18th-Century Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 35

[cahn]

In the previous post Charles II found AITA:

Look, I, m, believe in live and let live. (And in not going on my travels again. Had enough of that to last a life time.) Why can't everyone else around me be more chill? Instead, my wife refuses to employ my girlfriend, my girlfriend won't budge and accept another office, my brother is set on a course to piss off everyone (he WILL go on his travels again), and my oldest kid shows signs of wanting my job which is just not on, sorry to say. And don't get me started about Mom (thank God she's living abroad). What am I doing wrong? AITA?

Comments

Re: Fun Gossip: Elizabeth Gunning

[cahn]

That is AWESOME. I am super a fan of Elizabeth!

(...But what was so scandalous about Maria, who appears to have gotten an Earl in any case?)

Wow, how many people died of lead and mercury poisoning from their cosmetics?? Eek.

Re: Fun Gossip: Elizabeth Gunning

[mildred_of_midgard]

Don't forget mercury was the standard treatment for syphilis! D:

Re: Fun Gossip: Elizabeth Gunning

[selenak]

Add blood-letting as everyone‘s default medical treatment, and it‘s a miracle humanity survived!

Re: Fun Gossip: Elizabeth Gunning

[cahn]

...this led me down a (small) rabbit hole where I found out that, at least according to History Interwebs, mercury was used because it made the patients salivate more and that was thought to expel the disease. But the salivation is actually a symptom of mercury poisoning. aaaaaaagh.

I also like this line from Wiki:

Unpleasant side effects of mercury treatment included gum ulcers and loose teeth.

a) I bet that's not all the umpleasant side effects, omg! b) I realize medications do have unpleasant side effects sometimes, but in this case I think those are... your body trying to tell you something...