Aurë Entuluva

My undergraduate degree was in Medieval Studies.

My professional masters degree was in Bioinformatics.

My current PhD studies are in Mammalian Genetics, emphasizing the overall physical structure of the genome.

The PhD and masters are fairly easy to relate to each other: Bioinformatics is a field that develops software and computational methods for examining and understanding biological data. Modern genetics often relies on people with these skills–while many labs can still focus intently on the workings of a single gene, if you want to understand how that gene interacts with the world, you can start generating a lot of data. A LOT. More than it would ever be feasible to process manually.

So, having a background in bioinformatics allows me to focus my work not on single genes, but on how the physical structures formed by DNA affects how genes are used. There’s 3 billion letters of DNA in the human or mouse genome, with thousands of genes, with thousands of mutations my project has cataloged, and tens of thousands of structural components to analyze along side them. If you were to randomly test each and every one of those three types of data against each other to blindly search for interactions, I calculated you’d have to run 371 trillion comparisons. My job started by trying to figure out how the fuck to pare that down to something manageable with the computing power I have, and I’m hopefully about to publish something damn cool on what I found in the process.

So, that’s genetics and bioinformatics. Sure, those fit together logically.

Medieval Studies, tho

That’s where things get interesting. The professors at my university were very careful to teach you about the idea of the “historical lens”. When you read an old text or look at a painting, you’re viewing the subject matter through the lens of your own experiences and presuppositions about the world, and about the time period you’re studying. The person who wrote that text or painted that painting had their own lens, shaped by very different circumstances. Their natural focus is not going to align with your own, and you have to be aware of that. When you start forming ideas about your object of study, you have to ask yourself, “am I seeing what the creator of this piece intended to convey, or am I making assumptions based off of what I want to see?”

In essence, the core of what was taught in that Medieval Studies program was how to think about your own thinking.

And that is so fucking important for good science. “Am I drawing logical conclusions that are supported by the data, or am I just seeing this because I want to see it? Is there some test I can do to check if I’m wrong?”

It’s not easy. Sometimes it can be really uncomfortable, in fact. But it leads to more and better results in the long run, because those moments of self-reflection help uncover possibilities that you missed before.

OKAY SO ABOUT THE MEDIEVAL HEAD TRAUMA

This post contains Thor’s migraines, Arthurian knights spinning in circles, and the medicinal use of egg whites on your brain. CW for mentions of medical gore and aggressive head bonks, obvs. Also, this is the result of undergraduate research, and should not be considered comprehensive. If you know more, throw it at me. If you have a correction, I will happily take it! And if you can remember the title of that one book I found once in my university library called something like “Head Trauma in World Myths and Legends”, TELL ME. I can’t fucking find the thing, but I swear it exists.

Also heck my life, Tumblr ate the first attempt at this post. Always write your long drafts on a more stable platform, guys

So. Depending on where and when you lived in western medieval Europe, you might have a very different relationship with the constellation of injuries falling under the category of head trauma. These injuries were either mysterious and beyond the realm of healing, a weird side effect of people not dying so often, or a comprehensible problem that sometimes could be treated by medical and surgical intervention.

A great example of head trauma as mysterious scourge comes from Norse mythology. To cruelly TL;DR a surprisingly hilarious little myth, Thor’s giant-smacking escapades result in a piece of flint getting stuck in his skull. Neither he, nor Sif, nor a witch they call up can remove it. The witch almost manages it, but Thor distracts her at a critical moment, so her magic fails. The myth ends with a moral to the audience: don’t throw your flint tools around, or you’ll give Thor a migraine. Yes, really.

(personal side note- somebody must be throwing hella flint around today, fuck)

In this story, head trauma is just something you have to live with. Magic might be able to help you, but it failed even Thor, so don’t expect better results yourself. And we do have skulls throughout European history that show evidence of lots of people living for years with untreated skull fractures, though with a higher risk of premature death. (One source here, from Denmark, which mixes in some early modern skeletons as well.)

Now, that myth fits the time and place it originated, which is true of stories in general. But one thing you can do in comparative literary analysis is look at the variations between tellings of common stories. And one great mine for this is Arthurian legend. King Arthur and His Circle Bros were popular subjects throughout the British Isles and France for centuries, which one can use to analyze the values, morals and world views of their storytellers.

