Latest news with #Matilda
Spectator
3 days ago
- Health
- Spectator
The stigma still surrounding leprosy
One of the earliest leper hospitals in Britain was built in London near the beginning of the 12th century by Queen Matilda, the wife of Henry I. It was a benign combination of housing, hospital and chapel, with patients free to come and go as they wished. Matilda started a fashion among the wealthy, so that by 1350 there were more than 300 such hospitals across the kingdom. Far from lepers being shunned and feared as outcasts, therefore, their treatment for much of the medieval period was enlightened. 'The mythology of the 'medieval leper' seems no more real than that of the vampire or ghoul,' writes Oliver Basciano. The author is a journalist who has worked for the Financial Times and the BBC. His interest in lepers was prompted by unfounded claims from a Trump supporter that migrants were carrying leprosy into the US from Mexico. He says that Outcast is not a medical history; rather, it is a history of the stigma of leprosy. Basciano is often polemical; he invokes Susan Sontag, Michel Foucault and Edward Said to inveigh against the 'othering' of lepers. Whether such ballast is necessary is doubtful. The history he recounts is fascinating in its own right and also makes self-evident that victims of this horribly disfiguring disease have endured some of the worst ostracism of any social group. Basciano discovers that the demonisation of lepers in the media is nothing new. By the Victorian era the disease had left Britain but it persisted elsewhere, often in tropical climates. An authoritative literary magazine, The Nineteenth Century, denounced 'the dark cloud of leprosy' as a threat to empire and demanded that lepers should be segregated. It insisted that this was an advance on the medieval era, when – it falsely asserted – lepers were banished from society or even executed. Nevertheless, many lepers remained free under colonial administrations. Their biggest concentration was in India, where there were an estimated 1.5 million by the time of independence. The Raj did not segregate most of them, but that was more about economics than health policy, since it lacked the funds to do so. The failure to build institutions for lepers continued after 1947; as Basciano says, there was a 'lack of any proper policy from the Nehru government to deal with them'. Some of the stigma around leprosy lessened during the 19th century, due to heroic efforts by charismatic individuals. Basciano visits Siberia in the steps of the British nurse Kate Marsden, who was inspired by Florence Nightingale and undertook perilous journeys to tend to lepers in far-flung places. Marsden was lauded by Queen Victoria, but her career ended amid scandal around her sexuality. She was excluded from society in a fashion, Basciano observes, not so very different from many of her patients: 'None but a few of her grand friends wanted to be associated with a gay woman.' Scandal also descended upon the father of modern leprosy treatment, the Norwegian physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, who established that the disease was spread by infection rather than heredity. Leprosy is often now referred to as 'Hansen's disease'. Unfortunately he also carried out procedures on patients without their consent, which means that his other, back-handed, legacy to medicine is the development of medical ethics. At the opposite end of the spectrum from Queen Matilda and her peers is 20th-century Japan, where lepers were rounded up and confined in what were essentially penal institutions, even after it became clear that segregation had little medical basis. Eugenics featured in health policy and many lepers were sterilised. Following lengthy campaigning, the government apologised and distributed compensation as late as 2001. No apologies came from members of the medical establishment, however. 'I still get the feeling that many don't think they did anything wrong,' reflects a former inmate. Cures for leprosy based on antibiotics were eventually discovered in the mid-20th century. Basciano brings his story up to the present with a surprise: leprosy is still with us. It remains endemic, for instance, in India, Indonesia, Brazil and Mozambique. Lack of public awareness means that it is a poor relation for funding compared with diseases such as malaria and HIV. Staff from the Leprosy Mission charity tell Basciano that fundraising is hard 'in a world that thinks the disease is long gone'. Politics is another problem. Basciano visits Mozambique and sees at first hand how a jihadist insurgency is undermining medical assistance. But greater difficulties may be in store. Outcast was completed before the current cuts in overseas aid, which could further hamper global action to eradicate leprosy. This would be tragic. Basciano uses an impressive level of detail to underline the reality that poverty and lack of access to medical services mean that lepers remain some of the world's most marginalised people.
