Logo for IndigenousSIPIN intervention, shared with author permission from Haozous, E., Yeary, K., Maybee, W., Porter, C., Zoellner, J., John, B., Henry, W. A. E., & Haring, R. C. (2024). Indigenous knowledge and sugar sweetened beverages: Qualitative adaptations towards chronic disease prevention and intervention. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 20(6), 103066. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2024.103066
November is Native American Heritage Month. To observe it, The Rotation spoke with Dr. Emily A. Haozous, PhD, RN, FAAN (Chiricahua Fort Sill Apache).
Dr. Haozous is a nurse and research scientist with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation - Southwest Center, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Haozous conducts community-based and community-guided research and evaluation in collaboration with Native American partners, including urban tribal centers, reservation-based tribal organizations, and tribal governments. Her work is focused on issues of access to care, health equity, cancer and non-cancer pain management, cultural tailoring, and national trends in premature mortality. Dr. Haozous has a clinical background in oncology, hospice, and palliative care nursing. She is a breast cancer survivor and has co-facilitated a women’s cancer support group continuously since 2007. Dr. Haozous received her undergraduate degree in music from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her MSN and PhD in nursing from Yale University. Most recently, she participated in the authorship of the National Academy of Medicine’s special publication, Systems’ Impact on Historically and Currently Marginalized Populations (expected publication date 2025).
The Rotation: Thanks for taking time to talk with me today. I wanted to speak about your most recent publication, and discuss some concepts related to research and Native populations that it introduced me to. I noticed quite a few co-authors on this paper.
EH: It was a really big team. We had people from all over the country and different disciplines… The one thing we didn’t have were any MDs. That wasn’t a conscious decision, just how it worked out. People think about medical research, or health research, and they think about doctors. Here we have nutritionists, we have nurses, we have a social worker… We have people from all across the healthcare spectrum.
The Rotation: I was intrigued by the use of the concept of the Good Mind, a concept familiar to Indigenous people from the community that was addressed by this adaptation, in the modification of the SSB curriculum, which also introduced the metaphor of the Clean and Dirty River as a framework for the curriculum. These worked for the specific Indigenous group the intervention was tested on, who were male athletes in the Northeastern U.S. Would these metaphors be understood to all Indigenous people?
EH: What you’re asking me about is Native Science. That’s kind of the core of cultural tailoring. The old mainstream perspective on cultural tailoring of health literature is “Well, let’s just change the color scheme and maybe add some photos. If they speak a different language, we’ll change the language. Or maybe we’ll make the font size bigger.”
The Rotation: Sort of like when someone doesn’t understand English, so the other person just speaks louder?
EH: That’s a good way to think about it. Think about how that feels, if you’ve ever been to another country and people have done that to you… But when we’re talking about actual cultural tailoring, you really want to think about, Who are the people you’re trying to communicate with, How do they think? What’s important to them? What is their culture? And so, when you do that… it stops being about changing the color scheme – well, actually, maybe the color scheme is important. A lot of Native tribes – I’m not going to say all, because that would be disrespectful, [since] there are 574 recognized tribes in this country right now, and that number’s changing all the time, and we’re all different – color is important to us. When I go and spend time with my tribe, I can tell who’s Apache because of the colors they’re wearing. And I can tell who’s Comanche because of the colors they’re wearing. So color’s important.
The Rotation: That’s why I was wondering, when you are culturally tailoring an intervention or instrument, are there terms that transcend differences between the tribes? I’m asking whether the ways that you modified the tool are fundamentally, across the board, things that would be understood, regardless of tribe.
EH: I don’t think I could say that. I’d have to talk to each person and say, “Does this make sense to you?” Until I had talked to someone from every single tribe or community – and even within tribes there’s differences – I’d have to really do a scan to be able to confidently say yes or no.
So getting back to [cultural tailoring] – we have to get to what is meaningful for people. So it’s not just about color and not just about pictures, but what is meaningful for those people.”
The Rotation: I look at many studies that aren’t designed like this. Is this research practice of culturally tailoring instruments or interventions something fairly new?
EH: Yes. The practice of really digging deep into a community and finding out what is meaningful to you. And it is not just using an algorithm, but going in and saying, “Is this color aesthetically pleasing to you? Are there colors that we shouldn’t be using? Are there pictures that we shouldn’t be using?” You know, in some communities you don’t include pictures of people who have passed on. Which is challenging, because – people die. And so you have to be very careful with that. And in other communities they really want that, to celebrate people who have been important to them.
In science, they want algorithms. In dissemination and implementation research, it’s all about, “What works here should be able to work everywhere else.” And that’s just not the case in Native communities. So, I can’t take the Clean and Dirty River model and use it in the Southwest. Because we just don’t have the same accessibility to water. So I can use the same practice of finding a meaningful metaphor and trying to transform it, but I can’t use Clean and Dirty River.
