Caterpillar Dot 11: Fill & Download for Free

MONARCH - gorgeous, once abundant, endangered! Help needed. Plant the milkweed to save the Monarchs.The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae (Wikipedia).Other common names depending on region include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black veined brown.It may be the most familiar North American butterfly, and is considered an iconic pollinator species.Its wings feature an easily recognizable black, orange, and white pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 cm (​3 1⁄2–4 in)A Müllerian mimic, the viceroy butterfly is similar in color and pattern, but is markedly smaller and has an extra black stripe across each hindwing.Monarch butterflyThe monarch butterfly undergoes four stages of complete metamorphosis:EggsThe eggs are derived from materials ingested as a larva and from the spermatophores received from males during mating.Eggs are laid singly on the underside of a young leaf of a milkweed plant during the spring and summer months.The eggs are cream colored or light green, ovate to conical in shape, and about 1.2×0.9 mm in size. The eggs weigh less than 0.5 mg each and have raised ridges that form longitudinally from the point to apex to the base. Though each egg is ​1⁄1000 the mass of the female, she may lay up to her own mass in eggs. Females lay smaller eggs as they age. Larger females lay larger eggs.The number of eggs laid by a female, who may mate several times, ranges from 290 to 1180.Females lay their eggs on the underside of the milkweed leaves; the offspring's consumption of the milkweed benefits health and helps defend them against predators.Eggs take 3 to 8 days to develop and hatch into larva or caterpillars.Monarchs will lay eggs along the southern migration route.LarvaeThe caterpillar goes through five major, distinct stages of growth and after each one, it molts. Each caterpillar, or instar, that molts is larger than the previous as it eats and stores energy in the form of fat and nutrients to carry it through the nonfeeding pupal stage. Each instar usually lasts about 3 to 5 days, depending on various factors such as temperature and food availability.Fifth instar with the white spots visible on the prolegsThe first instar caterpillar that emerges out of the egg is pale green and translucent. It lacks banding coloration or tentacles. The larvae or caterpillar eats its egg case and begins to feed on milkweed. It is during this stage of growth that the caterpillar begins to sequester cardenolides. The circular motion a caterpillar uses while eating milkweed prevents the flow of latex that could entrap it. The first instar is usually between 2 and 6S mm long.The second instar larva develops a characteristic pattern of white, yellow and black transverse bands. It is no longer translucent but is covered in short setae. Pairs of black tentacles begin to grow. One pair grows on the thorax and another pair on the abdomen. Like the first instar, second instar larvae usually eat holes in the middle of the leaf, rather than at the edges. The second instar is usually between 6 mm and 1 cm long.The third instar larva has more distinct bands and the two pairs of tentacles become longer. Legs on the thorax differentiate into a smaller pair near the head and larger pairs further back. These third-stage caterpillars begin to eat along the leaf edges. The third instar is usually between 1 and 1.5 cm long.The fourth instar has a different banding pattern. It develops white spots on the prolegs near the back of the caterpillar. It is usually between 1.5 and 2.5 cm long.The fifth instar larva has a more complex banding pattern and white dots on the prolegs, with front legs that are small and very close to the head. A caterpillar at this stage has an enormous appetite, being able to consume a large milkweed leaf in a day. Its length ranges from 2.5 to 4.5 cm.Size comparison between a monarch caterpillar, a queen caterpillar and a black swallowtail caterpillarAt this stage of development, it is relatively large compared to the earlier instars. The caterpillar completes its growth. At this point, it is 4.5 cm long (large specimens can reach 5 cm) and 7 to 8 mm wide, and weighs about 1.5 grams. This can be compared to the first instar, which was 2 to 6 mm long and 