World Blood Donor Day

Today, June 14th, is World Blood Donor Day.

Every year, countries throughout every region of the world organize a huge variety of events and activities to celebrate the day, from football matches to free concerts, and from mobile blood donation clinics to monumental decorations.

The World Health Organization and partners have decided to focus the 2012 campaign on the idea that every one of us can become a hero simply by giving blood. The everyday hero responds to an immediate need, whatever the conditions, despite inconvenience, putting the needs of others above their own. Voluntary blood donors come from all walks of life, all regions, backgrounds, religions and ages. By choosing to donate blood without getting paid, these individuals commit an "heroic" act, a gesture of human solidarity with the power to save lives. Some of them do so dozens of times over several decades.

Find out more here.


(Text from www.who.int)

Royal connection

As a coincidence on the weekend of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this lovely little booklet Opening of the New Library by Her Majesty the Queen   appeared on my desk. The new library on George IV Bridge was opened by Her Majesty the Queen on the 4th July in 1956.

Enclosed in the booklet is a full order of proceedings, it states

“ 3.0 p.m. Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh will arrive at the main entrance of the New Library on George IV Bridge.” Mr Orchard (the director of Messrs. Colin Macandrew & Partners the principal contactors) will hand the key to the Queen, and the Chairman will ask Her Majesty to unlock the door.

The booklet tells the story of the library, how it started and a description of the new building, with a few black and white photos of various areas inside the building. It is a delightful booklet and well worth a read.

Ballgowns

A coffee table book if there ever was one, this book Ballgowns british glamour since 1950   published by the Victoria and Albert Museum encapsulates the ballgown. It is full of wonderful photographs of British ballgowns spanning 60 years.

Designs by Alexander McQueen, Garath Pugh and Stella McCartney are just a few of the designers featured in this book. The book explains about the importance of the ballgown from 1950, when formal balls took place and debutantes learned to curtsy for their presentation to court, to wearing the most beautiful evening dresses on the red carpet.

Crimean War

Whilst checking some parliamentary papers, I came across the second report from the Select Committee on the Army before Sebastopol, with the minutes of evidence and appendix. I was immediately transported to the horrors of war by reading it. This is a frightening report where the Select Committee examined men that had been actually there and seen what it was like. Some of the statements are not just harrowing, but extremely gruesome.

There is evidence about the state of the toilets in one of the hospitals; “the pipes soon chocked up and the liquid faeces, the evacuations from those afflicted with diarrhoea, filled up the pipes, floated up over the floor, and came into the room…more than an inch deep when I got there in the morning.” He then goes on to mention that the soldiers who had no slippers or shoes had to use the toilets! The inspector ended up catching diarrhoea within 5 minutes of being there. Ugh!

In another interview it describes the state of the army outfits. The question was “were the men in a ragged and comfortless condition in the camp?” The reply was “Frightful; they had haybands round their legs in very many instances, and their trousers were completely worn out.”

There was a debate about coffee, that it was deeply regretted that it was green and not roasted.

The worst statement I read concerned dead bodies; “it was wrapped in a blanket and carried to the grave, and when placed in the grave the blanket was taken off” This was to stop the digging up of the bodies to steal the blankets.

This report can be found at PP 1854-55 Vol. IX. or if you are a registered reader of the National Library of Scotland, try using the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers resource.

Warren Hastings may be dead but not forgotten in the NLS

I was looking at the reprints of the House of Lords sessional papers, and found 10 volumes from 1794-95, which were entitled the trial of Warren Hastings. I have heard his name many times through my work, and thought that he deserves a mention. He was born in 1732 and died in 1818 and he was the first general governor of India from 1773 to 1785.


However, in 1787 the House of Lords were deemed fit to bring him to trial on

“An impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors, by the knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, in Parliament assembled, in the name of themselves, and of all the Commons of Great Britain.”

The crimes included misconduct, mismanagement, personal corruption and extortion.

It took seven years for him to be acquitted.

Looking through these volumes there is an amazing amount of information, oral and written minutes and appendixes laid before the House Of Lords.

