by Ann Beach | Dec 31, 2025 | Medicine
A Christmas Carol, a novella of 30,000 words, was written by Charles Dickens in six weeks in 1843. It has never gone out of print. The book’s sustained success has contributed to how Christmas is celebrated and introduced the phrases “Merry Christmas” and “Bah!...
by Ann Beach | Oct 31, 2025 | Medicine
Happy Halloween. It’s one of my favorite holidays (skeletons, blood, walking dead- what’s not to like?). I’ve been thinking a lot about vampires, and how the vampire myth originated. As a refresher, vampires are creatures that prey on humans and drink their blood....
by Ann Beach | Sep 17, 2025 | Medicine
Graham crackers in S’mores. Graham crackers and peanut butter, the perfect after-school snack. Teddy Grahams for toddlers. What could be more wholesome? Their origin was quite different from their current use. Let me tell you more. Sylvester Graham (1794-1851) is...
by Ann Beach | Dec 12, 2024 | Medicine
Robert Lewis Stevenson (1850-1894) was one of the best-known authors of his day. He was a paradox; he traveled widely, yet was weak and sickly all of his life. He spent much of his life in bed or in a sickroom, yet he wrote wonderful adventures like Kidnapped and...
by Ann Beach | Jul 7, 2024 | Medicine
Do you like your ice cream in a cone or a cup? If you were living in England in the 1880’s, your answer could be life-altering. Why? Ice cream was a popular summertime treat in England in the 1800s and was usually sold in a “penny lick”, a short thick glass cup....