0.5 to 1.5 mm wide. Fifth-instar larvae increase in weight 2000 times from first instars. Fifth-stage instar larva can chew through the petiole or midrib of milkweed leaves and stop the flow of latex. After this, they eat more leaf tissue. Before pupation, larvae must consume milkweed to increase their mass. Larvae stop feeding and search for a pupation site.PupaThis section does not cite any sources.Adult monarch emerges from its chrysalis shellTo prepare for the pupa or chrysalis stage, the caterpillar chooses a safe place for pupation, where it spins a silk pad on a downward-facing horizontal surface. At this point, it turns around and securely latches on with its last pair of hindlegs and hangs upside down, in the form of the letter J. After "J-hanging" for about 12–16 hours, it will suddenly straighten out its body and go into peristalsis some seconds before its skin splits behind its head. It then sheds its skin over a period of a few minutes, revealing a green chrysalis. At first, the chrysalis is long, soft, and somewhat amorphous, but over a few hours it compacts into its distinct shape – an opaque, pale-green chrysalis with small golden dots near the bottom, and a gold-and-black rim around the dorsal side near the top. At first, its exoskeleton is soft and fragile, but it hardens and becomes more durable within about a day. At this point, it is about 2.5 cm (1") long and 10–12 mm (3/8–7/16") wide, weighing about 1.2 grams. At normal summer temperatures, it matures in 8–15 days (usually 11–12 days). During this pupal stage, the adult butterfly forms inside. Within a day or so before emerging is due, the exoskeleton first becomes translucent and the chrysalis more bluish. Finally, within 12 hours or so, it becomes transparent, revealing the black and orange colors of the butterfly inside before it ecloses (emerges).AdultAn adult butterfly emerges after about two weeks as a chrysalis, and hangs upside down for a few hours until its wings are dry. Fluids are pumped into the wings, and they expand, dry, and stiffen. The monarch expands and retracts its wings, and once conditions allow, it then flies and feeds on a variety of nectar plants. During the breeding season adults reach sexual maturity in four or five days. However, the migrating generation does not reach maturity until overwintering is complete.Monarchs typically live for two to five weeks during their breeding season.Larvae growing in high densities are smaller, have lower survival, and weigh less as adults compared with those growing in lower densities.Monarch metamorphosis from egg to adult occurs during the warm summer temperatures in as little as 25 days, extending to as many as seven weeks during cool spring conditions. During the development, both larvae and their milkweed hosts are vulnerable to weather extremes, predators, parasites and diseases; commonly fewer than 10% of monarch eggs and caterpillars survive.However, this is a natural attrition rate for most butterflies, since they are low on the food chain.ReproductionPlay mediaMonarch butterfly matingHealthy males are more likely to mate than unhealthy ones. Females and males typically mate more than once. Females that mate several times lay more eggs.Mating for the overwintering populations occurs in the spring, prior to dispersion. Mating is less dependent on pheromones than other species in its genus.Male search and capture strategies may influence copulatory success, and human-induced changes to the habitat can influence monarch mating activity at overwintering sites.Courtship occurs in two phases. During the aerial phase, a male pursues and often forces a female to the ground. During the ground phase, the butterflies copulate and remain attached for about 30 to 60 minutes.Only 30% of mating attempts end in copulation, suggesting that females may be able to avoid mating, though some have more success than others.During copulation, a male transfers his spermatophore to a female. Along with sperm, the spermatophore provides a female with nutrition, which aids her in egg laying. An increase in spermatophore size increases the fecundity of female monarchs. Males that produce larger spermatophores also fertilize more females' eggs.Merci beaucoup Sean for the A2A. Ken Saladin would have probably done a better job of answering.

