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8 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, May 12, 2004 !. îîiiiihi ili'i: ,!$ BSSIC Blsiclc by Arthur Black Eye of newt and toe of frog.. Well, I ain't superstitious But a black cat crossed my trail... Old Blues lyric Well, I ain't superstitious either. We live in the 21st century, after all. We've put a man on the moon, a woman (albeit for a nanosecond) in 24 Sussex and candy stripes in our toothpaste. We're sophisticated, well-rounded, rational people here on Spaceship Earth. It's high time we divested ourselves of medieval old wives tales about bad luck cats, bloodsucking bloodsucking bats, headless horsemen, horsemen, wart-dispensing frogs and other long-leggity beast- ies that supposedly go bump in the night. Not that a few superstitions superstitions don't make a certain amount of sense. It is merely prudent to avoid walking under a ladder and it's a good idea to let sleeping dogs lie. But some of the other stuff people believe! You want a sure-fire cure for whooping cough? Cozy up to the nearest nag you can find and inhale a few whiffs of horse's breath. Know how to cleanse a sick room of 'enfeebled spirits'? spirits'? Open the window and invite in a cloud of gnats. Would you like to improve your luck? Catch yourself a well-speckled lady bug. The number of spots on the beetle's beetle's back equals the number of 'lucky months' you've got coming to you: It's all very silly and primitive primitive of course - about as silly and primitive as the ancient practice of 'bleeding' a patient to release foul humours. Actually, ahem, it seems the ancients might have been on to something there. Doctors in Britain - and a few here in North America - are enthusiastically slapping slimy bloodsucking leeches on the carcasses of plastic surgery patients these days. It appears the leech's saliva contains an enzyme that acts as an anticoagulant and cuts down the chance of infection. There's something even creepier that you can get by prescription at the Princess of Wales hospital in Bridgend, Wales: maggots. Doctors there have found that a generous generous dollop of live, wriggling wriggling maggots on an infected wound can work healing wonders that regular drugs can't touch. Apparently, maggots eat only diseased flesh and bacteria, leaving healthy tissue alone. This is, believe it or not, an improvement improvement on the usual shoot-em- up-with-a-dose-of-antibiotics treatment. Bacteria routinely develop immunity to antibiotics, antibiotics, but they're no match for a platoon of hungry maggots. maggots. What's more the maggots maggots are, well, dirt-cheap, easy to transport and generally generally get the job done within three days. Oh yes, and vampire bats? Turns out they're actually good for us too - indirectly. ATV Safety Week stresses importance of a safe ride It pays to BANK at DUCA Advantage #6: MORTGAGES (Great rates plus Bonus Shares) Variable Rate Mortgage 3.25% 5 Year Mortgage 5.20% n»lM subject to chengo without notice, For current rslo* call your local branch. Call I-866-800-DUCA or visit www.duca.com Bowmanville Branch Manager: Tom Broadfool 200 King Street Cast Tel. (905) 623-6343 bowmanvllletoduca.com Whitby Branch Manager: Paul Muller 1818 Dundos Street Cast loi. (905) 726-4650 whltbyOduco.com Come bank with us! Medical researchers have managed to genetically engineer engineer a new drug they call desmoteplase. It is remarkably remarkably effective in restoring normal functions to stroke victims, even when administered administered as much as nine hours after an attack. Want to guess where they found the model for desmoteplase? In the saliva of a vampire bat. It's funny how we rely on animals to bail us out - in superstition and in fact. Sounds kind of grotesque nowadays, but when I was a kid, just about everyone I knew had a rabbit's foot attached to their key chains. It was supposed to bring you good luck. Another thing that was supposed to keep the rain off your parade was a horseshoe nailed over your doorway. A visitor to the country cottage of Nobel prizewinner Niels Bohr was astounded to find that even the eminent Danish physicist had a horseshoe over his cottage cottage entrance. "Can it be that you, of all people, believe a horseshoe will bring you luck?" he was asked. "Of course not," replied Bohr, "but I understand it brings you luck whether you believe in it or not." The great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso was intensely superstitious. He refused to travel on Fridays. He insisted insisted on slipping a coin into his right-hand pocket before putting putting on a new pair of pants. And to protect his golden voice from his habit of smoking smoking sixty cigarettes a day, Caruso wore a necklace from which a dried anchovy was suspended. Caruso died from abscessed lungs at the age of 48. Small wonder. There's only so much a dried anchovy can do for a guy. WHITBY, ON, May 7, 2004 - Durham Region Health Department wants you to have fun and ride safe when using all-terrain vehicles vehicles (ATVs). To help area residents understand the potential dangers of operating operating all-terrain vehicles and increase awareness of the importance of using them safely, May 10 to 16 has been named ATV Safety Week in Durham Region. The Durham Region ATV Safety Coalition and the Health Department will host information displays at several several locations across the Region with staff available at each site to answer questions questions regarding ATV safety. The week will conclude with ATV Safety Day on May 16 featuring demonstrations in the Ganaraska Forest, Clarington. For a listing of display locations, please v i s i t www.region.durham.on.ca. "Most deaths and injuries from ATV use are preventable," preventable," said Connie Vail, a public health nurse with the Health Department. "Major risk factors include speed, inexperience, alcohol, improper improper apparel and the nonuse nonuse of helmets." Main Street, Orono Proprietors: Gary & Carol Vreeker Wedding Cakes • Cafes for all Occasions • Pastries - Donuts - Pies • Bread & Buns 905-983-9779 Closed Sunday and Monday , ii... I >.. .I' 1 j'l ' i, ' ;, i |i|S|ll -in MORRIS FUNERAL CHAPEL LTD. SERVING DURHAM REGION SINCE 1841 all funeral services PREARRANGED AND/OR PREPAID BURIAL - CREMATION - TRANSFERS "WHERE PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE IS IMPORTANT" FUNERAL DIRECTORS PAUL R. MORRIS DOUG R. RUTHERFORD GARY M. CONWAY DEBRA D. KELLEHER 905-623-5480 A DIVISION ST.. BOWMANVILLE - AT QUEEN ST. All-terrain vehicles first appeared in Canada as a multi-purpose utility and recreational vehicle. Since the 1990s, there has been a dramatic increase in recreational recreational use with Canadian ATV sales tripling over the past five years. Consequently, the increase in recreational ATV use is resulting in more ATV-related ATV-related injuries. ATV-related injuries are the only type of injury-related injury-related hospitalization that has increased dramatically within within the past five years. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, ATV-related hospitalizations have increased by about 50 per cent in the past decade. "The highest risk group for ATV-related injuries are males between the ages of 15- to 19-years old," explained Ms. Vail. "The next highest risk group is the 16- to 24-year olds, with males three times more likely likely to be injured." To learn more about ATV Safety Week, call Durham Region Health Department at 905-723-8521 or 1-800- 841-2729 and visit online at www.region.durham.on.ca.