Figure 1 from Haozous, E., Yeary, K., Maybee, W., Porter, C., Zoellner, J., John, B., Henry, W. A. E., & Haring, R. C. (2024). Indigenous knowledge and sugar sweetened beverages: Qualitative adaptations towards chronic disease prevention and intervention. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 20(6), 103066. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2024.103066. Shared with author permission.
The Rotation: I was curious about the graphic in the article, which depicts the stages of cultural tailoring of evidence-based interventions.
EH: That was just me trying to make something that was usable. Part of it is, we have this whole curriculum for the program that we didn’t want to publish, because we didn’t want it to become mainstream.
The Rotation: You don’t want it to be used like a blunt instrument.
EH: Exactly.
The Rotation: Publication of these findings is intended to demonstrate cultural tailoring in practice, but it is not intended as a product to be posted online or whatever.
EH: If people want to contact my colleagues and see the materials they created, it’s up to them.
The Rotation: Were all the team members Indigenous?
EH: Some people were not. We spent some time with the non-Indigenous team members getting them to understand… Some people were saying, “You’ll never get them to drink water.” Because there’s no precedent in the literature where you could convince people who were basically addicted to drinking SSB to stop drinking sweet things. And so we had to do a lot of teaching within the team to say, Look, a lot of traditional beverages are sweet, they’re just not sugar-sweetened. They’re sweetened with berries, there are teas that you can sweeten. And natural stevia grows in the area where we did this research. And they were like, “They’ll never choose water.” And we were able to prove them wrong.
The Rotation: Part of the work being done here is to dismantle the assumptions people are making.
EH: For one of them, this person had been working in the field for a very long time, and her biggest success was getting people to drink diet sodas. And we were like, maybe we can aim for a different purpose.
The Rotation: How much of your published work has been related to Indigenous people?
EH: I always get called in as the expert on Indigenous research. I’m happy to do that. That’s my mission. I’ve published in a lot of different places, domains, whether it’s large data analysis or qualitative research looking at access to care in different places, whether that’s in Indian Health Service or pain management or telehealth.
The Rotation: Do you have recommendations for those who are new to reading research conducted in Indigenous populations?
EH: The first thing I would suggest is that when people are reading an article, they find articles that are written by Indigenous authors. Usually there’s a disclosure statement if a person [on the team is] Native. You want a team that has Native people on the team. I’m starting to see articles coming from other countries where they’re just slurping up data from American sources, and they don’t have Native authors, and they’re terrible. The American Journal of Public Health is usually very careful about this. You want to make sure that [researchers have] followed data ownership guidelines from the tribes. That is usually included in the disclosure with the article. Usually the top tier journals will follow that, and the peer reviewers will keep track of that. It’s a very small circle, you start to see the same people publishing.
The Rotation: What was your experience working on this project?
EH: It was a great project. I like doing that kind of work, because it really makes me work my Indigenous mind, and I get to work with Native teams, which I really like to do.
The Rotation: How long did the project last, start to finish?
EH: It was a couple years, and it all happened during COVID. We had to do a lot of the interviews online, which was hard. But one of the best parts was talking to these men who really knew a lot about their culture, and a lot about how to encourage young men to drink water, and what was important to them.
The Rotation: I was struck by the quote in the article from a participant in the intervention who suggested that something that would make others in their community pay attention to reducing SSB consumption was the high cost of dental care, and the prospect of having dental problems, as being more persuasive than health issues which would appear farther down the road.
EH: There’s a lot going on there, like the fact that they don’t have access to good dental care. There’s so much more in there that we couldn’t add.
The Rotation: When we think about barriers to access to care, people are primarily thinking about, say, African American communities or urban versus rural communities. I think it is rare for people to perceive there are Native communities all around us confronting the same or similar issues. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today.
For those interested in learning more about Native Science, Dr. Haozous recommends Gregory Cajete’s Native science : natural laws of interdependence (Clear Light Publishers, 2000.) This book is available to borrow from Georgetown University through Himmelfarb’s WRLC consortial borrowing program.
References
Haozous, E., Yeary, K., Maybee, W., Porter, C., Zoellner, J., John, B., Henry, W. A. E., & Haring, R. C. (2024). Indigenous knowledge and sugar sweetened beverages: Qualitative adaptations towards chronic disease prevention and intervention. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 20(6), 103066. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2024.103066
Today is World Diabetes Day, a day meant to support and raise awareness for the 537 million diabetics around the world. This year, the theme set by the International Diabetes Foundation is “Diabetes and wellness.” Healthy eating and exercise can make a profound impact on preventing and controlling diabetes. While many factors influence diabetes, their hope is to empower people to take agency over the disease or to encourage others to do the same.
infographic from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department
As the Mayo Clinic points out, the benefits of exercise extend to holistic improvement of health, both physically and mentally. For adults, they recommend “150 minutes a week of heart-pumping aerobic activity.” This might sound like a lot, but 2 and a half hours divided over seven days is about 21 minutes of activity a day. In other words, a total investment in health could be accomplished with a few jogs, walking to the metro, biking around, or – as the signs all around Ross Hall remind us – taking the stairs when possible.
