Leptospirosis (also known as Weil's disease, canicola fever, canefield fever, nanukayami fever or seven day fever) is a bacterial disease. It is caused by spirochaetes of the genus "Leptospira". This bacterium affects humans and many animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. It was first described by Adolf Weil in 1886. At the time he reported an "acute infectious disease with enlargement of spleen, jaundice and nephritis". The pathogen, "Leptospira"-genus bacteria was isolated in 1907 from a post mortem kidney slice.
Leptospirosis is a relatively rare bacterial infection in humans. The infection is commonly transmitted to humans by allowing fresh water that has been contaminated by animal urine (often from rats) to come in contact with the skin, eyes or with the mucous membranes.
It usually causes heart failure, kidney failure or liver failure, and most sufferers die if they are not treated urgently. The disease causes little concern, as it is quite rare
Except for tropical areas, Leptospirosis seems to occur most often in the months August to September, in the Northern Hemisphere.
François-Joseph Gossec
François-Joseph Gossec (born Vergnies, 17 January 1734 — 16 February, 1829) was a South Netherlands composer. He was born in what is now Belgium, but worked in France during his long life. People hardly ever hear his music now except for one very popular piece of dance music called Tambourin. He was famous in France in his time and had a lot of influence on French music.
Gossec’s family were small farmers. When Gossec was young he worked as a cowherd (someone who looks after cows). He showed a lot of talent and became a choir-boy in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Antwerp.
In 1751 he went to Paris. The composer Jean-Philippe Rameau was very impressed by him and got him jobs playing the violin and double bass in his private orchestra. He heard a lot of music by German composers and started to write music of his own. His symphony in D was one of the first works in France to use clarinets which had only just been invented. He composed many operas as well as instrumental works.
In 1762 Gossec became the conductor of a private theatre of the Prince of Condé at Chantilly. A lot of German and Bohemian wind players at that time went to Paris, and Gossec gave them jobs in his orchestra.
Gossec wrote a lot of music for the French Revolution. When the Paris Conservatoire was opened in 1795 he became a teacher of composition there.
Gossec composed lots of different kinds of music. His music for instruments was very successful. He wrote operas which suited the taste of French people at the time, but he did not have a good sense of drama and the words of his operas were uninteresting. He was an important man in the history of music because he organized a lot of musical events in Paris. He was made a "chevalier" of the Legion of Honour. A lot of composers went to his funeral.
Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 3 January 1795, born in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent) was an English potter, who became famous for the industrialisation of pottery. He was the grandfather of "both" Charles Darwin and Emma Darwin, Charles' wife.
Wedgwood was the first to use modern marketing: direct mail, money-back guarantees, travelling salesmen, self-service, free delivery, buy one get one free, and illustrated catalogues.
When he was a child, Josiah had smallpox, but he survived (did not die). The smallpox injured his knee, so he could not easily work as a potter. Instead, he worked hard to design pottery. Working as an apprentice, Wedgwood learned many techniques for making pottery. He used his skills to make one of the first pottery factories, Ivy Works, in Burslem, now part of Stoke-on-Trent.
Wedgwood was very interested in science and technology, and used new ideas to make good quality pottery. He became famous for making pottery for royalty, and became very rich. He spent money on civic works, things that would help businessmen and people in the city, for example canals. He became friends with Erasmus Darwin, an important scientist and inventor. In 1780, Wedgwood and Darwin became business partners. Wedgwood's son married Darwin's daughter, who gave birth to Charles Darwin. Wedgwood and Darwin were also members of the 'Lunar Society', a group of important scientists, philosophers and businessmen.
By 1763, he was receiving orders from the highest levels of the British nobility, including Queen Charlotte. Wedgwood convinced her to let him name the line of pottery she had purchased "Queen's Ware", and trumpeted the royal association in his paperwork and stationery. In 1773, Empress Catherine of Russia ordered the Green Frog Service from Wedgwood; it can still be seen in the Hermitage Museum. An even earlier commission from Catherine was the Husk Service (1770), now on exhibit in Peterhof.
In the latter part of his life, Wedgwood's obsession was to duplicate the Portland Vase, a dark blue and white glass vase from the first century BC. For three years he worked on the project, eventually producing what he considered a satisfactory copy in 1789.
Together with his friends in the Lunar Society, Wedgwood worked for the abolition (ending) of slavery. Wedgwood produced medallions asking for the end of slavery. These medallions became very popular. Wedgwood died in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, in 1795. Selling slaves became illegal (against the law) in 1807 in Britain, and having slaves became illegal in 1833.
Tambourin
A tambourin (pronounced the French way) is a piece of music which was popular in France in the 18th century. It is based on a folkdance from the Provence. The music is made to sound like the kind of drum which is called "tambourin" in French. Jean-Philippe Rameau wrote several Tambourins in his operas. Other composers who wrote Tambourins include François-Joseph Gossec and Maurice Duruflé.
Tambourin also means a special kind of drum from the Provence. It has a long, cylindrical shape and is played with one drumstick. It is found in orchestral music such as Georges Bizet's "L'Arlésienne Suite no. 2"
Thomas Wedgwood III
Thomas Wedgwood (1685-1739) was an English potter. He was a member of the Wedgwood family, who were very successful potters. He was the son of Thomas Wedgwood II and Mary Leigh.
Thomas Wedgwood was married to Mary Stringer. Their children were:
Thomas Wedgwood IV
Thomas Wedgwood (1716-1773) was an English potter. He was a member of the Wedgwood family, who were very successful potters. He was the son of Thomas Wedgwood III and Mary Stringer and brother of Josiah Wedgwood.
Thomas Wedgwood was married firstly to Isabell Beech. Their children were:
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714–14 December 1788) was a German musician and composer. He was the second of five sons of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach. He was said to be one of the greatest harpsichord players of his time. He wrote a book called "Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments" (1755), which was used by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.
Bach was born in Weimar on 8 March 1714. His godfather was the composer Georg Philipp Telemann, and he stayed in contact with him throughout his life. He was taught to play music at an early age by his father. His father moved the family to Leipzig in 1723 where he had a position as Kantor at the Thomasschule. After finishing school Bach went to Leipzig University and trained as a lawyer.