Save Lives : Clean Your Hands Day 5th May 2012

The World Health Organization (WHO) is dedicating the 5th May to its global campaign to improve hand hygiene in health care, led by WHO to support health-care workers. The WHO's website is packed with tools, resources, reports, case studies and even videos and podcasts to support institutions in eliminating diseases such as diarrhoea and influenza and tackling hospital-aquired infections caused by the bacterium MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). (Image from the WHO website).

Phone-hacking scandal

Hot off the press – the News International and phone-hacking report is published.
It comes in two volumes, vol. 1 report together with formal minutes and vol. 2  oral and written evidence.

The report is examining “whether or not there is good evidence to suggest that the Committee and its predecessor committees have been misled by any witnesses during the course of their work on the phone-hacking scandal.”

This gossip still continues to surround News International and is having major repercussions for the British newspaper industry.

There has been three separate inquiries into the press standards over the last decade.

In the second inquiry it was noted that they were frustrated by the “collective amnesia” that seemed to afflict the witnesses from News International.

Due to a series of events in 2011 the inquiry had to be re-opened and produced News International and phone hacking.

State opening of Parliament

Parliament will soon be in prorogation.  This means the marking of the end of a parliamentary session, before the State Opening of Parliament when the new session starts.
This year the State Opening of Parliament will take place on the 9th May 2012.  The 2010-12 session has been a long one, as it started after the State Opening which took place on Tuesday 25 May 2010 and is only about to finish now.  Normally a new session starts in November and then ends the following November.  However, after the last general election the Fixed Term Parliament Act was passed on the 15 September 2011.  The Act states that the parliamentary general elections will ordinarily take place on the first Thursday in May every five years.  Out of this Act one of the benefits would be that there would be five twelve months parliamentary sessions beginning and ending in spring.

National Allergy Week 23th-27th April 2012

Many people (including myself!)are allergic to pollen (the UK's number one allergen), dust mites, fungi and pet hair. Food allergies and intolerances, skin allergies and fatal anaphylactic reactions seem to be on the rise. Follow the link to find out more on recognising and managing allergies, even those related to work!

Pert PIPs - Breast Implant Scandal

The Stationery Office recently published PIP breast implants and regulation of cosmetic interventions. It was in March 2010 that the French regulator the Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitare des Produits de Santé found that the French Company Poly Implant Prothéses (PIP) had been using non-authorised silicone in the manufacturing of breast implants. In December 2011 there was an increase in reporting of ruptures of PIP implants and fears that the unauthorised silicone could pose a risk of cancer. The French Ministry of Health advised the routine removal of PIP implants on a precautionary and non-urgent basis. It is estimated that about 40 000 UK women have received these implants prior to the withdrawal from the market. Out of the 40 000 only 3 000 women received them through the NHS. Since the PIP breast implant scandal the Government has announced a number of reviews, Sir Bruce Keogh is to access the evidence on the risk of the PIP implant and also will conduct and wider review into the regulation of cosmetics. Earl Howe is conducting a review into the actions of the MHRA and the Department of Health. In the summary it states “ the replacement implants for private patients should only be provided on the NHS where there is a clinical need. However, the Committee invites the Dept. of Health to propose a framework that would allow women in certain circumstances to combine NHS removal of implants with paid-for private surgery to insert replacements.”

SOS Iceberg

"The Unsinkable Titanic: books from the Official Publications Collection"

100 years ago this month, the world was rocked by the news that the unsinkable ship, the Titanic, had hit an iceberg and in less than 3 hours had sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

It was at 11.40 pm on the 14th April 1912 that the Titanic hit an iceberg. It took just 2 hours 40 minutes for the ship to sink. Of the 2,223 people that were onboard only 705 survived.
The lifeboats had room for only 1,178 passengers and there were reports that the lifeboats weren’t full to their capacity when they were launched.

These are a selection of books from the Official Publications Collection that encapsulate the story of the Titanic from its conception to the wreck, they're on display in our main reading room till the end of April.

Journey to Mecca

What is Hajj?