And also, what happened when you got bonked on the head. See, each storyteller might have their own first-hand experiences with battle, or they’d have patrons who they wanted to flatter or entertain by incorporating Based-On-A-Shocking-True-Story details into the stories, or they were just paying attention to other storytellers at the time and seeing which action tropes were popular.

So, the early Arthurian treatment of head trauma can be summed up in three words: bonk means death.

But after the late 12th century (which admittedly is where we get a lot of our stories from), head trauma starts to become survivable. And sometimes, it’s weird.

Men’s brains swim like water, and they might fall off their horses. If they’re not mounted, they might run around in circles and then fall down. What changed?

The bonk protectors changed! the heaume or great helm style was developed, which is more likely to stay on and protect the head from any angle, though it’s vulnerable to transferring the force of downward blows into the head, neck and shoulders. With more people surviving blows to the head, that means more concussions and traumatic brain injury, and that’s reflected in the stories.

But what about medical textbooks? Well, it probably won’t surprise many to know that western European medical manuals sucked SO MUCH ASS for centuries. The reason why is a rant for another time (and I CAN AND I WILL RANT ABOUT IT), but there was light at the end of the tunnel.

While Western Europe lost almost all Greek medical scholarship and condensed the Latin texts down to near-gibberish, the Eastern Roman Empire had preserved those texts, and the Islamic world had expanded greatly upon that scholarship with their own research and experimentation. During the Islamic Golden Age, traders from Italy brought some Greek and Arabic texts back from the Muslim world, and translations were made into Latin. This gave Italian academics access to a more vibrant and systemic tradition of medical science.

Enter Rogerius, AKA Rogerius Salernitanus, AKA Roger Frugard, AKA Roger Frugardi, AKA Roggerio Frugardo, AKA Rüdiger Frutgard and AKA Roggerio dei Frugardi (jfc dude), a surgeon from Salerno (unknown-1195). While surgery would remain a low status profession for centuries, Rogerius produced a well-organized and clearly written surgical manual, the Practica Chirurgiae. This book, I want to stress, is not flawless, especially when it comes to pharmaceuticals. Digging into the German Commission E Monographs (started in the 1970s, which systematized scientifically proven effects of traditional herbal medicines), Rogerius’ poultices for wounds do fuck-all for healing, but would probably be fantastic for an upset stomach if you ate them.

HOWEVER, the surgical contents of the manual show that either he was working with fantastic written texts at the University of Salerno, and probably had some good first-hand experience with treating head trauma.

The text provides some practical information on diagnosing the kinds of head injuries a surgeon could actually treat–while concussion was still something you’d just have to deal with, a bonk on the head can have lots of other bad effects. You can develop a build-up of fluid within the skull (cerebral edema), or skull fracture that can press pieces of bone down onto the brain. Or you could have tears in the scalp, or worse, the protective layer of tissue around the brain itself (the dura mater).

Rogerius lists ways to diagnose edema and closed skull fractures (where the scalp isn’t broken but the skull is). He describes surgical techniques that are still the basis of many in use today, for incisions and suturing of the scalp, removal of bone fragments and foreign objects, and relieving pressure on the brain from edema. Yes, that last one involves trepanning, AKA drilling a hole in the skull, and yes, it can actually be life-saving in this particular case.

And there’s one bit he talks about which I find outrageously cool. See, wound healing has always been one of the biggest problems in medicine, and it was an absolute matter of life and death before the advent of sterile medical technique. Sure, you might be able to clean a wound with some alcohol-based mixture, but that would be disastrous for wounds that pierce through the skull. This probably goes without saying, but pouring alcohol on your brain is very, very bad.

So, what the fuck do you do when you have a patient with a gnarly head wound that exposes the dura mater, or the brain itself? Water isn’t clean, alcohol is potentially deadly. How do you wash the wound clean?

Get an egg.

