Scorched by sunray cure
QUESTION Why were children given sunray treatment in post-war Britain?
Despite a potential risk of skin cancer, the therapeutic benefits of sunlight were widely championed until the
early 1960s as an antidote for a multitude of ailments.
there are remarkable photographs of under- developed children, inner- city workers and coal miners wearing dark goggles and sitting in groups in front of powerful UV (ultraviolet) lamps.
it has long been believed that sunlight has healing properties. the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed sunbaths for the treatment of wasted muscles.
the ability of UV light to kill bacteria was described in 1877 and the physician theobald palm recognised the link between sunshine deficit and rickets.
Danish physician Niels Ryberg Finsen believed his anaemia and fatigue could be due to lack of sunshine.
in 1893, he discovered that lupus vulgaris, a skin lesion caused by tB, could be treated by exposure to a powerful UV lamp. the discovery won him the Nobel prize in 1903.
the therapy had reached Britain in 1901 when Finsen gave a lamp to his Danish compatriot, Queen Alexandra. she donated it to the London Hospital and patients came from all over the world to receive the new treatment.
By this time vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, had been discovered and linked to health benefits.
these findings resulted in the widespread medical use of UV radiation. By the 1920s, artificial UV light treatment was commonplace in hospitals.
it was prescribed for a vast array of medical conditions, including lumbago, rheumatism, gout, ‘ nervous fidgety states’, manic depression, psoriasis, delusional states, parkinson’s disease, acne, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and skin conditions.
patients from Northern cities and coal miners were given regular doses, as were inner-city children and tB sufferers.
the practice ended in the 1960s
following major medical advances in antibiotics, vaccines, improved hygiene practices and healthier environments.
the warning signs of this panacea should have been recognised earlier. Various studies had pointed to a link between exposure to UV radiation and skin cancer as far back as the late 1920s, but sunray treatment was so popular these concerns were ignored.
it was later proven that the UVB and UVC rays transmitted by the powerful sunlamps were highly carcinogenic.
G. L. May, Bristol.
QUESTION Why do dancers begin a routine with ‘five, six, seven, eight’ instead of ‘one, two, three, four’?
DANCeRs tend to count in eights, the so- called 8-count. Choreographers start a dance sequence with ‘five, six, seven, eight’ to allow for one bar or measure (1, 2, 3, 4) of introduction and to help dancers get into the 8-count rhythm.
the connection between movement and counting is important in dance. Counting steps allows dancers to co-ordinate to the music and to one another.
Most western music is in 4/4 time. this means that in one bar of music, there will be four beats (the top number) and those beats will have quarter notes (the bottom number). in most 4/4 time music, two four-beat measures will be rhythmically paired, which creates an 8-count.
try listening to a piece of music and counting, clapping, foot tapping or marching in 8s. try punching the air on the first beat and you should be able to feel the co-ordination.
An 8- count makes logical sense to a dancer. it’s easier to fit unique movements before a change up or repetition in eight rather than four beats.
the 8- count is simple and versatile. Because it is built on 4/4 time, it can be used to choreograph ballroom, ballet, oldtime, sequence, line or square dancing.
Richard Allman, Leeds.
QUESTION Who has lost the most money?
tHe biggest single loss is believed to be the £32 billion lost in a single day by
entrepreneur Masayoshi son, dubbed the Bill Gates of Japan.
At the peak of the dot- com boom at the end of the 1990s, when softBank, his telecoms conglomerate, was worth £120 billion, son was reported to have a personal fortune of £58 billion.
After the bubble burst, softBank shares plunged 75 per cent in two months and were 93 per cent lower by the end of 2000. son was almost wiped out financially.
Masayoshi son is unusual in Japan as he is a risk-taking entrepreneur. He acquired Vodafone Japan in 2006, which turned around softBank’s fortunes.
He is also a major shareholder in China’s Alibaba group. His personal wealth has bounced back to £20 billion.
He pledged to donate his salary until retirement to support victims of the 2011 tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
the largest personal loss that may never be recovered is that of Brazilian oil magnate eike Batista.
through his company OGX, he had accumulated a personal fortune of more than £20 billion by 2012. He aspired to be the world’s richest man and had a lavish lifestyle.
His aspirations came crashing down in 2013 when OGX failed to meet agreed production quotas and Brazil’s economy slid into a decline.
Batista was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2013 and is thought to be £1 billion in debt.
the Brazilian government charged Batista with money laundering and corruption. in 2018, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for bribing former Rio de Janeiro governor sergio Cabral. Susan Aram, Maidenhead, Berks.