Medieval Times Essays - Damascus, Damask, Linen, Chemise, Wool

Medieval Times What Was Clothing Like in the Middle Ages? In the Middle Ages the tailoring business developed and fashion as a concept was born. There wasn't much difference among the distinct social classes in the way the clothing were cut, the differences became evident mostly in the colours and materials. The country folk prepared their fabrics themselves and the nobility and the bourgeois had the possibility to buy their own imported fabrics. What Materials Were Used to Make the Clothing? The domestic wool was revised into cloths of different strengths -durable, felt and carded fabrics. The most expensive, the finest and the most colourful cloth was an extremely important merchandise imported for example from the Netherlands, England and Germany. Preparing the fabrics and the threads was a time-consuming and valuable craft. Fabric was extremely valuable despite whether or not it was homemade or imported. The medieval threads were spindled with a distaff (an early part of a spinning wheel). For one whole dress where the density of threads was 12 threads per centimetre you needed as much as 15 000 metres of finished thread; i.e. 30 kilometres of one-filament thread. The thread had to be tightly woven and very durable. The clothes were used all the way to the end -- the parts that were worn-out and broken were mended and patched. When the piece of clothing was totally worn-out, the good parts were used again. This might be a reason why the archeological findings are mostly church textiles. The looseness of the clothes was received by the using of gussets which were triangular inserts used to expand clothing. This way you could also save the valuable fabric. The colours were important to the contemporary people and by lifting the coating the colours of the underclothes and the lining could be shown. The working cloth of the country folk was a linen shirt. Long, dragging clothes were typical in the Middle Ages especially for the rich. Height was emphasised in clothes as well as in architecture. Buttons were first used in the 14th Century, however, they were more used in men's than in women's clothes. Armorial bearing shapes and mi-parti outfits (two different colour halves of clothing) were typical in the Middle Ages. What Did Women Wear? The quantity and quality of medieval woman's clothing depended mostly on status. Queens wore elaborate, exquisitely detailed gowns while peasants wore ill-fitting hand-me-downs. Noblewomen and the wives of wealthy merchants could afford more costly garments. A good example is Margherita Datini. A detailed list of Margherita's clothes from 1397 reveals what the average outfit would contain. The only undergarment consisted of a long dress, or shift. Since it had to be worn against the skin, this garment was usually made from a soft cotton or linen. This would be covered by a wool or fur petticoat during the winter months. Over the petticoat would be a long-sleeved gown. The surcoat covered the gown, but was sleeveless. The average wardrobe of the period contained very few gowns, but an assortment of surcoats made from various material. Margherita had a wide array to choose from; blue damask, taffeta, Oriental damask, and silk are only a few. Some of the surcoats had detachable sleeves, making the outfit versatile and adaptable to the seasons. Women also wore capes, cloaks, and shawls as wraps. They could be made from wool, fur, silk, or velvet. Some of these garments may have included hoods, but there were other types of headdresses. Margherita and other women wore wimples, which were cloths that covered the head, neck, and under the chin. The wimple was sometimes covered by a fur or cloth cap, or straw hat. Ladies wore shoes that were carved wooden bottoms with leather laces. Slippers might be made from silk, but were more often made of leather. The heel was shaped either from small blocks of wood, or from layers of leather. Other accessories included linen undersocks, long wool or silk hose, veils, purses, fans, and handkerchiefs. Lower classes of women had an extremely limited wardrobe. Most pieces were handed down through the family, or were the cast-offs from the lady of the manor. She may or may not have the linen undergarment, and the dress was usually made from as

