Category: Uncategorized

rosslynpaladin:

thewinterotter:

Posted by Steven Payne to Facebook group British Medieval History:

People in the Middle Ages valued sweet smelling breath and bodies, seeing them as desirable, so there is a great deal of evidence from the period of tooth pastes, powders and deodorants.

Contrary to the typical Hollywood depiction of medieval peasants with blackened and rotting teeth, the average person had teeth which were in fairly good condition, mainly due to the rarity of sugar in the diet. Most medieval people could not afford sugar and those who could used it sparingly.

Archaeological data shows that only 20% of teeth had signs of decay, as opposed to 90% in the early twentieth century. The main dental problem for medieval people was not decay but wear, due to a high content of grit in the main staple, bread.

For deodorants, soap was available for the wealthy, but a variety of herbs and other preparations were also used. Soapwort is a plant native to Europe and Asia which, when soaked in water, produces an effective liquid soap. Mint, cloves and thyme were also extensively used by simply rubbing into the skin, and alum (hydrated potassium aluminium sulphate) was an effective deodorant.

I am trying to keep to 14th century technology on my pilgrimage to Canterbury, which gives me various options when looking at hygiene. In the middle ages people generally cleaned their teeth by rubbing them and their gums with a rough linen cloth, or the chewed end of a stick. There are various recipes for pastes and powders that could be put on the cloth to help clean the teeth, but I have chosen simple salt to whiten them and to aid fresh breath. I will also be using the stick method, and will be taking along a supply of liquorice root sticks for that purpose.

I also have a few blocks of alum, which when rubbed into wet skin has a deodorising effect. Alum, like beeswax, was used extensively in the middle ages for a variety of purposes, also being useful:

* in the purification of drinking water as a flocculant
* as a styptic to stop bleeding from minor cuts
* as a pickling agent to help keep pickles crisp
* as a flame retardant
* as an ingredient in modelling clay
* as an ingredient in cosmetics and skin whiteners
* as an ingredient in some brands of toothpaste

The photograph shows my wash kit including home made olive oil soap, salt for the teeth, a block of deodorising alum, cloves, a boxwood comb made for me by Peter Crossman of Crossman Crafts and some liquorice root sticks, all on a woollen ‘towel’.
Note that the cloves are kept in a ventilated box….this is because insects hate the smell of cloves and so a perforated box will keep them out of my kit and food bag when I am sleeping rough.
TIP: If you steep some cloves to obtain the oil and put the liquid around the doors and windows of your house, it keeps spiders and insects out.

Pay attention medieval-ish fantasy authors-  filthy people without any cleaning or self care is Not Historical.

Relevant, if slightly later period: https://newrepublic.com/article/129828/getting-clean-tudor-way

pearlitariat:

remember when ppl were theorizing about garnet being a fusion before jailbreak and came up with all these bizarre grimdark explanations as to why shed stay fused (like she was forcibly fused, they were both dying or something and needed to be fused to stay alive, etc.) and the real reason was just. Theyre Lesbians

latining:

tyrannosaurus-trainwreck:

knitmeapony:

scientia-rex:

In weird thoughts, FDR became President on March 4, 1933. Steve would have been fourteen at the time. FDR remained president until Steve went into the ice.

Huh. Did he go into the ice before the 22nd Amendment was made law?

Well, it was ratified in the ‘50s, so…

It was ratified in the ‘50s so there could never be another socio-communist with three terms.

Four, actually, although he died shortly after beginning the fourth one. And OH BOY were they mad they’d pushed that amendment through 30-odd years later.

hermioneclone:

Highlights from the Lin Manuel Miranda NPR interview. He was not taking any shit (and was flawless doing so):

Interviewer: The other performers are Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga. How does your music fit into that mix?

LMM: Well, it’s music….

~

Interviewer: Hip-hop isn’t the standard Broadway music. And you’ve incorporated this nearly all-minority cast rapping, hip-hopping. This is about guys who wore powdered wigs. They wrote the federalist papers. How does it work, why does it work?

LMM: The casting is not ‘minority.’ Your piece is going to be dated in about five years when we’re the majority. So you might want to say ‘people of color.’

goodticklebrain:

I’ve been stuck on the sofa for about four days with a hideous cold (my second of the year – ease up on me already, viruses), so this was put together hurriedly last night under the influence of decongestants. Judge it accordingly.

Oh, and you might want to get caught up on episodes One, Two, Three, and Four.

Tune in next week for the violent and bloody conclusion of Darth Pyramus and Thisbe Skywalker!