Hajj is a sacred duty for Muslims, they must at least once in their lives go to Mecca. Hajj is one of the 5 pillars of Islam, it is also the only one that non-Muslims can neither observe nor take part in.
It should not be done on debt and the pilgrim’s family should not be left without support.
I found this all out in the book Hajj journey to the heart of Islam which recently landed on my desk. The British Museum has produced this book as a companion to their exhibition.
The book explains about the Hajj, the origins so steeped in time. It describes the history of the journey to Mecca, the importance of Hajj through text, pictures, maps and amazing photographs. As I leafed through it I was immediately transported to another world.
It is a fascinating book that delves into this amazing aspect of pilgrimage to Mecca with antidotes from pilgrims.
(photo taken from sacredsites.com)

World Tuberculosis Day 24th March 2012

World TB Day, falling on March 24th each year, is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis today remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the deaths of several million people each year, mostly in developing countries. It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. At the time of Koch’s announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people. Koch’s discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB. (text from stopTB.org)

For those researching tuberculosis in the past, there are plenty of statistics about TB in British India in our Medical History of British India collection. Many soldiers and inmates of jails and asylums died from it and much epidemiological data can be downloaded from the website from the htm files.

Meanwhile, in our stacks here in the Library, reports from the Public Health Commissioner (shelfmark IP/QA.7) explore the prevalence of TB in India under British rule. In 1933 it was estimated that there were over two million cases of TB in India, being particularly serious in Bengal, Madras and the Punjab.

Now in 2012, people of different ages and living in different countries could have these hopes for stopping TB in their lifetimes:

•Zero deaths from TB
•Faster treatment
•A quick, cheap, low-tech test
•An effective vaccine
•A world free of TB.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

New to OPU this week is Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio 21.

This powerful collection of pictures represents the work of 79 photographers from 24 countries. The pictures were selected from 41,000 entries and are chosen by an international panel of judges for their artistic merit.

OPU receives this hardback publication every year, as it is published by the Natural History Museum. Every year there are many stunning images, reminding the reader of the beauty, variety and fragility of the life on our planet.

It is shelved at: OP3.212.11.

The online gallery allows viewing of the winners and also the chance to purchase prints.

The race for the South Pole

January 2012 saw the centenary of Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaching the South Pole alongside four other members of the British Antarctic Expedition.

To commemorate this expedition and that of Norwegian Roald Amundsen, the Natural History Museum has published two lavishly illustrated books which have just arrived in Official Publications.

Scott's Last Expedition by Steve Parker, focuses on the British efforts, from personnel and logistics in setting up the Discovery base to Antarctic observations and specimens. Finally Parker writes of the brutal journey to the South Pole and the search for the missing 5 explorers.

Race to the End by Ross D. E. MacPhee, tells the story of both Scott and Amundsen, comparing their different approaches in leading an expedition and in facing the challenges and hardships of the polar environment.

Packed with detail, both books are generously illustrated with maps, notebook sketches, plans, photographs, newspaper reports, and photos of artefacts such as snow goggles, food tins and dog harnesses.

Race to the End contains foldout panoramic panels from The Sphere's edition of February 2013 (see illustration above, which is taken from Stage VIII panel). Following Scott's journey and the tragic end of his expedition, this series of sketches reveals the jingoistic attitudes of the time more than the truth of what actually happened but is still fascinating to look at.

The National Library of Scotland holds a Mountaineering and Polar collection and the Learning Zone features Scott's last expedition.

Scott's Last Expedition is at shelfmark: OP3.212.10
Race to the End is at shelfmark: OP3.212.13

Scottish Government leads the way!

 Referendum consultation in ebook format

The Scottish Government will become the first administration in the UK to make an official publication available in digital download format for devices such as iPad and Kindle, after it was confirmed the Your Scotland, Your Referendum consultation will be issued as an eBook.
The latest development will now act as a pilot scheme for future digital distribution of Scottish Government documents, an initiative that will improve access to important public files and could drive down print costs as more and more people in Scotland rely on digital devices for published material.

UN Monthly Bulletin of Statistics

The Monthly bulletin of statistics from the Statistical Office of the United Nations will cease to be produced in paper copy, however, it will be available free-of-charge in electronic format only. For further information, please visit the website of the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online where all data are available in database format and/or in PDF. The latest version of the MBS will be added in this section each month.

Electronic copies of the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics are available in PDF on the website, starting from 2009 and onwards.

