Delurking with a question:
I have vague memories of learning as part of a history course at University (this was 20 years ago so I'm afraid I can't trace the reference) that there were riots in some British cities during the 19th-century cholera outbreaks because rumours got around that the authorities were burying people alive.
The book explained the rumours as being due to a peculiarity of cholera - that when a person dies of it, their body cools in the normal way but then, due to continuing bacterial action, becomes warm again. However this wouldn't be the first piece of medical misinformation I've seen in a history book, and the rumour sounds like the sort of thing that might arise in any fear-inducing epidemic. Does anyone here know if the warming-up-again is true?
Sorry to break silence with such a morbid question, but you were already talking about morbidity! Also, it occurs to me that if it is true, it might also have some bearing on the vampire theory Carol mentions at #29.
Delurking to offer Brad (@ #6) an authentic Scottish tablet recipe. Very evil, in a good way.
1lb sugar (500 g)
2oz butter (50g)
1 tablespoon golden syrup
5 fl oz milk (150 ml)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Butter a 6 inch square baking tin. Put all the ingredients with the exception of the vanilla essence into a pan (use a bigger one than you think you’ll need, because it bubbles up a lot) and heat slowly, stirring until it’s all melted. (At this stage it looks pale yellow and disgusting. Don't panic.)
Once it’s all liquid turn up the heat and boil it, stirring it all the time until it starts to thicken. Test to see if it is ready by letting a few drops fall into a tall glass of water. At first it will form flattish blobs on the bottom, but once it is ready it will harden almost as soon as it enters the water and will reach the bottom as little round balls with tails (technical term “soft ball stageâ€).
(Another test is to take it off the heat for a minute and let the bubbles settle. It should be a nice deep brown, slightly darker than toffee but not as dark as treacle toffee. If it’s not dark enough you can always put it back on the boil for a bit longer.)
Once it is ready, take it off the heat, let the bubbles settle then add the vanilla essence and beat it with an egg whisk until it starts to cool. Pour it into the tin and when it has hardened a bit, mark into 1-inch squares with a knife. When it is cold, tip it out and break it up.
You can add rum & raisins, or chopped walnuts, or chopped cherries – if so, do it at the point where you stir in the vanilla essence. But they’re not really necessary.
Relurking now, before the British Dental Association catches up with me.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2007 | 1 |
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