A design for a necklace with Brazilian Beetles, ca. 1900 (Strange Jewelry Trends of the Victorian Era)In 1891, a Mrs. DeJones debuted a fabulous piece of living jewelry. She strapped a diamond to the back of a live beetle and trained it to fly around her neck, tracing the shape of a necklace.[1] At least, that was the story in Entomological News. Extracted from some anonymous daily newspaper, even if it wasn’t true, it was certainly on trend. In 1863, Godey's Lady's Book stated that:“[t]he ornithological and entomological fevers, which broke out last spring, will continue with increased violence throughout the winter.”[2]What Are Jewel Beetles?The trend was still in fashion twenty-eight years later, when Mrs. DeJones (supposedly) let loose her flying necklace.[3] Fashion-forward ladies were expected to invest in beetle-wing embroidery and insect carapaces strung together like beads. The wings of jewel beetles (buprestidae) were traditionally used to embellish textiles in South America and South and Southeast Asia. Emerald-green beetle-wing decoration became a symbol of high status in India during the Mughal period (1526-1756).[4] Examples of luxurious turbans with gold thread embroidery and wedding gowns from the Maharajas with jewel beetle applications are preserved in the National Museum, New Delhi, as well as in the Jai Singh II. City Palace Museum in Jaipur.[5] Furthermore, there has been a tradition in India of applying jewel beetle elytra as an adornment to jewelry and paintings alike. This technique is thought to have derived from embroidery. The use of insects as live jewelry has existed for many centuries, with the Egyptians thought to have been the first to have worn insects as jewelry. Ancient Egyptian soldiers commonly wore scarab beetles into battle as the beetles were considered to have otherworldly powers of protection against enemies.[6]Western traders in India then introduced these textiles to Europe in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. British newspapers report on several women wearing dresses decorated with beetle wings at court during the late 1820s and early 1830s.[7] By the 1860s beetle wings were being imported to Britain in volumes of 25,000 per consignment (1867), to be applied to textiles in imitation of the Indian technique.[8] The wings were cut, shaped and arranged in stylised floral patterns, often accented with metal thread. The wings would have glittered in candlelight, achieving a sought-after iridescent and jewel-like effect. Over 5000 beetle wings or parts of wings were used to decorate the dress on the left below.[9]Pair of dresses of cotton muslin, gilded metal thread and Indian jewel beetles (sternocera aeqisignata), Britain, 1868-9 (Dress - Victoria & Albert Museum - Search the Collections)Some particularly fasionably bold and trendy ladies took it to the extreme.They dotted their hairdos with flickering fireflies or let live beetles, leashed to pins, roam over their bodices. “Truly a fashionable toilet is becoming a composite thing, with dead birds and butterflies… and Mexican bugs as jewelry, held by golden chains,” Entomological News quipped.[10]The wing-cases of gold-enameled weevils hung from necklaces; muslin gowns were embroidered with the iridescent green elytra of jewel beetles.[11] Tiny golden scarabs were glued to the petals of artificial flowers. Delicate moths were perched on hairpins, to float above curls. Even faux insects—made of gold and silver, rather than chitin—were often set en tremblant, with springs under their wings, so that they seemed to quiver with life.[12] Whereas it may have sparked some interest in the use of beetles as decoration, this type of embellishment appears to have been more of a novelty than a widespread trend. The popular interest in whole, preserved insects and birds as fashionable ornamentation appears to have begun with animal-laden hats and bonnets in Paris in the 1860s, and the style reached its peak in the 1870s and 1880s.[13]Victorian Red Squirrel diorama (The kitsch world of Victorian taxidermy revealed)The fashion was the reflection of an ongoing Victorian obsession with natural history. As urban Victorians grew more and more detached from nature, they tried to reconstruct the wilderness in their homes: cultivating ferns under crystal domes, raising frogs in glass vivaria, and trimming their hats with piles of moss and bird’s nests.[14] Taxidermy was considered a delightful domestic hobby.Ladies were not only expected to appreciate the likes of taxidermy but also embrace it:“Such craft activity was endorsed as morally and aesthetically uplifting and was deemed appropriate for woman’s role as a nurturing, virtuous exemplary.”[15]Victorian ladies learned to gut dead animals, douse their corpses with arsenic, and arrange them in lifelike poses for the amusement of visitors.[16] In his 1884 guide Practical Taxidermy, Montagu Browne writes:Society demands that objects of natural history should not be all relegated to the forgotten shelves of dusty museums, but live as “things of beauty and joys forever.” Hence the new alliance between the goldsmith and the taxidermist, resulting in a thousand ingenious combinations of nature and art.