Fresh eggs straight from the chicken are sterile capsules that protect the developing embryo. They’re full of liquid-y stuff you can use as a wash! BUT. Rogerius specifically lists egg whites for cleaning head injuries, not yolks. I don’t have any scholarship on why, beyond some interviews with a doctor in my family, but our best guess was that the cholesterol in the yolks could be harmful to the brain and dura mater. But the egg whites by themselves? They’re almost pure protein, including some anti-microbial factors that help defend the embryo in case germs sneak in.

Overall, it’s a brilliant solution to a thorny aspect of wound care, in a time before germ theory, and centuries before Europe would collectively remember you need to sterilize your medical tools. Fucking! Fresh egg whites! It’s fantastic.

So that’s the tl;dr on medieval understanding and treatment of head trauma. A mixture of mystery, medieval pop culture, and medical science. This is the kind of practical history that I found most engaging to study–not lists of kings, not court politics, not wars, but a small, strange little corner of medical history that tells you more about the life and times of people through the ages.

It’s the medieval head injury paper! Summarized beautifully for those of us that don’t have the concentration to wade through original sources!

DOCTOR SPIDER

but I'm positing that it's actually Nemo who is Odysseus. I think there's a lot more to the characteristics of Odysseus and Telemachus than just "father on an epic adventure to reunite with son." this isn't a perfect analogy because Finding Nemo is not an official retelling of the Odyssey, but I think there's certainly enough similarities to make an argument. like Odysseus, Nemo is trying to return home and conquering his own hubris. like Telemachus, Marlin is searching for a loved one and conquering his own fears. Marlin's journey is driven by Nemo's absence and a call to action, while Nemo's struggle is caused by the consequences of his own actions. their journeys work in perfect tandem yet remain distinct.

let's start with the type of journey each character has. in the Odyssey, Telemachus undergoes a paideia (παιδεία), which is essentially a rite of passage journey in which a character is shaped (physically, mentally, ethically, etc.) into a well-rounded, responsible citizen. while Marlin certainly shares Odysseus' exhausting, episodic journey, his actual character arc takes him through paideia. at the beginning of Finding Nemo, it is Marlin, not Nemo, who is afraid of what lies beyond his control, uncertain in his own power of navigate his path and lead others. like Telemachus, Marlin goes through a process of journeying and searching for his lost loved one, and he emerges a confident, well-rounded leader who has set aside immaturity and taken his rightful place in the hierarchy of his society.

now let's look at Odysseus. his journey in the Odyssey is one of nostos (νόστος), which usually refers to an extensive maritime journey to return home, marked by trials and culminating in a homecoming. this is EXACTLY the journey Nemo goes through — even though he's stuck in one place, he goes through all manner of hijinks to escape the fishtank and get back home to his dad. Marlin's journey isn't one of homecoming, but Nemo's very much is. Nostos is also a reclamation of honor for the hero, and Nemo certainly redeems himself from the hubris that landed him in trouble. in the Odyssey, Odysseus' brags that he is greater than the gods' pride and hubris is what causes him to be cursed and barred from home. Nemo gets captured because he disobeys his dad and is too confident in swimming out to sea. he redeems his status as beloved son, proves his honor as a returning hero, and returns home worthy of the great tales everyone is telling about him (Marlin does this too btw, just like Telemachus).

consider some of the supporting characters. Dory serves as a companion to Marlin, one who accompanies him in his quest and eventually serves as an agent who reunites him with Nemo. in this way, Dory is the Eumaeus of Finding Nemo: someone who primarily is connected with Marlin (Telemachus) but is instrumental in the reunion between father and son. she also participates in the big fish-escape scene at the end, just as Eumaeus participates in the slaughter of the suitors. Dory's lack of memory in general is also a very cool parallel for the way Telemachus cannot remember Odysseus but goes searching for him anyway. she and Marlin combined form a complete Telemachus.

