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'Dr. Jeckel and the Speckled Monster'

[MAY 28, 2003]  ^"Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Search for the Smallpox Vaccine" by Albert Marrin, Dutton Children's Books, 120 pages, grades 4-8

Review by Louella Moreland

The news in the past year has reported a great deal about the possibility of terrorists using chemical and biological warfare. Children have watched those news reports and had discussions about terrorism. How do adults address those questions and allay children's fears when many today do not even remember a time when polio and smallpox vaccines were a common part of childhood?

Mr. Marrin has written an easy-to-understand history of smallpox to be read by children. The book begins with the widespread outbreak of the disease that destroyed the powerful Aztec Empire in Mexico. From that story Mr. Marrin goes even further back in history to explain that diseases in general became epidemics only when people settled from nomadic life into farming communities. As people traveled, so did the highly contagious smallpox virus.

Smallpox is actually considered a young disease. It probably began about 8,000 years ago in Asia or the Middle East as a related disease in animals. From that initial disease the virus began to mutate, or change, being able to survive in a human host. A person who caught the virus either survived or died. Those who survived seemed immune to catching the virus again. The first smallpox victim we know of was Ramses V in Egypt, who died in 1157 B.C.

The name smallpox came from its scientific name, variola, and the Latin varius, meaning "spotted" or "speckled." The appearance of closely spaced red bumps is why it was often referred to as the "speckled monster." No one actually saw what the virus looked like until American scientists were able to study it in 1947 under a very powerful electron microscope.

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Inoculation to prevent the spread of the disease was first done in China around 950 A.D. Inoculation procedures spread through Asia and eventually to Europe, with only the very wealthy being able to afford the procedure. The first recorded "testing" was done in 1721 in London at Newgate prison. Sometimes the procedure worked; sometimes people died. It would be many years before doctors understood about sanitation, standardization, or the immune system and how it worked.

Edward Jenner would be the first doctor who made the connection of cowpox to smallpox. Milkmaids claimed they rarely came down with smallpox because they often caught cowpox while milking. During the smallpox epidemic of 1778, Jenner remembered the claims of the milkmaids and started experimenting. His new vaccination proved safer, cheaper and less frightening than earlier inoculation.

Through the use of vaccination programs, smallpox was slowly eliminated across the globe. In 1978 the World Health Organization declared victory over smallpox. At the end of his book, Mr. Marrin also explains the fears of governments and health officials today and why the last samples have not been destroyed.

For parents wanting good background information and easy-to-understand information to assist their children in understanding the disease and its role in current affairs, I would recommend first reading this book and then sharing all or parts of it with their families. It is not a pretty subject and is discussed plainly.

For this or other books on subjects in the news, visit us at the library, 725 Pekin St., or call 732-8878.

[Louella Moreland, Youth Services Department,
 Lincoln Public Library District]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Lincoln Land Concert Association

• Logan County Arts Association

Lincoln Community Theatre box office opens

[MAY 28, 2003]  The Lincoln Community Theatre box office will open for the summer on Monday, June 2. The box office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for Performing Arts on the Lincoln College campus.

LCT 'Nuncrackers' cast

[MAY 19, 2003]  The cast for Lincoln Community Theatre's June 13-21 production of "Nuncrackers" was recently announced by director Sarah Knutilla.

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Classic films return to Lincoln Cinemas

The Logan County Arts Association, in conjunction with GKC Cinemas Corporation, has brought the classic film night series back to the Lincoln Cinemas. The next set of films is scheduled for every second Thursday through October, with shows at 7 p.m.

Classic films lined up for the 2003 season:

• "My Fair Lady," June 12
• "Old Yeller," July 10
• "The Apartment," Aug. 14
• "Wuthering Heights," Sept. 11

• "War of the Worlds," Oct. 9

Tickets are $5.50 for adults and $4.50 for senior citizens and children 12 and under. The tickets are available at GKC Lincoln Cinemas.

Anyone wanting more information may call the Logan County Arts Association at (217) 735-4422.

[Press release from the
Logan County Arts Association]

Lincoln Community Theatre's box office, phone 735-2614,  is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

Performances of "Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I" will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

Visit the LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.

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