[17]Ruby-topaz humming bird earrings (M.11:1&2-2003) recently conserved for display in the new William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery (Investigation of a Victorian ornithological adornment)The reader was encouraged to deck themselves out in natural spoils: brooches made of hummingbird heads, beetles hanging from each ear, owl’s claws, tipped with silver, serving as coat-clasps.[18]At its height, the sartorial experimentation had moved beyond bugs to other forms of life. A New York Times story from 1894 reports on the backlash against “Little Lizards,” where small reptiles were collared and fastened to haute couture.“The lizards have been sold as chameleons… and they had become quite a plaything with many people… Agents of the society (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) yesterday visited the stores… and ordered the sales stopped… It has not been decided what is to be done with about 10,000 of the little reptiles.”[19]Of course, the fad had its detractors. The satirical magazine Punch caricatured the fashionable lady as an insectoid monstrosity, mutating into a wasp or beetle to match the fashions she wore[20] , and Art Amateur describes in sartorial horror a world in which:“[w]asps, hornets, caterpillars and cockroaches will all be allowed to nestle soon near the damask cheek of our fashionable beauties… the fashionable hat of the coming period will have for its chief ornament a lobster looking round the brim, or a mackerel sitting on its tail.”[21]Punch 1874 (http://www.avictorian.com/fashion/corsetfashion_2.html)Many fashion theorists and critical thinkers have explored the idea that dress acts as a "vehicle for fantasy" and is a visual manifestation of the movement between the realms of public and private, animate and inanimate, and real and imaginary.[22] Women's fashionable dress in the second half of the nineteenth century provides a rich medium in which to explore the movement between these binaries. If clothing can simultaneously express our public and private selves, the taxidermy displays that enhanced home décor, natural history museum installations, and women's bodies resulted in a deep connection between the two.[23] The shift from the animate to the inanimate is played out in the transformation of living animals into ornament. This continuous shifting eventually brings about a third order, that of fantasy, or fashion, which is impelled by the wearing of these zoologically inspired garments and bonnets.The fashion for animal jewelry connected Victorians to the natural world, but also to the furthest reaches of the British Empire. Like sugar, ivory, and chocolate, iridescent beetles were among the spoils of empire. The demand for insect jewelry quickly pushed the most beautiful species to the brink of extinction[24] , and the industry was built on the backs of enslaved laborers. One Englishwoman visiting Brazil noted with amazement that the air was full of flying creatures that she had previously only seen on earrings and brooches, as if the whole contents of a fashionable lady’s closet had suddenly taken flight.[25] What could be a better representation of the colonial mindset than that vision of a vibrant ecosystem as nothing but a glittering jewelry-box, waiting to be pilfered?Victorian bracelet made of three tortoise beetles (Chrysomelidae) (Antique, Victorian Brooch made with actual Tortoise Beetles - What's That Bug?)The late-nineteenth-century fascination with natural history and its manifestation in dress and personal adornment was the result of various forces: advances in science (notably Darwin's the Origin of Species), industrialization, the rise of the leisure class, and the accessibility of natural specimens, among other things.[26] But the pervasive use of stuffed birds and preserved insects offers insight into the confluence of the real and the imaginary in the creation of fashionable artifice, all under the guise of dressing fashionably for evening out.Yet, over time, many notables began to reject the trend, wondering what toll this took on nature itself. Periodicals began to critique bird and insect ornament as a barbaric practice within the context of aesthetic reform.[27] Art Amateur, in a series entitled "Art in Dress" that was published in 1882, included a special column on the wearing of birds and insects. It quotes a letter from the London Times which expresses horror at women:“who wear stuffed hummingbirds on hats knowing that they are contributing the potential extinction of these "fairy-like children of the sun." The author, believing this practice to be completely devoid of aesthetic merit, likens it to the "wearing of horribly gaudy and glittering insects not only in hats and bonnets but in various parts of dress."[28]Another recounts an occasion when a woman, about to brush a beetle off of a lady's shoulder, was horrified to discover that the insect was sewn onto her ensemble.