, wool, glass and mirror by George & George.  It is one of the earliest labeled items of clothing by the George brothers William and Harley. They moved to Melbourne from England in 1877 and established George and George in 1880.

Early 20th Century

Evening Dress c.1959
This dress was from the fashion house La Petite (1940-86) in Melbourne.  It was purchased and worn by Annette Klooger.  She wore it in a live performance on The Graham Kennedy Show.

Ball Gown 1956
This ball gown is from the fashion house La Petite (1940-86) in Melbourne. It was worn by Lady Brooks, the wife of the Governor of Victoria, Sir Dallas Brooks, to a reception they held for the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956 who was visiting Melbourne for the Olympics. It was made of silk, cotton, glass beads, sequins, diamante and artificial flowers.

1960's Youth Culture
Fashion took on a radical social change during this era. Ready to wear clothing replaced custom-made clothing. A whole new generation of designers pioneered fashion and the clothing industry in Australia.

1970's Flamingo Park Sydney
Jenny Kee opened Flamingo Park along  with her friend and fellow designer Linda Jackson which produced clothing with a decidedly Australian flair.

1980's
These years are when Australia became increasingly independent in their fashion culture and were years when the designers experimented with unconventional materials and began to blur the lines between fashion and art.

Next week I will continue the journey fashion in Australia.  The children and I were pleasantly surprised at how much we really enjoyed this exhibition.  I highly recommend it for the young and old alike. 

This display is open to the public until the end of July.
Blessings
Chareen