#history notes

Later on, both of them have joined the league as Shazam and Phantom and they still have literally no clue the other is a superhero. Billy doesn't recognize Danny as Phantom because of the altered features and Extremely Weird Vibes and obviously Danny doesn't think to compare the adult man Shazam with his fourteen-year-old buddy Billy. They both think the other is a semi-immortal being and they are both desperately making shit up about past events and praying they got it right. They both are continuously amazed that they're so good at guessing historical facts. They keep having to agree to random historical events that may or may not have happened because the other guy said so. They are both passing World History with flying colors because of the research they have to do to keep the "ruse" up

Eventually, someone's identity gets revealed (I'm thinking Billy) to the League, which is really dramatic and emotional about how Billy lied to everyone about his age and history for so long. And then Danny arrives ten minutes late with a Starbucks like "hey why is everyone freaking out. Why is Superman crying. WHY is B-this random kid here. On the Watchtower. What."

Someone: Phantom, I know you and Shazam were close, did you know he was secretly the fourteen-year-old Billy Batson? He's been lying to us about his past this whole time!

Billy: D:

Phantom: :/ UH so while we're on the subject *transforms from Phantom to Danny* hey Billy!

Billy: DANNY?

Anyways its a whole confusing mess and everyone is yelling and nobody knows what the fuck is going on but eventually its cleared up that yes, both Phantom and Shazam are secretly kids, they apparently know each other but only in their secret IDs, and they have in fact been bullshitting Ancient History facts like there's no tomorrow

Friendly reminder that Abigail Adams and her husband, John Adams, did in fact have a healthy relationship.

She wrote a letter to him saying that she would fight for women's rights and lead a rebellion for them as well, and instead of writing back to her a threat to beat her, he explained that now (the American Revolution) was not a good time for a women's rights rebellion because the colonies were already fighting with Britain.

"But he still rejected her letter!1!1"

They still had a healthier relationship than most married couples at the time. Did Martha ever write that kind of letter to George?

No.

Abigail felt comfortable enough with her husband to talk about these things with him.

(Patient being fitted with a prosthetic nose)

File this entire post under "things you didn't expect to read about today." I give you: prosthetic noses, eyes, and dentures in the Edo period.

The following information comes from Nasal and Orbital Epitheses in Japan Until Early Modern Times by Yoshida Kasuya. You can find the full text of the article here if you're interested in reading more. It's free and does not require academic login.

I've edited the excerpts below to focus on the main points. The original article goes into more detail about the history of epitheses (artificial facial parts used to reconstruct damaged areas of the face) both abroad and in Japan, and the histories of the assorted types of craftsmen who created these items in Japan. The original also has a ton of pictures for illustration purposes.

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Some Take-Away Points

+ Japanese epitheses were created by craftsmen, rather than medical professionals. People who created Buddhist statues, Noh masks, and netsuke created dentures and prosthetic eyes and noses.

+ Written documentation suggests dentures were known and used in Japan beginning somewhere between the late 13th and early 14th Centuries.

+ A common reason people needed prosthetic noses was syphilis, which has been reported in Japan since the early 1500s. Sugita Genpaku estimated in 1810 that 70-80% of his patients had syphilis. Ew.

+ A common reason people needed artificial eyes was due to Gonorrheal conjunctivitis, a leading cause of blindness in the Edo period.

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Article excerpts of Interest

Tanba Suemoto (1249–1323) reportedly created dentures for edentulous men and is considered the inventor of wooden dentures; however, no concrete evidence has been excavated. Wooden dentures, which may have been based on this technology, developed solely in Japan, and the world’s first complete denture with retention by suction force was used in the 16th century. These wooden dentures were astonishingly invented by craftsmen without dental knowledge, 300 years before Western dentists.

... Historical flyers, signs, books, and other materials suggest that denturists also created orbital epithesis and nasal epithesis. Although the origin of denturists remains unknown, skilled craftsmen who carved Buddha statues, Netsukes, and Noh masks may have initially been asked to make dentures by their relatives or acquaintances as favors.

...

Evidence is abundant of the prevalence of syphilis and use of artificial noses in the Edo period (1603–1868), including Senryu (a seventeen- syllable poem, which is often satirical of the times), Ukiyo-e, Nishiki-e, books, and Rakugo (comic monologues).

Many of the phrases in senryu are based on people who lost their noses to syphilis. These include “Oya no me wo nusunde musuko hana ga ochi (Unbeknownst to parents, son’s nose fell off)” and “Kushami site namusan tonda saikubana (Sneezing, oops, artificial nose flew away). ... A Rakugo story called “Okafui” is named after a man with a missing nose caused by syphilis who tried to pronounce the word “okashii (funny),” but it sounded like “okafui.”

...

The manufacturing method for artificial eyes was also introduced in “Ganka Kinno”(1831), written by Honjo Fuichi (1798–1846). While the gyokugan was made of crystal, the artificial eye was made of glass, and its inner surface was colored in the same way as the gyokugan. The method of coloring the pupil and iris is described in detail [in the book].

16 AUG 2025

July 9th, 2023