Personally, I am always an advocate for running, as it’s (nearly) free and can improve sleep, cardiovascular health, and mental health. And although research is still nascent, a connection between exercise and increased insulin sensitivity is beginning to emerge. Moreover, the amount of running necessary to improve health (20 minutes a day) is possible to fit into many different schedules, unlike other cardio exercises like swimming or kayaking.
Of course, for diabetics, especially those suffering from hypoglycemia, extra precaution is necessary. The Mayo Clinic recommends checking blood sugar before exercise and gives guidance on when to avoid exercise. They recommend consulting with a doctor about activities before engaging with them.
Himmelfarb Library congratulates staff members Valerie (Val) Bowles and Ian Roberts on their recent milestone work anniversaries at George Washington University! Val recently celebrated her 35th anniversary at GW, and Ian celebrated his 5th anniversary! To help celebrate these anniversaries, we interviewed Val and Ian to learn more about their careers at Himmelfarb.
When did you start working at GW? What was your first position here?
Val: September, 1989. My first position was the assistant to the since-retired Account Analyst Bozinca Baumuller.
Ian: October, 2019. I was (and remain) the Acquisitions and Resource Sharing Librarian.
What different positions have you held during your time at Himmelfarb?
Val: Executive Assistant to the Account Analyst for the library, Account Analyst for Educational Resources (Biomed, CASS, and Continuing Education) which is no longer, and now I’m the Account Analyst for Himmelfarb Library.
Tell us about your current position and what you do at Himmelfarb.
Val: I am the Account Analyst and am responsible for securing purchase orders, processing invoices, and managing the budget. I also have payroll and facilities responsibilities all with the library. Additionally, I provide accounting responsibilities for the Healing Clinic and the Office of Medical Education.
Ian: I buy books and help make decisions about buying and renewing platforms and databases. I also oversee resource sharing (both Interlibrary Loan and our Consortium Loan Service). In addition to my core title duties, I participate in the Practice of Medicine curriculum, communicate with vendors, manage collection development, run the annual Book Sale, and have helped lead library discussions and research related to artificial intelligence.
Can you tell us how Himmelfarb has changed over your career?
Val: Himmelfarb used to occupy the whole library but now there are at least 3 different departments housed in the library. And we used to have a staff lounge in the basement. Another big change is how I now process invoices. Back in the day (lol), I used to type them up on a payment request form and send them through interoffice envelopes. I also had to write them in a book for tracking purposes and then file them in our file cabinets by the vendor. We also used to be part of the Medical Center, different from now being part of the University.
Ian: I started five months before the pandemic began, so I saw the transition to full remote work and then eventually to the hybrid model we have now. Additionally (and partially informed by the hybrid work environment) I've seen a stark shift from the use of print resources to electronic resources.
What are some of the things you enjoy most about your job and working at Himmelfarb?
Val: I really enjoy working with numbers and ensuring that we stay under budget the most important part of my job. I really enjoy all of the many colleagues I have met and worked with over the years as well.
Ian: I appreciate that there's always room for growth and that I'm encouraged to try new things and find new trainings to take part in. The work is usually interesting because there's always a new project to tackle. And it's also a friendly, welcoming environment with excellent co-workers.
Can you share one or two of your favorite memories of working at Himmelfarb?
Val: The Holiday parties when staff would bring in homemade dishes/treats and some from their home countries, we had a great time.
Ian: The Misinformation project, which led to redesigning a class for first-year students about identifying and confronting misinformation as well as a book chapter that I co-wrote with colleagues. Also attending the Computers in Libraries Conference (which I've done twice now).
From all of us at Himmelfarb Library - congratulations to Val on your 35th anniversary and to Ian on your 5th anniversary at GW! We are so lucky to have you both as part of the Himmelfarb team!
It's been a stressful week. Take time to prioritize self-care today and throughout the week.
There isn’t a single definition of self-care, as self-care is different for everyone, but it generally refers to how we maintain, improve, and protect our health and well-being. Self-care boils down to doing things that preserve or improve your mental or physical health.
The GW Resiliency and Well-Being Center has great self-care resources focused on types of self-care, self-care strategies, and resources. Types of self-care listed here include breathing exercises, massage therapy, nutrition, meditation, exercise, journaling, yoga therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and gratitude practice.