Free Essays on Medicinal And Recreational Drug Use In The 20th Century

Medicinal and Recreational Drug Use in the 20th Century The 20th century spawned several cures for illnesses which have plagued mankind since the beginning of time. According to The History Channel’s website, in the 1800’s the average life expectancy was between 40 and 50 years old, but with the advances that medicine made in the 20th century those ages rose to nearly 80. In 1929 Dr. Alexander Fleming published his discovery of a drug called penicillin. Penicillin is a mold considered an antibiotic which prevents germs from reproducing. Fleming noticed that when coexisting with a colony of germs in a Petri dish the colony would not grow. This was a huge breakthrough in medical science for the 20th century. In 1938 Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley refined the drug to make it usable for humans and to prevent infections from becoming dangerous. This so-called â€Å"Miracle Drug† prevented thousands of deaths during the Second World War by quickly killing bacterial infections soldiers got while in battle. Penicillin has also cured thousands of cases of pneumonia which until the time of antibiotics was a deadly virus. Amoxicillin is another form of penicillin which is often prescribed for infections of the tonsils or throat. In 1943 Selman Waksman discovered Streptomycin which was the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis (TB ). The chance of dying from a bacterial infection today is only 1/20 of what it was in the early 1900’s because of the difference antibiotics. Over the counter drugs (OTC) are drugs that do not require a prescription to obtain. Generally such drugs are less powerful with smaller chances of side effects. Some common OTC drugs are often pain relievers (Antipyretic analgesics) such as Tylenol. Tylenol’s main ingredient is Acetaminophen which is found in fever reducers and pain relievers. Acetaminophen was approved by the FDA in 1951. Although side effects of this drug are not likely, t... Free Essays on Medicinal And Recreational Drug Use In The 20th Century Free Essays on Medicinal And Recreational Drug Use In The 20th Century Medicinal and Recreational Drug Use in the 20th Century The 20th century spawned several cures for illnesses which have plagued mankind since the beginning of time. According to The History Channel’s website, in the 1800’s the average life expectancy was between 40 and 50 years old, but with the advances that medicine made in the 20th century those ages rose to nearly 80. In 1929 Dr. Alexander Fleming published his discovery of a drug called penicillin. Penicillin is a mold considered an antibiotic which prevents germs from reproducing. Fleming noticed that when coexisting with a colony of germs in a Petri dish the colony would not grow. This was a huge breakthrough in medical science for the 20th century. In 1938 Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley refined the drug to make it usable for humans and to prevent infections from becoming dangerous. This so-called â€Å"Miracle Drug† prevented thousands of deaths during the Second World War by quickly killing bacterial infections soldiers got while in battle. Penicillin has also cured thousands of cases of pneumonia which until the time of antibiotics was a deadly virus. Amoxicillin is another form of penicillin which is often prescribed for infections of the tonsils or throat. In 1943 Selman Waksman discovered Streptomycin which was the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis (TB ). The chance of dying from a bacterial infection today is only 1/20 of what it was in the early 1900’s because of the difference antibiotics. Over the counter drugs (OTC) are drugs that do not require a prescription to obtain. Generally such drugs are less powerful with smaller chances of side effects. Some common OTC drugs are often pain relievers (Antipyretic analgesics) such as Tylenol. Tylenol’s main ingredient is Acetaminophen which is found in fever reducers and pain relievers. Acetaminophen was approved by the FDA in 1951. Although side effects of this drug are not likely, t...

BP Global Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico & Its Affect on Local Businesses Research Paper

BP Global Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico & Its Affect on Local Businesses - Research Paper Example Gulf of Mexico has been a home for as many as 36 Marine Protected Areas (MPA) accounting for 13 % of total MPAs throughout the nation in addition to the MPAs of the bordering States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas waters totaling 75 not included in the national mainstream MPAs. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Flower Garden Sanctuary have been threatened by the oil spill which could implicate British Petroleum under National Marine Sanctuaries Act. The coral reefs have also been damaged by the oil haze extending for about 22 miles from the Deepwater Horizon site. The Act makes it liable for damaging any living or nonliving resource of national marine sanctuary affecting its conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, educational, cultural, scientific or aesthetic value. The Act provides for imposition of civil penalties as high as $ 100,000 on any person and each day of violation constituting a separate violation. Apart from civil penalties, re sponse costs, damages due to destruction, loss or injury plus interest are leviable under the Act. There are also other Acts such as federal Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act which can make BP liable for deaths of dolphins and sea turtles as a result.1 Background The above said blowout occurred at the BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in the deaths of 11 workers who were on Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon Drilling rig. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled in the process. The wellhead was 1,500 m down below the sea water. The United States declared a moratorium on deepwater drilling until October 12, 2010. It is widely believed that the blowout could have been prevented but for the poor quality of equipment meant to prevent blowout.2 Known as the last-line of defense, the blind shear ram on the blowout preventer fixed on well head on the ocean floor would have crushed the drill pipe thus preventing a blowout. The blind s hear ram is believed to have failed for want of checks as simple as verifying whether the batteries had been sufficiently charged. BP’s investigation team is reported to have held that the well had been poorly designed. Offshore Pollution Liability Association (OPOL) where membership is voluntary provides for only a maximum liability of $ 250,000which is insufficient given the magnitude of loss resulting from the Gulf of Mexico incident. Although OPOL membership is a pre-condition for drilling license, there is no rationale for a voluntary membership. This is apt to weaken the legal control of the polluters who would claim that damages to biodiversity and ecosystem are indirect and therefore no compensation is payable.3 Marine oil spills are not unavoidable accidents. Adverse environmental conditions or any catastrophic events cannot be attributed to oil spills.4 The offshore drilling unit at the Deep Water Horizon was worth$365 million capable of operating in deep waters as low as 8000 feet and drill further down up to 30,000 feet. The drilling unit had been engaged in drilling an exploratory well 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana at the time of accident. The well from which oil spill started on April 20, 2010 was finally capped on July 15, 2010. The total damages to the company, environment and the coastal economy have been placed at $ 36.9 billion. Apart from human error and equipment failure, the U.S. Government’s failure to respond with damage control measure, media