Vincent Summers, Author at Quirky Science

14Mar 2018 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

The Deadly Morning Sickness Medication Thalidomide – Still In Use Today?

Available to the general public in 1957, thalidomide1 was initially prescribed as a sedative or hypnotic medication. A sedative, we know, is intended to "calm the nerves". What is an hypnotic? A number of online definitions suggest an hypnotic is a drug, likened to hypnotism, tending to produce sleep. A little later, it was given to fight nausea, and was prescribed to expectant mothers who experienced morning sickness. Who knew the morning sickness medication thalidomide would cause devastation to the babies? Search the web by entering the word thalidomide, and choosing the category images, and you will see quite a few photos of former "thalidomiders". A full-term pregnancy lasts nine months. While expectant mothers may have been calmed and their nausea lessened, it didn't take long for thalidomide to produce…

13Mar 2018 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Dangerous Medicine Including Foot Fluoroscope (X-ray) Machines

History, Medicine

[caption id="attachment_19620" align="alignright" width="440"] Operator / observer side Adrian Special fluoroscope[/caption] Medicine has always sought to cure sufferers of what ails them. In the physician's valiant efforts, sometimes, not only success failed to be achieved, but the sufferer was worse off. In the Bible book bearing his name, Mark relates one well-known ancient example: "Now there was a woman subject to a flow of blood twelve years, and she had been put to many pains by many physicians and had spent all her resources and had not been benefited but, rather, had got worse." -Mark 5:25, 26. Again, mercury and other hazardous substances were sometimes used in the formulation of medications. In fact, the body of one famous individual with a violent disposition was exhumed to determine if there was…

12Mar 2018 by Vincent Summers 3 Comments

Edward Villeroy Stockham: Lost in the Masquerade

History, People

[caption id="attachment_19594" align="alignright" width="480"] Edward purchased Seneca Cannery c. 1900.[/caption] It's almost certain you've never heard of him. Edward Villeroy Stockham was given what most would call a good upbringing. He was to interact with Society in some very interesting ways, eventually marrying into a most historic family. Edward was to become a leading citizen, then get "lost in the masquerade", as the popular lyricist and singer Leon Russell croons. Auspicious Beginnings Edward V. Stockham was born 17 Oct 1863 in Camden, New Jersey to Charles Edward and Mary Humes Tomb Stockham. Charles was eminently successful in the lumber business. Edward had an auspicious beginning. After all, an English surname, Stockham means "at the tree stocks". During his earliest working years, Edward Stockham was closely associated with his father's lumber…

10Mar 2018 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

The Tragedy in Minnehaha Finney’s Life

History, People

[caption id="attachment_19572" align="alignright" width="440"] Sleep in Peace, Minnie[/caption] Many of us are not fond of our own name, though others may think it is grand. But somehow I think there are very few who would desire a name such as Minnehaha Finney. On the other hand, the name catches the eye, it is decidedly different! The very name itself makes us want to learn about the woman. And, we want to know what she looked like. A Little Background Here is an excerpted history of the life of Minnehaha Olive Finney, including a terrible tragedy that involved her family when she was yet a child, as told by a relative: Minnehaha was born at Pittsburg, Carroll County, Indiana, January 24, 1867. She graduated in the High School at Beloit, Kansas,…

10Mar 2018 by Vincent Summers 6 Comments

David Weatherly: Railroad Executive, Silversmith, Clock and Watch Maker

History, People

[caption id="attachment_19539" align="alignright" width="440"] Grandfather clock face[/caption] It's funny how specialized Society has become. Perhaps it is just as funny how diverse the skills of persons in the past could be. A prime example was an emigrant to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – David Weatherly, Sr. Who Was David Weatherly? Born 14 Jun 1779 at Berwick upon Tweed, County Northumberland, England, David married "Molly" Lawson, daughter of grocer Joseph Lawson on 9 Feb 1806. The couple would eventually have some nine children, the youngest being Ellen Weatherly, born in 1826. David would die 05 Feb 1851 in Philadelphia. His most famous child would have been David Weatherly, Jr., the "Philadelphia Lawyer". The Couple in Philadelphia These last decade of the 1790s and for perhaps a handful of years thereafter, Philadelphia was devastated…