Self-care is also about the little things, like making sure you've eaten, drank some water, and gotten some sleep. If you're feeling up for it, physical activity can be great for self-care. Just going for a short walk and getting some fresh air can help ease anxiety and clear your head. Self-care can be taking time to rest, taking a break from social media or the news, and acknowledging and sitting with whatever feelings you are experiencing.
Doing little things that you enjoy can be a big boost to your self-care. Make time for your hobbies that bring you joy and satisfaction. Do things that help you feel refreshed and recharged. And make time to connect with friends, family, or loved ones. Feeling connected to other people can be a great way to promote your self-care and that of those around you. It's more important than ever to support one another, so please be kind and respectful to each other and yourself.
Himmelfarb Library’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI Committee) is proud to announce the release of the new LGBTQ+ Health Research Guide! The guide features resources that address LBGTQ+ healthcare in clinical and research settings and explores sexual orientation and gender identity barriers to accessing healthcare. You’ll also find general resources including links to LGBTQ+ health organizations at GW and in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. Relevant books, e-books, and journals from Himmelfarb’s collection, educational resources about pronouns and preferred terminology, and podcasts to help you learn about LGBTQ+ healthcare are showcased in the guide.
Please note that some resources, such as e-books and journal collections, may require GW credentials to access.
The Researchers tab of the guide provides insight into useful MeSH search terms, links to helpful research-related guides, and information about conducting research. This tab also features published works related to LGBTQ+ health by GW authors in Himmelfarb’s Health Sciences Research Commons (HSRC).
The DEI Committee wants this guide to be a high-quality resource relevant to our community, and we encourage our users to share relevant resources for inclusion in the LGBTQ+ Health Guide through our Resource Suggestion Form. If you are a member of a GW organization and would like your organization to be featured in this guide, or if you’re interested in partnering with the DEI Committee, please contact the current committee chair, Brittany Smith, at bsmith91@gwu.edu.
Eckington Flea Date: Saturdays, Now - May 24, 2025. Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Location: Eckington Hall, 1160 Eckington Pl., NE Cost: Free
Eckington Flea is a marketplace featuring an eclectic roster of vendors selling vintage clothing, household products (soaps, candles), books, art, collectibles, and more. It will also feature artisanal foods like honey, and baked items along with fresh produce. Vendors present will represent makers from Washington, D.C., along with the entirety of MD and VA.
UnFinished Objects (UFO) Craft Circle Date: Saturdays, Now- December 28, 2024 Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Location: DAR Museum, 176 D St., NW Washington DC 20006 Cost: Free
Join us for the UnFinished Objects (UFO) Craft Circle at the DAR Museum! Bring your half-done projects, abandoned crafts, and unfinished masterpieces, and spend a cozy afternoon with fellow craft enthusiasts. Whether it's knitting, crocheting, painting, or any other craft, this event is a perfect opportunity to get inspired, share ideas, and finally complete those lingering projects. The UFO Craft Circle is an in-person event, so come prepared with your supplies and a positive attitude.
Let's turn those unfinished objects into beautiful creations together!
From the Art Collections of Margo Thomas, Yonette Thomas, and Deborah Smith Curator: Zoma Wallace
This fall, the Mansion Galleries will feature art, artifacts, and ephemera of the African Diaspora. The work comes from the collections of Dr. Yonette Thomas, Dr. Margo Thomas, and Dr. Deborah Smith. Calling themselves the Three Sisters, the three collectors have been professionally and personally connected for almost 25 years.
With Zoma Wallace as curator, they have chosen works from their individual collections, which represent their personal interests. These works will be juxtaposed throughout the exhibition with music, dance, and other artistic expressions.
Mvskoke Etvlwv: The Muscogee People Festival Date: November 2nd Time: 10:00 am – 5:30 pm Location: National Museum of the American Indian, 4th St SW, Washington, DC 20560 Cost: Free
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation celebrates its tribal history, heritage, and culture with music, performances, a fashion show, and other cultural demonstrations. The festival includes Stomp dancing, veterans’ presentations, and hands-on activities for children and families, along with a showcase of jewelry, traditional recipes, and more.
Meditation with a Monk Date: November 8th, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Date: November 19th, 6:30 am - 8:00 am Location: Lerner Health & Wellness Center 2301 G Street, NW, Washington, DC Cost: Sessions are free to students and Lerner Health and Wellness Center members)
2024 Zoo Lights Date: Friday, November 22, 2024 – January 4, 2025 Time: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays) 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm (Sundays) Cost: $6 (Each attendee, including children over the age of 2, will need a ticket.)
The Smithsonian's National Zoo is transforming into an enchanting winter wonderland with ZooLights this holiday season!