North Wales Chronicle
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Co Antrim woman's passion for posting traditional cookery skills a hit on TikTok
While the social media platform was initially best known for showcasing dance moves, Cheryl Smyth has amassed millions of views from across the world whipping up local favourites in her kitchen in Carrickfergus. Some of the 58-year-old's most popular videos include stew, roast dinners, braised steak, 'marry me' chicken and sausage rolls, and attract viewers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as Northern Ireland. Her bakes also include a chocolate cake inspired by the Roald Dahl book Matilda as well as traybakes, pineapple creams, scones, sticky toffee pudding, wheaten farls and treacle farls as well as old-school jam and coconut sponge and meringues. Her channel Cheryl Bakes Cakes is growing by around 10,000 followers a month since she started in January 2024, going on to hit 100,000 by December, and now at almost 170,000. One of her first videos was surviving a gale during Storm Isla in January 2024, but soon expanded to cooking with the encouragement of her children. Cheryl told the PA news agency she is incredibly touched by and motivated by followers who tell her she has taught them things their own parents were not able to. 'I'm just a person next door type, but I do things they can all relate to, and I'm teaching them how to cook, and how to cook good traditional meals on a budget,' she said. 'You'll see my life going on in the background, my dogs, people walking in while I'm baking, my husband, it's just a real person in a real kitchen making real food. 'I actually had a message recently from a girl who said her mum had passed suddenly, how she missed her and that actually I was teaching her things her mum never got the chance to do. 'I've had lots of those comments, that I'm the mummy someone didn't have or the great aunt, and for me, that's my measure of success when someone says that to me. 'I'm so grateful that just being me seems to connect with people.' Cheryl, originally from Larne, also lived in Zambia and Canada as a child before her family returned to Northern Ireland. She worked as a personal assistant before becoming a full-time mother when her first son was born, and has since also raised her birth children and foster children for the last 31 years. While many creators with growing followings on social media aim to make it their full-time job, Cheryl said she is focused on helping people develop their cooking skills. She said she has also turned down scores of opportunities to collaborate with companies and sell products, which she says she has no plans to do. 'If you see me promoting a nice Chinese takeaway, I bought it. If I eat a nice Chinese takeaway I'll talk about it, but I stay away from the paid promotion,' she said. 'I am not doing this for money, it's just for enjoyment. 'Eating out is becoming a treat these days, so for me it's about showing people how to easily feed their family well with really nice food that's good for them, and saving your money to have a takeaway as a treat. 'That's just how I was brought up and now I do it too. 'I'm always being asked about doing a cook book, but I just say this is my living cookbook, and you get to ask me questions and I can reply to you. I'm just not financially motivated at all.' She has recently started a new series focused on being able to feed your family for a fiver, and has even teamed up with a butcher in Ballymena to create a £25 meat pack to help people cook on a budget. Cheryl also said she is adapting to being recognised when she goes out, from people asking for pictures with her to telling her that they cooked her various recipes with great success. 'Nobody wants a smashed avocado any more, and a hundred ways to do it, they want a piece of soda bread and nice slice of ham,' she said. 'Our breads are so easy to make, it's one bowl, no rising, no yeast, stirred with a knife, put in the oven or the griddle, and they're incredible. But she stressed: 'I don't want anybody to think I am something that I'm not – I'm just a normal girl in a house who knows how to cook, who was taught by my granny and my mum, and now I do it too. 'For me, it's just good fun and I love what I'm doing.'
Powys County Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Co Antrim woman's passion for posting traditional cookery skills a hit on TikTok
A Co Antrim grandmother with more than three million likes on TikTok has spoken about her passion for keeping traditional cooking alive for the next generation. While the social media platform was initially best known for showcasing dance moves, Cheryl Smyth has amassed millions of views from across the world whipping up local favourites in her kitchen in Carrickfergus. Some of the 58-year-old's most popular videos include stew, roast dinners, braised steak, 'marry me' chicken and sausage rolls, and attract viewers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as Northern Ireland. Her bakes also include a chocolate cake inspired by the Roald Dahl book Matilda as well as traybakes, pineapple creams, scones, sticky toffee pudding, wheaten farls and treacle farls as well as old-school jam and coconut sponge and meringues. Her channel Cheryl Bakes Cakes is growing by around 10,000 followers a month since she started in January 2024, going on to hit 100,000 by December, and now at almost 170,000. One of her first videos was surviving a gale during Storm Isla in January 2024, but soon expanded to cooking with the encouragement of her children. Cheryl told the PA news agency she is incredibly touched by and motivated by followers who tell her she has taught them things their own parents were not able to. 'I'm just a person next door type, but I do things they can all relate to, and I'm teaching them how to cook, and how to cook good traditional meals on a budget,' she said. 'You'll see my life going on in the background, my dogs, people walking in while I'm baking, my husband, it's just a real person in a real kitchen making real food. 'I actually had a message recently from a girl who said her mum had passed suddenly, how she missed her and that actually I was teaching her things her mum never got the chance to do. 'I've had lots of those comments, that I'm the mummy someone didn't have or the great aunt, and for me, that's my measure of success when someone says that to me. 