06Mar 2018 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Catharine Jekyll Hicks Ceronio Servel Browne Buried in West Bengal, India

History, People

[caption id="attachment_19507" align="alignright" width="480"] South Park Street Cemetery - Image Giridhar Appaji Nag Y.[/caption] Born into a family connected with the Revolutionary War, Catharine Jekyll Hicks married men of great historical interest. Eventually, she wound up in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. How did this come about? She married three times, the first of which was to Stephen Ceronio. Stephen Ceronio was directed in his Revolutionary War secret agent activity by Robert Morris and Benjamin Franklin. Stephen Ceronio and Robert Morris were well acquainted. Notice their proximity in the Philadelphia City Directories: 1785: Willing, Morris, and Swanwick 11 Penn St. Merchants 1791: Ceronio, Stephen Merchant 1 Penn St. The Marriage and Demise of Stephen Ceronio The wedding of Stephen and Catharine is listed in records as, Marriage: 12 May 1784 in…

05Mar 2018 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Acid-Base and REDOX (Oxidation-Reduction) Chemical Reactions

Chemistry

[caption id="attachment_19477" align="alignright" width="440"] Rocketry thrives due to REDOX reactions.[/caption] Acid-Base and Redox: When they can, chemists categorize chemical reactions into types. Some specialized varieties of chemical reaction include those named for specific individuals involved in their discovery. As examples, there are the Diels-Alder reaction, the Claisen rearrangement, the Dieckmann condensation, and the Friedel-Crafts alkylation. Yet, many chemical reactions can be classified simply as acid-base reactions, or as oxidation-reduction (REDOX) reactions. Consider examples of each... Acid-Base Reactions When I was young, I was deeply interested in rocketry. My parents bought me one of those red plastic rockets that included a pump. You partly filled the rocket with water, then pumped air into it until the pressure made it difficult to pump more. Then you aimed it upward and pushed a…

03Mar 2018 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Civil War Reenactment – Is It Curious They Have Such Appeal?

History, People

Reenactment. Perhaps the most significant war in any nation is an internal war, a civil war. This is doubtless because a civil war threatens the very existence of a nation. Since technology within a nation is likely accessible to both sides, it might be expected there would be heavy damage, including considerable mortality, inflicted on both sides. Motivation for the Civil War The United States engaged in civil war during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, from April 1861 until the Spring of 1865. There are any number of opinions as to what motivated the North to take a stand against the South. One person will say it was because of slavery. Maybe this was the primary motive, but others think it was not. Perhaps it was a bit more like…

21Feb 2018 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Should You Use Ordinary Soap or Antibacterial Soap?

Health, Medicine

[caption id="attachment_19376" align="alignright" width="480"] Triclosan - spacefill model.[/caption] Foreword: The following article was written BC. Before Coronavirus. The information that follows needs to be temporarily viewed in a different light... In the last few decades, personal cleanliness has been promoted intensely. One of the most recent marketable personal hygiene items is hand sanitizer. People purchase and use the scented stuff in all manner of situations, but especially after they shake hands with someone they suspect is sick! A typical sanitizer composition contains alcohol, a thickening agent, and scent. Another popular hygiene product is antibacterial soap. This is so despite the widespread successful use of regular soap. People want the latest and greatest. Newer must be better, right? Yet antibacterial soaps have not been received altogether with open arms. Antibacterial Soaps…

13Feb 2018 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Is Cyclopropenethione Aromatic, As Is Its Oxygen Analog?

Chemistry, Logic

As small as it is, and even with a heteroatom in its make up, cyclopropenethione is aromatic, in the same way cyclopropenone is aromatic. Its aromaticity is not due to a theoretically electrically neutral structure, as in Figure 1, but to its "alternative" zwitterionic structure, shown in Figure 2. Aromatic Characteristics Hückel descriptors fall short of aromaticity if cyclopropenethione exhibited only the structure drawn in Figure 1. In addition to a closed and flat ring, aromaticity requires a 4n+2 number of π-electrons (pi), where n is usually a small integer. In the un-ionized form of Figure 1, each carbon atom has a π-electron, for a total of 3 electrons. This is because every double bond consists of one π-electron plus one σ-electron (sigma) per constituent atom. Widening Perspectives: Cyclopropenethione The…