Now in its 16th year, this annual holiday light spectacular welcomes visitors to walk down festive pathways and explore immersive displays throughout the Zoo. Marvel at glowing lantern animals in their dazzling habitats, watch live nightly musical performances, take a spin on the Conservation Carousel, sample sweet and savory seasonal treats, and check gifts off your holiday shopping lists at our Asia Trail, Panda Plaza, and Great Cats stores.
ZooLights tickets are $6 per person.
Notes: If you plan to drive and park at the Zoo, you must purchase a ZooLights - Parking Pass online before your visit. Passes are available for purchase immediately on the following page. Spaces are extremely limited.
Madison McFerrin Date: Saturday, November 15 Time: 6:00 pm Location: Kennedy Center, Millenium Stage, 2700F St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20566 Cost: Free
Madison McFerrin’s distinct vocal and meticulously layered stylings of a capella and self-harmonizing culminate in work that blends the genres of R&B, pop, soul, and jazz, all with a sense of softness. Her genre-bending work has led to Questlove dubbing her early sound “soul-appella,” AdHoc to describe her work as “an oasis of serenity,” and The FADER noting how Madison’s “warm harmonies feel effortless.”
2024 Downtown DC Holiday Market Date: November 22, 2024 – December 23, 2024 Time: Daily, 12:00noon – 8:00 pm (Closed Thanksgiving Day) Location: F Street NW, (Between 7th and 9th Streets NW) Cost: Free
It’s that time again to experience the joys of holidays. The Downtown DC Holiday Market is an experience in tastes, sounds, colors, and textures. So come and grab a hot drink and snack while strolling through the many colorful stalls and shop until you drop.
Thanksgivingon the Vern Date: Tuesday, November 26, 2024 Location: GW MVC Post Hall, Mt. Vernon Campus Cost: Free
Staying on campus during Thanksgiving break? Come out to Thanksgiving on the Vern on Tuesday, November 21 from 12:00-3:00pm for delicious food and fun! Enjoy turkey, pie, and more. Plus, take some to-go for later. RSVP is required by November 17!
Enjoy a Thanksgiving feast and fellowship on the Vern!
Henbane, belladonna, hemlock, mandrake, yew – ingredients for a witch’s potion? Or plot devices in a Shakespeare play?
Why not both?
Just like modern crime writers study ballistics and crime scene procedure, Shakespeare studied botany at a near-expert level (or at least we can assume he did, based on the knowledge displayed in his portfolio). Shakespeare scholar Edward Tabor even speculates that the bard not only read the herbals of the time but possibly knew John Gerarde, a leading Elizabethan botanist who lived across the street during Shakespeare’s time in London (pg. 82).
As Tabor documents, many of Shakespeare’s plots culminate around plant poisons: Romeo and Juliet’s dual suicide, the death of Hamlet’s father, the witch’s potion in Macbeth, and so on.
Many of these plants had both positive and negative applications in the renaissance world: as anesthetic, aphrodisiacs, psychedelic, and poison. But have these classic botanicals passed out of modern use? Or do they continue in some form, quacky or otherwise?
In this article, we’ll be looking at the role of plants in Shakespeare and whether they – or their derivatives – have found any home in modern medicine.
Henbane [Hyoscyamus niger]
Hamlet's Ghost: With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial,
And in the porches of my ears did pour
The leperous distillment
- Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5,59-73
One night out on the parapet, Hamlet – literature’s first mopey grad student and the son of the recently deceased king – is visited by his father’s ghost and learns of his fratricidal uncle Claudius, who supposedly poured henbane/hebenon in the dead king’s ear. And while Hamlet never questions how his dad attained this knowledge while sound asleep, he questions most everything else as he investigates literature’s most famous poisoning.
H.C. Selous, 1870. As Tabor reports, Shakespeare’s contemporaries considered the ears a gateway to the rest of the body (pg. 88).
In antiquity, henbane was used as a sedative, containing the narcotic alkaloids scopolamine and hyoscyamine (USDA, The Powerful Solanaceae: Henbane). Shakespeare’s contemporaries understood henbane’s analgesic properties but also its lethality; botanist John Gerarde reports henbane delivering a “sleep deadlie (sic) to the party” (Tabor, 1970, pg. 88). Used also as a hallucinogen, henbane has long been associated with witches because it can induce sense of flight (USDA) and visions of “insane marvels” (Tabor, pg. 88).
Before the German purity laws (Reinheitsgebot) that limited beer to barley, hops, and water, beer was frequently spiked with henbane (USDA). We can only assume that game night was a much wilder time.
Did Henbane Make It?