I don't think it's too much of a stretch to identify the Athena of the story as Nigel the pelican. he's the one link between Marlin and Nemo, and he (unlike the fish and sea creatures) can travel much faster and over farther distances than the fish can. he's got nearly godlike powers compared to them. Nigel is the one who gives Nemo advice, orchestrates the reunion between Nemo and Marlin, etc. however, Nigel actually physically moves Marlin from the ocean to the dentist's office, which is borderline supernatural intervention to a clownfish.

so let's compare that with Athena's role in the Odyssey. she's a goddess, and Odysseus is her favorite mortal. she advises him, orchestrates events in his favor (his adventure with the Phaeacians, for example), but she never physically manipulates him across time and space. who does she physically travel with, though? Telemachus! Athena is in disguise, but she brings literal supernatural intervention to get Telemachus to Sparta and Pylos. in summary, Athena (Nigel) is accompanying / traveling with / transporting Telemachus (Marlin) while she just advises and checks in with Odysseus (Nemo).

there are plenty of other character parallels too. if there's a Poseidon of the story, it's the dentist (P. Sherman), who is the cause of Nemo's (Odysseus') inability to return home. the Tank Gang (Gill, Bloat, Bubbles, etc.) function like Odysseus' crew — they accompany him for the majority of his attempts to return home, but they don't make it to the final stretch with him. all the creatures that Marlin encounters (the sharks, the moonfish, the sea turtles, etc.) serve in much the same function that characters like Nestor, Menelaus, and Helen do for Telemachus as they give him information and aid him in his journey to maturity.

the parallels are just too obvious to ignore. in the beginning, Marlin is secretly ridiculed by the other fish fathers in his home-reef; Telemachus is a stranger in his own home once the suitors arrive. Marlin refuses to give up on finding Nemo even when all hope seems lost; Telemachus searches for Odysseus even when everyone tells him that his father is long dead. Marlin grows in confidence and reputation like Telemachus; Nemo grows in humility and honor like Odysseus. the big fish-escape sequence at the end (which is the only thing I can compare to the defeat of the suitors in the Odyssey) represents Nemo taking charge as a leader and Marlin following his lead. the ending (where Marlin and Nemo return to the reef) is synonymous with the reestablishment of order upon Odysseus' re-institution as king of Ithaca. even Nemo's name literally means nobody.

so yeah Marlin may have the traditional adventures we associate with Odysseus, but I think Finding Nemo is far more interesting as an Odyssey retelling when you look at it through some seriously inverted roles. again, Finding Nemo isn't technically a retelling of the Odyssey, but the whole dual-journey-narrative-between-father-and-son is pretty gosh darn similar. I welcome all comments, questions, and attacks that this analysis brings

Like worstie, I can barely promote my own published book without wanting to curl up and die.

They’re just not disclosing it as ads, which they are supposed to do, and instead it's marketed in a very Tumblr-esque way which can be summed up as “omg guys look how CUTE this is” followed by a different account underneath going “omg found it!!” and it links to a drop ship site with the item(s).

And the link usually has an affiliate tracker in it, which you may or may not be able to spot unless you’re familiar with them, which is also something you are legally supposed to disclose.

I used to get a lot of offers from around 2016-2020 to sell “moon lamps” on here, y’know those orb lights that look like a moon? Yeah. I was offered a higher kickback to make it look like I wasnt posting an add because these sellers know Tumblrites don’t like ads.

They wanted it to look as organic and hyped up as possible and then I’d just so happen to be like “omg you guys it's on sale” and post a link. Which is skeevy as shit and also illegal af in the US.

It’s like the insta/tiktok girlies saying “link in bio” to get around saying “here’s a product I make money on if you buy it” because they want to sound like your friend because people are more likely to impulse buy stuff if a “friend” is recommending something.

They’re also trusting that everyone knows “link in bio” means “affiliate link” which is technically not enough of a disclosure but whatever.

This is why I tag all my own book promos with “affiliate links” because depending on which storefront you buy Hunger Pangs from, I may get a kickback from the vender which I do to help mediate the fees I lose from distribution. It’s not much—literal pennies in some cases—but I’m still legally required to state it.

It’s also why when I do post products I use or like, I make a point of letting people know I’m not an affiliate and not sponsored because despite the legal ramifications these people are flirting with by not disclosing their affiliate status, I want to be fully transparent with my followers when it comes to me trying to sell them things.

Y’all keep my lights on by reading my work and through my ko-fi and patreon. I am not about to risk that trust for the sake of some shitty vibrator sales from a sketch-ass drop shipper who wants me to pretend I’m not selling you things.

So, yeah. People do successfully sell stuff on here. A lot of us small indie creators sell our own work all the time.