The Saturday briefing
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Is there anything you’re yearning to know? Send your questions, on any subject, to the contacts given below, and we will do our best to answer them...
QAThe Royal Family are well-known animal lovers and it’s no secret they’re particularly fond of dogs.The Queen was gifted her first corgi, Susan, on her 18th birthday, who she snuck into her royal carriage on her wedding day under a pile of blankets. Her Majesty is said to have raised more than 30 corgis and dorgis throughout her lifetime, although her latest pet is a cocker spaniel called Lissy.
Paintings of the Royals and their dogs date back centuries, fromVan Dyck’s 1636 portrait of the future King Charles II with his King Charles spaniels, to a work dedicated to Queen Victoria’s spaniel, Dash, in 1838.
There are some mentions of Royals owning cats, particularly during QueenVictoria’s reign.At the time, Buckingham Palace had a resident black cat, Peter, who lived in the stables and Victoria’s youngest son, Leopold, had a cat companion named Snowdrop.
Princess Michael of Kent, who is married to the Queen’s cousin, Prince Michael, celebrated her 70th birthday with a photoshoot in which she held her beloved Siamese and Burmese cats.
Q
Do any of the Royals have cats, or is it all about dogs? Sue Fields, Walthamstow, East London
Why do we yawn and is it just connected to tiredness?
Roy Harris, Manchester
AYawning is an ancient reflex – doctors have even observed babies in the womb doing it at 11 weeks old.
It’s not just seen in humans; birds and mammals yawn and yawnlike behaviour can be spotted in fish and reptiles.The length of a yawn is connected to brain size, with humans the longest yawners.An average yawn lasts six seconds. It’s a myth that we do it when we’re tired to deliver more oxygen into our blood. There is no evidence to back this theory up, but there are studies that show it
increases blood flow to the brain, cooling it down and enabling us to stay more alert.
Researchers at the University of Vienna found that people yawned more in warm weather, at around 20ºC, but yawning decreased when the mercury went above 37ºC, which is the average normal body temperature.
Yawning can help prepare us for action as well – public speakers often yawn before taking to the stage, Olympic athletes do it before a race and paratroopers yawn before jumping out of planes. It is highly contagious and is thought to be a way of being in tune with the group, showing empathy and allowing bonding.
In 2009, a man in Illinois was jailed for three weeks after letting out a loud yawn in court when his cousin was being sentenced.
Q
Why is a GP sometimes called a quack?
APaul Thomas, Kidderminster, Worcs
It comes from the Dutch “kwakzalver”, who were unregulated vendors of “miracle cure” potions around the 17th century. Quacks were a common sight across Europe, especially during cholera epidemics.
Their dubious medicines were sold on the street, at fairs or on travelling stages. Kwakzalvers yelled out to draw in the crowds – and it’s thought their cries were likened to quacking ducks.
Only the upper classes could afford to see a universityeducated practitioner, who would tailor treatments according to the patient and their lifestyles.
The quacks would flog a one-size-fits-all remedy for ailments, such as toothache, stomach pains and syphilis.They even touted love potions and oils to make you look younger.
Medical journal The Lancet reports that in the late 17th century, Lionel Lockyer claimed his pill, “extracted from the rays of the sun”, cured “all or most part of the known diseases and distempers of man”.Anthony Daffy’s “elixir of health” acted on all variety of diseases and was suitable for “all ages, sexes, complexions and constitutions”.
Such potions were often chemically based and could act more immediately, compared to the herbal remedies often given to the rich by learned doctors.
Although the results were questionable, and many quacks were frauds, druggists would go on to follow this idea of supplying remedies for specific diseases.
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