Yes! The alkaloid hyoscyamine is an antispasmodic isolated from henbane and used to treat cramps, IBS, and other abdominal issues as a GI tract relaxant. And while inconclusive, some researchers have looked into henbane’s potential as an anti-parkinsonian drug. Hyoscyamine is branded as Anaspaz, Ed-Spaz, Levbid, Levsin, Levsin SL, NuLev, Oscimin, Symax Duotab,and Symax SL.
The Garden Poppy [Papaver Somniferum]
Lady Macbeth: I have drugged their possets,
That death and nature do contend about them
Whether they live or die.
-Macbeth, Act II, Scene II, 6-8
Powder of white Poppie seede (sic) given to children in milke or possite drinke (sic), or an alebrew, or rather with a Caudell of Almonds and hempe seeds, causeth them to sleep.
-Langham (pg. 507)
In order to scheme the murder of king Duncan, Lady Macbeth spikes his servants ale, possibly (as some scholars speculate) with the humble poppy seed (Tabor, pg. 86). Known as a soporific, Langham (a contemporary botanist of Shakespeare) reports a recipe for crushing poppy seeds into a drowsy syrup (ibid): seeds that contain morphine and codeine, two powerful opiates, which “remain in the liquid when the seeds are removed” (Mayo Clinic). Such a poppy-derived "drowsy syrup" is referenced by Iago in Othello (Act III, Scene 3, 330). Elizabethans it seems, like the modern rapper, could claim to have “codeine in their cups.”
Still Life with Nautilus Goblet, Willem Claesz Heda, 1642
Opium has played such an outsized role in history that prolonged comment is not needed. From the romantic poets and their Xanadus of earthly delight to Sherlock Holmes slumming in the opium dens, poppy has been used (and frequently abused) to relieve pain and achieve altered states of consciousness throughout recorded history.
Oberon: Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell.
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before, milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
And maidens call it “love-in-idleness.”
Fetch me that flower, the herb I showed thee once.
The juice of it, on sleeping eyelids laid,
Will make or man or woman madly dote
Upon the next live creature that it sees.
-A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 1, 165-172
An essential ingredient to the plot of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the wild pansy (which supposedly, when applied topically could induce a libidinous frenzy) is used by Oberon, king of the Fairies, to mess with his estranged wife Titania. But of course, hijinks ensue.
While the pansy's many names reflect its folk-aphrodisiac status – names such as heartsease, love in idleness, or johnny jump up (MedicineNet, Heart's Ease) – the Elizabethan herbals do not report any lust-inducing associations with the plant, only its anti-syphilitic properties (Tabor, pg. 84), which, at least by the next century would have been much appreciated.
Shakespeare, therefore, was working within 16th century folk traditions rather than medical knowledge, but this is understandable, considering that Gerarde and Langham's herbals are filled with aphrodisiacs. Consider the innocent sweet potato, which was known to "procure bodily lust with greedinesse (sic) (Tabor, pg. 83). Candied fruits, like dates, were especially potent when "prepared by cunning confectioners" (ibid). The cotton seed was thought to "increase naturall seede (sic)" and, according to Gerarde, were much in use (ibid).
Love potions have been the staple of fairy tales, and while not a poison in the strictest sense, a classic of witch's brews as well. While the tragedies use poisons in their advance towards death, the comedies use herbs in their march towards love. Both show a sustained human interest in wielding substances towards our desired end state.
Did the Pansy Make It?
Well, not exactly. Science may not indicate the pansy's amorous powers, but it continues to be used alternatively to treat skin disorders like eczema (MedicineNet). Moreover, some have researched its potential as an immunosuppressant. Due to the presence of flavonoids and catechins, heartsease probably has anti-inflammatory effects as well (MedicineNet).
Mandrake [Solanaceae]
Cleopatra: Give me to drink mandragora.
-Anthony and Cleopatra, Act I, Scene 5, 4
While less plot-important than the other list-items, mandrake played a central role in medieval and ancient herbology and appears frequently in Shakespeare. A narcotic and soporific, Cleopatra requests mandragora to let her sleep through her lovesickness. Iago also mentions the soporific quality of the mandrake root in the same breath as opium (Othello, Act III, Scene 3, 330). And Juliet demonstrates Shakespeare's awareness of the common mythology, comparing her distress to the mandrake, which could only be uprooted in moonlight, lest its shrieks drive insanity (USDA, Mandrake).
A medieval depiction of mandragora
Like henbane, mandrake had many uses, including as a hallucinogen.
Did Mandrake Make It?
Yes! Mandrake root contains the alkaloid scopolamine, which is FDA approved to treat motion sickness and nausea derived from opiate analgesia (NIH, Scopolamine). Scopolamine is sold as Transderm Scop, Scopace, Maldemar, as well as generically.