'I'm so grateful that just being me seems to connect with people.' Cheryl, originally from Larne, also lived in Zambia and Canada as a child before her family returned to Northern Ireland. She worked as a personal assistant before becoming a full-time mother when her first son was born, and has since also raised her birth children and foster children for the last 31 years. While many creators with growing followings on social media aim to make it their full-time job, Cheryl said she is focused on helping people develop their cooking skills. She said she has also turned down scores of opportunities to collaborate with companies and sell products, which she says she has no plans to do. 'If you see me promoting a nice Chinese takeaway, I bought it. If I eat a nice Chinese takeaway I'll talk about it, but I stay away from the paid promotion,' she said. 'I am not doing this for money, it's just for enjoyment. 'Eating out is becoming a treat these days, so for me it's about showing people how to easily feed their family well with really nice food that's good for them, and saving your money to have a takeaway as a treat. 'That's just how I was brought up and now I do it too. 'I'm always being asked about doing a cook book, but I just say this is my living cookbook, and you get to ask me questions and I can reply to you. I'm just not financially motivated at all.' She has recently started a new series focused on being able to feed your family for a fiver, and has even teamed up with a butcher in Ballymena to create a £25 meat pack to help people cook on a budget. Cheryl also said she is adapting to being recognised when she goes out, from people asking for pictures with her to telling her that they cooked her various recipes with great success. 'Nobody wants a smashed avocado any more, and a hundred ways to do it, they want a piece of soda bread and nice slice of ham,' she said. 'Our breads are so easy to make, it's one bowl, no rising, no yeast, stirred with a knife, put in the oven or the griddle, and they're incredible. But she stressed: 'I don't want anybody to think I am something that I'm not – I'm just a normal girl in a house who knows how to cook, who was taught by my granny and my mum, and now I do it too. 'For me, it's just good fun and I love what I'm doing.'
Glasgow Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Co Antrim woman's passion for posting traditional cookery skills a hit on TikTok
While the social media platform was initially best known for showcasing dance moves, Cheryl Smyth has amassed millions of views from across the world whipping up local favourites in her kitchen in Carrickfergus. Some of the 58-year-old's most popular videos include stew, roast dinners, braised steak, 'marry me' chicken and sausage rolls, and attract viewers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as Northern Ireland. Her bakes also include a chocolate cake inspired by the Roald Dahl book Matilda as well as traybakes, pineapple creams, scones, sticky toffee pudding, wheaten farls and treacle farls as well as old-school jam and coconut sponge and meringues. Her channel Cheryl Bakes Cakes is growing by around 10,000 followers a month since she started in January 2024, going on to hit 100,000 by December, and now at almost 170,000. One of her first videos was surviving a gale during Storm Isla in January 2024, but soon expanded to cooking with the encouragement of her children. Cheryl told the PA news agency she is incredibly touched by and motivated by followers who tell her she has taught them things their own parents were not able to. 'I'm just a person next door type, but I do things they can all relate to, and I'm teaching them how to cook, and how to cook good traditional meals on a budget,' she said. 'You'll see my life going on in the background, my dogs, people walking in while I'm baking, my husband, it's just a real person in a real kitchen making real food. 'I actually had a message recently from a girl who said her mum had passed suddenly, how she missed her and that actually I was teaching her things her mum never got the chance to do. 'I've had lots of those comments, that I'm the mummy someone didn't have or the great aunt, and for me, that's my measure of success when someone says that to me. 'I'm so grateful that just being me seems to connect with people.' Cheryl, originally from Larne, also lived in Zambia and Canada as a child before her family returned to Northern Ireland. She worked as a personal assistant before becoming a full-time mother when her first son was born, and has since also raised her birth children and foster children for the last 31 years. While many creators with growing followings on social media aim to make it their full-time job, Cheryl said she is focused on helping people develop their cooking skills. She said she has also turned down scores of opportunities to collaborate with companies and sell products, which she says she has no plans to do. 'If you see me promoting a nice Chinese takeaway, I bought it. If I eat a nice Chinese takeaway I'll talk about it, but I stay away from the paid promotion,' she said. 'I am not doing this for money, it's just for enjoyment. 'Eating out is becoming a treat these days, so for me it's about showing people how to easily feed their family well with really nice food that's good for them, and saving your money to have a takeaway as a treat. 'That's just how I was brought up and now I do it too. 'I'm always being asked about doing a cook book, but I just say this is my living cookbook, and you get to ask me questions and I can reply to you. I'm just not financially motivated at all.' She has recently started a new series focused on being able to feed your family for a fiver, and has even teamed up with a butcher in Ballymena to create a £25 meat pack to help people cook on a budget. Cheryl also said she is adapting to being recognised when she goes out, from people asking for pictures with her to telling her that they cooked her various recipes with great success. 'Nobody wants a smashed avocado any more, and a hundred ways to do it, they want a piece of soda bread and nice slice of ham,' she said. 'Our breads are so easy to make, it's one bowl, no rising, no yeast, stirred with a knife, put in the oven or the griddle, and they're incredible. But she stressed: 'I don't want anybody to think I am something that I'm not – I'm just a normal girl in a house who knows how to cook, who was taught by my granny and my mum, and now I do it too. 'For me, it's just good fun and I love what I'm doing.'