Bread, shelter and roses

When working on an enquiry about the Government of Scotland Bill 1924, I came across an entry to the Scottish Stone of Destiny Bill.
I checked Hansard for more information. Mr Kirkwood started the debate by mentioning the history of the stone, that Jacob had it for a pillow at Bethel, when he was fleeing from his brother Esau. It then went into the possession of the Kings of Egypt and over to Ireland before it finally arrived in Scotland.
Lord Apsley from Dunstaffneys mentions that it could be dangerous to follow that theory too close as in should the stone not be sent back to where it originally came from which would be Bethel and the Jews. He also states “I have had to sleep many uncomfortable nights on the Hill of Bethel.”
Mr Kirkwood also points out “My friends and I are accused of being materialists …the charge is false. When we seek bread and shelter for our people we also demand roses.”
I am fascinated about what roses he would demand.
I find that Hansard can be a very interesting and entertaining read. The further you go back in history, the eloquence, articulation and expressive way in which the MPs spoke can be found to be amusing nowadays.
To find out more information about the Scottish Stone of Destiny Bill, and you are a registered reader of the National Library of Scotland, try using the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers resource.

What colour of political animal are you?

Think you know you're a socialist, a Green, a Tory? Well, put your beliefs to the test by trying the Scottish Vote Compass, a joint academic project involving researchers from the Department of Political Science at the University of Strathclyde and the eDemocracy Centre, based at the ZDA, University of Zurich.
You may be surprised! (I was...)

CSI: India

I’ve been looking at the Chemical Examiner’s reports, which are among the remaining medical items in the India Papers. The NLS plans to put in a bid to the Wellcome Trust to have these digitised and added to the Medical History of British India website. The NLS holds reports dated 1874-1942 from the Punjab, Burma and North-West and Central Provinces and Oudh.

The Chemical Examiners gave independent scientific advice to the Criminal Justice Administration System. The first laboratory was established in Madras in 1849, with one formed in Kerala in 1890 under the orders of Government as part of the Health Department.

The Chemical Examiner’s laboratory investigated cases of human and animal poisoning, stain cases (blood, semen, faecal matter) plus purity of drugs (opium, hemp drugs, cocaine, chloroform) and water.

The reports include short notes on the more important medico-legal cases, including strychnine poisoning and a case of an apple tart laced with croton oil, a ‘drastic purgative.’ The cook had poisoned the tart, which was served up after a cantonment dinner party (Report of the Chemical Examiner to Government, North-West Frontier Province, 1930, shelfmark: IP/29/CB.3).

Hair was also used to detect crime, examined by microscope and ultra-violet light to identify its origin. The work of the American scientific crime detection lab in North-Western University was of interest in India as ‘hair-rings’ could show the age of a human. Hair was as important as a finger-print in tracing criminals, Dr. Hood claimed.
(Report of the Chemical Examiner to Government, North-West Frontier Province, shelfmark: IP/29/CB.3).

The Chemical Examiner’s Laboratory still exists at Kerala and its work is very similar to that of last century.

(picture credit: www.cartoonstock.com)

Referendum: the big questions

The Scottish Affairs Select Committee has produced a short report  on its second inquiry into the devolution referendum, scheduled to take place in 2014. It looks at bank regulation, pensions, national currency, membership of international organisations, Scotland's defences and the potential costs of separation from the UK.

Medical Congress 1887

Carrying on with the audit of Official Publications I came across the report on the ninth International Medical Congress held in Washington in 1887 The author is from the army in England, and he notes the presentations given, and the discussions following them.
One of the presentations remarked about a European Officer in the Afghan Campaign whose duties and responsibilities made great calls upon his energies. He listened to a native officer who suggested to try opium as they do, the officer followed his advice with a “striking benefit.”
Another was about abdominal surgery - An Italian was stabbed, he walked to the hospital where the wound was dealt with. On the following day, although his pulse and temperature were normal he felt a lot of pain and then he vomited green material.
Following on from the Medical Congress the author visited the John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. He mentions “ Nor do I think that such a hospital, with its elaborate and expensive organisation and arrangements would be necessary or even warranted in this country, where there are so many other and more pressing needs. As regards the sick, the same objects might be attained at a much less cost.”
The plans for this hospital are attached to the book and show great depth of detail. This book gives such an insight into the 1880s field of medicine, civilian and army situations, from drinking water to various gunshot wounds, and the spread of disease.
(photo from book)