Wolfsbane [Aconitum variegatum]
Laertes: And for that purpose I'll anoint my sword. I bought an unction of a mountebank So mortal that but dip a knife in it, Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare, Collected from all simples that have virtue Under the moon, can save the thing from death That is but scratched withal. I'll touch my point With this contagion, that if I gall him slightly, It may be death.
-Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 7, 141-149
After investigating king Hamlet's poisoning, well, lots of stuff happens, and everyone dies. In this case, Hamlet duels his rival Laertes, who happens to have poisoned his sword. A poison begins the plot, and a poison ends it.
While Laertes does not specify the poison, the leading contender is wolfsbane or aconite (derived from wolfsbane). Elizabethans knew of aconite's poisonous potential, specifically as an arrow poison; Gerarde records swelling, madness, and death within the half hour from introduction (Tabor, pg. 89). Presumably, the plant garners its folk-appellation from its ability to ward off wolves and werewolves (National Poison Control Center, Aconitum napellus (Monkshood): A Purple Poison). The National Poison Control Center reports modern cases of aconite poisoning, some worthy of a true-crime drama.
As we move into the holiday season, Himmelfarb Library is excited to announce some changes and growth within our team. We are pleased to introduce our new colleague and to celebrate a well-deserved new role for one of our own.
Please join us in welcoming Joseph McGraw, Serials Librarian to the Himmelfarb Library family. We look forward to working with him. Please take a minute to get to know him.
Share your path to Himmelfarb Library. I’ve been on a journey through a few academic libraries before landing at Himmelfarb. Most recently, I was the Interlibrary Loan Librarian at Fogler Library at the University of Maine. Also at U Maine, I worked in the Research and Instruction Department (confusingly similar to the Shakespeare Library in DC so much that we got their emails sometimes). Before that I was the Student Employee Supervisor and Multimedia Manager at West Virginia University’s Downtown Campus Library, which was my first full-time library job after graduate school. I graduated from the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in 2020 and graduated from the University of Virginia in 2014. In between, I managed KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in North Carolina.
Tell us about your position at Himmelfarb and what you do. I am the new Serials Librarian at Himmelfarb, only starting at the beginning of September. I manage the library’s online journal collection, working with other librarians in making decisions on which journal resources to buy as well as troubleshooting any problems that patrons have accessing the material.
What do you enjoy most about your position? I love being part of the academic life of a library at such a great university. Universities like this is where I feel at home. Since I’m so new to the position, I’m not sure what’s my favorite part of the job yet, but I’m looking forward to digging into projects at the library and becoming more familiar with the serials collection and all my great new coworkers.
What do you like to do in your time away from work? I play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons, at least twice a week. I’ve also gotten back into golf this summer and I’ve been trying to play at least weekly this summer. I’m also a big sports fan and I could talk about the Celtics or Arsenal all day, if you let me.
Where are you from originally, and what brought you to the DC area? Originally, I am from Tazewell, Virginia which is in very far Southwest Virginia along the border with West Virginia and close to Kentucky. I’ve moved around a fair bit, living in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Maine. I moved to the DC area in summer 2023 after my partner got a job in the area and I really love it so far!
In addition to welcoming new members, we are proud to announce that Brittany Smith has moved in to the position of Scholarly Communications and Metadata Librarian. Let’s sit down and chat with Brittany.
Congratulations on your new position! What would you say has been the best part of your experience in the transition to Scholarly Communications and MetadataLibrarian? Thank you so much! I think the best and also challenging part of the transition has been delving deeper with the library systems and programs that we use. In my previous position, I primarily used our systems to label and process new books or equipment. I worked with our institutional repository to import new monthly publications. But now I’m learning about other features that will help me as a librarian as I tackle complex cataloging and scholarly communications projects. It’s exciting and I enjoy changes to my normal responsibilities, but it is also a lot to learn and remember.
Have there been any hurdles in adjusting to the role? No, I would say it has been a seamless transition. Fortunately, I worked closely with Sara Hoover, the librarian who previously filled this position, for close to five years. In that time, Sara gradually trained me in more complex librarian-adjacent tasks and I learned a lot by asking questions, doing self-learning in my downtime or shadowing Sara and the other Himmelfarb librarians. There are some skills I hope to improve over the years, but I feel that I had an easy time moving from my previous position into this new role.
What is your favorite service that the library has to offer? The 3D printer! I recently submitted a print job for a piece of equipment to replace a broken piece at home. My mom had a difficult time finding a replacement part in stores and I thought the 3D printer at the library may be able to help. I haven’t tested our printer yet, but it is nice to know that I can print obscure pieces that may be difficult to purchase online. And I would love to use the printer for other jobs in the future.
