On the Handling of Daunting Tasks

Posted by Dave

We would like to apologize for the sporadic posting as of late. The holidays have been a busy time, but the new year will bring more frequent updates from an ever broadening variety of sources. In the meantime, enjoy this 1856 illustration depicting the crew of a sailing vessel making some very short-sighted decisions regarding the treatment of a sea monster. As Wikipedia notes, the creature seems to be based upon the very real - but equally unattractive - Lophius Americanus.

On the Annoying of Men

Posted by Dave

A list of the maleficia, or misfortunes, witches might inflict on their victims, taken from William Perkins' Discourse of Damned Art of Wichcraft (1608) and reprinted in Rossel Hope Robbins' Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology (1959):

1. The raising of storms and tempests, winds and weather, by sea and land

2. The poisoning of air

3. Blasting of corn

4. Killing of cattle, and annoying of men, women and children

5. The procuring of strange passions and torments in men's bodies and in other creatures, with the curing of the same

6. Casting out of devils

Sorry About the Carpet: A Firsthand Account of Seppuku

Posted by Dave

From The Annals of Surgery (1898):

With the kaishaku on his left, the condemned man advanced slowly towards the Japanese witnesses, and the two bowed before them. Then drawing near to the foreigners, they saluted in the same way. Slowly, and with great dignity, the victim mounted the raised floor, prostrated himself before the altar twice, and seated himself in the Japanese fashion (knees and toes touching the ground, and the body resting on the heels, — always a position of respect) on the felt carpet, with his back to the altar and the kaishaku crouching at his left side. One of the three attendant officers came forward bearing a stand of the kind used in temples for offerings, on which, wrapped in paper, lay the short sword, or dirk, of the Japanese, with a point and edge sharp as a razor. This he handed, prostrating himself, to the condemned man, who received it reverently, raising it to his head with both hands, and placed it in front of himself. After another obeisance, he said, in a clear voice, betraying no sign of fear or emotion, 'I, and I alone, un-warrantedly gave the order to fire on the foreigners at Kobe, and again as they tried to escape. For this crime I disembowel myself. I beg you who are present to do me the honor of witnessing the act.' " Bowing once more, he permitted his garments to slip to his girdle and remained naked to the waist. Carefully, according to the custom, he tucked his sleeve under his knee to prevent himself from falling backward, for a noble Japanese gentleman should die falling forward. Deliberately, and with a steady hand, he took the dirk that lay before him, and looking at it wistfully, almost affectionately, for a moment, he seemed to collect his thoughts for the last time; then stabbing himself deeply below the waist on the left side, he drew it slowly across to the right side, and turning the knife in the wound, he gave a slight cut upward. During this operation he never moved a muscle of his face. Finally, drawing out the dirk, he leaned forward and stretched out his neck. At that moment the kaishaku, still crouching by his side, sprang to his feet, poised his sword for a second in the air, and with one blow the head was severed from the body. The kaishaku in dead silence made a low bow, wiped his sword, and retired from the raised floor. The stained dirk was solemnly borne away as proof of the execution."

Krafft Singles: Case 33

Posted by Dave

Krafft Singles is a recurring series in which we post individual case studies from Richard Krafft-Ebing's landmark 1886 tome Psychopathia Sexualis. Needless to say, your great-grandparents may have been stranger than you could imagine.

Case 33. I knew such a patient who had a woman dressed in a decollete ball-dress lie down on a low sofa in a brightly lighted room. He, himself, stood near the door of another room, which was in darkness; he gazed at the woman for a little while, then sprang excitedly on top of her and defecated onto her bosom. He declared that in doing this he experienced a sort of ejaculation.

Zero-Tolerance Library Management

Posted by Dave

The excerpt below is taken from the Public Library Manual (1892), a delightful guide to running your Victorian-era library WITH AN IRON FIST. We certainly hope that our definition of 'magazine' has evolved somewhat from its use in the last case --


THEFT.

It may become necessary to take proceedings for larceny. The offenders may be given in charge. At Stoke-on-Trent such proceedings were taken against a man for stealing thirty -seven engravings. The prisoner was committed to gaol for one month with hard labour. At Stafford two youths broke into a case of coins and stole several;they were both convicted.
Similar proceedings have been taken at Chester and other places.
At Watford a youth was indicted at the Assizes for stealing a magazine and sentenced to two months' imprisonment with hard labour. At Manchester several successful prosecutions have been taken for thefts from the Free Libraries.

What's Delaying My Dinner?

Posted by Dave

This 1905 postcard has been making the rounds on the internet as proof of our eternal love of the LOLcat formula. Trends may come and go, but man will always feel the urge to caption pictures of animals. Via My Cat Wears Clothes