Rhyl Journal
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Co Antrim woman's passion for posting traditional cookery skills a hit on TikTok
While the social media platform was initially best known for showcasing dance moves, Cheryl Smyth has amassed millions of views from across the world whipping up local favourites in her kitchen in Carrickfergus. Some of the 58-year-old's most popular videos include stew, roast dinners, braised steak, 'marry me' chicken and sausage rolls, and attract viewers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as Northern Ireland. Her bakes also include a chocolate cake inspired by the Roald Dahl book Matilda as well as traybakes, pineapple creams, scones, sticky toffee pudding, wheaten farls and treacle farls as well as old-school jam and coconut sponge and meringues. Her channel Cheryl Bakes Cakes is growing by around 10,000 followers a month since she started in January 2024, going on to hit 100,000 by December, and now at almost 170,000. One of her first videos was surviving a gale during Storm Isla in January 2024, but soon expanded to cooking with the encouragement of her children. Cheryl told the PA news agency she is incredibly touched by and motivated by followers who tell her she has taught them things their own parents were not able to. 'I'm just a person next door type, but I do things they can all relate to, and I'm teaching them how to cook, and how to cook good traditional meals on a budget,' she said. 'You'll see my life going on in the background, my dogs, people walking in while I'm baking, my husband, it's just a real person in a real kitchen making real food. 'I actually had a message recently from a girl who said her mum had passed suddenly, how she missed her and that actually I was teaching her things her mum never got the chance to do. 'I've had lots of those comments, that I'm the mummy someone didn't have or the great aunt, and for me, that's my measure of success when someone says that to me. 'I'm so grateful that just being me seems to connect with people.' Cheryl, originally from Larne, also lived in Zambia and Canada as a child before her family returned to Northern Ireland. She worked as a personal assistant before becoming a full-time mother when her first son was born, and has since also raised her birth children and foster children for the last 31 years. While many creators with growing followings on social media aim to make it their full-time job, Cheryl said she is focused on helping people develop their cooking skills. She said she has also turned down scores of opportunities to collaborate with companies and sell products, which she says she has no plans to do. 'If you see me promoting a nice Chinese takeaway, I bought it. If I eat a nice Chinese takeaway I'll talk about it, but I stay away from the paid promotion,' she said. 'I am not doing this for money, it's just for enjoyment. 'Eating out is becoming a treat these days, so for me it's about showing people how to easily feed their family well with really nice food that's good for them, and saving your money to have a takeaway as a treat. 'That's just how I was brought up and now I do it too. 'I'm always being asked about doing a cook book, but I just say this is my living cookbook, and you get to ask me questions and I can reply to you. I'm just not financially motivated at all.' She has recently started a new series focused on being able to feed your family for a fiver, and has even teamed up with a butcher in Ballymena to create a £25 meat pack to help people cook on a budget. Cheryl also said she is adapting to being recognised when she goes out, from people asking for pictures with her to telling her that they cooked her various recipes with great success. 'Nobody wants a smashed avocado any more, and a hundred ways to do it, they want a piece of soda bread and nice slice of ham,' she said. 'Our breads are so easy to make, it's one bowl, no rising, no yeast, stirred with a knife, put in the oven or the griddle, and they're incredible. But she stressed: 'I don't want anybody to think I am something that I'm not – I'm just a normal girl in a house who knows how to cook, who was taught by my granny and my mum, and now I do it too. 'For me, it's just good fun and I love what I'm doing.'