What has been your favorite project to work on at Himmelfarb? I would say my favorite project so far was acquiring a button maker machine to make our own pronoun buttons for the library. This was a project that the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Committee worked on for a while and finally revealed at orientation this year. Right now we use the machine to refill our pronoun buttons stock at the circulation desk. The students at orientation seemed to enjoy the button maker machine; some even asked if they could make their own buttons during orientation. The machine and our supply of buttons are a simple way to encourage others to be mindful of a person’s pronouns. Plus, it’s fun using the actual machine; it breaks up the work day and it’s a good upper body workout!
Do you have any favorite hobbies that you like to do when you have downtime? In the spring and summer, I tend to hike a lot. I mostly stick to trails and parks in Virginia but I have explored a few in DC and Maryland. Roosevelt Island is a short, no elevation circuit trail that I enjoy. Great Falls is another good hiking spot around here; it was one of the first parks I visited when I started hiking. I also keep a vegetable and herb garden. I tend to grow tomatoes, eggplants, kale and lavender. When the cooler weather starts (like now), I stick to indoor activities. Unsurprisingly, I read a lot. My first masters degree is in Creative Writing and I spend a lot of time writing mostly fantasy and science fiction stories; recently I also decided to write personal essays. I play video games and I have a monthly table-top role-playing game night with some friends. Last but not least, wWhat is your favorite book and why? This is a tough question and I’m going to cheat a bit by giving more than one book. It’s a close tie between The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin and A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. A runner-up would be Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb. All three books are genuinely some of the best fiction I’ve ever read and these authors are brilliant storytellers that inspire me when I’m telling my own stories. These books all belong to a series and I think it’s worth reading the full series if possible, especially the Jemisin one. Last, there is a twist in The Fifth Season that I believe every sci-fi/fantasy reader should experience and enjoy.
In recent years, there has been an increased awareness of mental health, mental illness stigma, and how it impacts people in all areas of life. While many workplaces offer services and accommodations for employees with mental health or mental illness concerns, people may face structural barriers when attempting to access these services. Additionally, it is difficult engaging in conversations about mental wellness as harmful stereotypes about mental illness impacts the ways people think about or imagine a person with mental illnesses.
Burns & Green (2019) and Lo & Herman (2017) published research on mental illness and its impacts on academic librarians; their findings illuminated perceptions and misconceptions about mental illness among the study's population and some respondents shared personal stories about their experiences with being open about their mental illness diagnoses with their colleagues. Both articles are excellent ways to learn more about these topics and they serve as introductions to better understanding how people with mental illnesses navigate the workplace.
In ‘Academic Librarians’ Experiences and Perceptions on Mental Illness Stigma and the Workplace’, Burns & Green focus specifically on how mental illness stigma plays a role in academic librarians’ professional lives. The researchers surveyed hundreds of academic librarians, collecting data about “concerns around discrimination…disclosure…[and] self-esteem as a whole.” (Burns & Green, 2019, pg 641) Based on quantitative and qualitative data, “the most obvious finding is that there is a fear of disclosing one’s own mental illness in the academic library environment.” (Burns & Green, 2019, pg 653) Survey respondents shared their stories about their decision to disclose their mental illness diagnosis, the support they may or may receive at their individual institutions, and what work they believe needs to be done to address stigma and shame.
Alternatively, ‘An Investigation of Factors Impacting the Wellness of Academic Library Employees’ by Lo & Herman looks at the term “wellness”, how workplaces incorporate or fail to incorporate wellness into their settings, and the factors that contribute to academic librarians’ overall sense of wellness. “This study reveals that most academic library employees feel overwhelmed quite frequently. While age and working overtime are factors, the attitude of the individual also has an impact.” (Lo & Herman, 2017, pg. 802) The researchers also found that academic librarians valued other forms of wellness besides physical wellness. They wrote that “Age again seems to be an important factor regarding respondents’ perception of the different dimensions of wellness…Overall, respondents placed higher importance on their spiritual wellness and intellectual wellness than physical wellness.”(Lo & Herman, 2017, pg. 803)
Lo & Herman and Burns & Green’s research shows that addressing mental illness and wellness in the workplace may be complex, but the end results may be highly valued and beneficial to employees. Having conversations with colleagues about wellness in the workplace can gradually change an organization for the better. These two articles are great resources to refer back to when having conversations about the workplace, mental illness, dismantling stigma, and addressing all aspects of wellness among people.
References:
Burns, E., & Green, K. E. C. (2019). Academic Librarians’ Experiences and Perceptions on Mental Illness Stigma and the Workplace. College & Research Libraries, 80(5), 638–657. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.80.5.638
Lo, L. S., & Herman, B. (2017). An Investigation of Factors Impacting the Wellness of Academic Library Employees. College & Research Libraries, 78(6), 789-. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.6.789
