Wednesday, February 7, 2018

TOOTHBRUSH: 3000 B. C. EGYPT

A "chew stick," a pencil-size twig with one end frayed to a soft, fibrous condition, provided the first toothbursh. Chew sticks were initially rubbed against the teeth with no additional abrasive such as toothpaste, and have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 3000 B.C.
     Chew sticks are still used in some areas of the world. Some African tribes fray twigs only from a certain tree, the Salvadore persica, or "toothbrush tree." The American Dental Associaton discovered that frayed sticks often serve as toothbrushes for people in remote areas of the United States; in the South, they're known as "twig brushes." Dentists reported on one elderly man near Shreveport, LA, who had used frayed white elm sticks all his life and had plaque-free teeth and healthy gums.
     The first bristle toothbrush, similar to today's, originated in China about 1498. The bristles, hand plucked from the backs of the necks of hogs living in the colder climates of Siberia and China (frigid weather causes hogs to grow firmer bristles), were fastened into handles of bamboo or bone. Traders to the Orient introduced the Chinese toothbrush to Europeans, who found hog bristles too irritatingly firm.
     At that time, Europeans who brushed their teeth (an uncommon practice) preferred softer horsehair toothbrushes. The father of modern dentistry, Dr. Pierre Fauchard, gives the first detailed account of the toothbrush in Europe. In a 1723 dental textbook, he is critical of the ineffectiveness of horsehair brushes for being too soft, and more crititcal of the large portion of the population who never, on only infrequently, practiced any kind of dental hygiene. Fauchard recommended daily vigorous rubbing of teeth and gums with a small piece of natural sponge.
     Toothbrushes made of other animal hair, such as badger, experienced brief popularity. Many people preferred to pick their teeth clean after a meal with a stiff quill (as the Romans did), or to use specially manufactured brass or silver toothpicks. These metal toothpicks were less hazardous than hard natural-hair toothbrushes. Once the 19th Century French bacteriologist Louis Pasteur posted his theory of germs, the dental profession realized all anamial-hair toothbrushes, which retain moisture, eventually accumulate microscopic bacterial and fungal growth and could cause mouth infections. Nylon-bristle toothbrushes did not arrive until 1938 in the U.S.

Monday, February 5, 2018

AMELIA C ADAMS NEW BOOK



Generations: Brody Hotel Book One by Amelia C. Adams

Pre-order Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079GZBJY1

Blurb: Andrew Brody, investment banker and self-made millionaire, has just lost his father, but gained an estate. Along with inheriting stocks, bonds, racehorses, and undeveloped land, he learns that he is now the owner of a hotel that has been in the family since 1875 and should probably just be torn down.

Marissa Clark needs a new challenge - staging homes to sell and rearranging pictures on walls isn't what she dreamed of doing when she became an interior designer. When she gets a call asking her to help renovate a historical building, she leaps at the change - what a great way to use both her love of texture and fabric and her love of history.

They believe they're just taking an old building and giving it a second chance at life . . . but they have no idea that they're getting a second chance too.

Amelia C. Adams, author of the bestselling historical Kansas Crossroads series, brings us this romantic spin-off featuring the same location, but 140 years later. You can learn more about Amelia at www.ameliacadams.com

ON THIS DAY:

ON THIS DATE:




1817 1st US gas co incorporated, Baltimore (coal gas for street lights)
1825 Hannah Lord Montague of NY creates 1st detachable shirt collar
1846 "Oregon Spectator" is 1st newspaper to be published on the West Coast
1850 Adding machine employing depressible keys patented, New Paltz, NY
1861 Louisiana delegation except Mr Bouligny withdraws from Congress (US Civil War)
1864 Federals occupy Jackson, Mississippi
1865 Battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia (Armstrong's Mill, Dabney's Mill)
1869 World's largest alluvial gold nugget, the Welcome Stranger, found by John Deason and Richard Oates (weighting 97.14kg) in Moliagul, Australia
1870 1st motion picture shown to a theater audience, Philadelphia
1879 Joseph Swan demonstrates light bulb using carbon glow
1881 Phoenix, Arizona incorporates
1887 Snow falls on San Francisco.
1897 1st showing of a motion picture in Hawaii at the Hawaiian Opera House
1900 The United States and the United Kingdom sign treaty for Panama Canal
1901 Loop-the-loop centrifugal RR (roller coaster) patented by Ed Prescott.
1922 Reader's Digest magazine 1st published