[29] Mrs H R Hawes, author of The Art Of Beauty which was published in 1883, scathingly wrote that:‘The large and gaudy insects that crawl over them are cheap and nasty to the last degree… at present, the bonnets and the brains they cover are too often not unfit companions’.[30]People Are Covering Live Beetles In Jewels To Use As JewelryUnfortunately, during the 1980s, this trend experienced a revival. The makech, or maquech, is linked to a Yucatan legend involving an ancient princess—often identified as Maya nobility—and her lover. The story has several variations, but the most popular say that the pair's love was forbidden. The princess was heartbroken when they were discovered and her lover was sentenced to death, so a shaman changed the man into a shining beetle that could be decorated and worn over the princess's heart as a reminder of their eternal bond.[31] The “bedazzled brooches” even come equipped with tiny gold leashes designed to prevent one’s jewelry from escaping. The excerpt below while dated to 1887 provides a perfect summation of the trend during the Victorian era and today.Miss Emily Nelson, of Bridgeport, has received a present from Merida, Yucatan, in the shape of an educated jeweled bug. It has a harness of gold and is jeweled with precious stones, and is the gift of Senora Fuentes, of Merida, Yucatan, whose daughter, Senorita Eveliety Fuentes, has passed the last three years as a pupil at Miss Nelson’s seminary on Golden Hill. Her bestowal of the live, educated, jeweled bug as a gift is considered in Yucatan as a high distinction. The bugs are extremely difficult to educate and are looked upon by the lower classes as the particular property of royalty. Miss Nelson is very proud and justly happy over her bug, and wears it constantly while driving or out shopping. The insect is about the size of an ordinary black beetle. Around its body is firmly fastened a gold band. Another gold strap is riveted to this and passes down the back, around and under the body, and is welded upon the under side to the gold belt encircling the body. Upon the back are tiny jewels set in gold and fastened into the shell. The coloring of the shell is a brilliant, sparkling Nile green, edged off with black. The movement of the bug gives flashes of variegated colors which are remarkably pretty and effective. Upon the under side is fastened a delicate gold chain, which in turn is attached to a chased brooch. This can be pinned upon any part of the dress. Miss Nelson say these bugs live for a number of years if not exposed to the rigors of northern climes. She fastens hers at the belt, and the jeweled beauty goes wandering around among the garaiture of roses, flowers, and laces upon her corsage. The bug does not seem to be timid, but crawls tranquilly oblivious to the admiration he creates.[32].Ugh!Footnotes[1] Entomological News, and Proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia[2] Godey's magazine. v.66-67 1863.[3] Insect Jewelry of the Victorian Era | JSTOR Daily[4] What Are Jewel Beetles?[5] Collections ｜Collections 1820s-1840s｜KCI Digital [6] https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1093%26context%3Dentomologypapers&ved=2ahUKEwiE2vKe--vsAhUJHc0KHatGAVkQFjAKegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw2PGC9ODbt_gHq0hNdU1Nz7[7] Collections ｜Collections 1820s-1840s｜KCI Digital [8] Beetle-Wing Embroidery in the 18th Century – Where Fashion and Fantasy Collide[9] Dress - Victoria & Albert Museum - Search the Collections[10] Entomological News, and Proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia[11] Beetlewing - Wikipedia[12] Insect Jewelry of the Victorian Era | JSTOR Daily[13] Michelle Tolini on Zoological Fantasy in Late-Nineteenth-Century Dress[14] Why Victorian Natural History? on JSTOR[15] The strange trendy Victorians used to accessorize with live insect jewelry[16] Under Glass - A Victorian Obsession[17] PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY[18] The Victorian Penchant for Plumage[19] Live lizards were worn as accessories by fashion-forward women in the 1890s[20] Mr. Punch’s Designs After Nature[21] Art in Dress on JSTOR[22] Michelle Tolini on Zoological Fantasy in Late-Nineteenth-Century Dress[23] Taxidermy Animal Hats: Bizarre Victorian Fashion Trend | News Break[24] Curious facts in the history of insects; including spiders and scorpions. A complete collection of the legends, superstitions, beliefs, and ominous signs connected with insects; together with their uses in medicine, art, and as food; and a summary of their remarkable injuries and appearances : Cowan, Frank, 1844-1905 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive[25] Strange Jewelry Trends of the Victorian Era[26] Why Victorian Natural History? on JSTOR[27] https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1002%26context%3Dalumni_dissertations&ved=2ahUKEwiV3avv8-vsAhVaCs0KHSZ2AdkQFjAQegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw3gAeYR4-0b7h5DodEes9yI[28] Michelle Tolini on Zoological Fantasy in Late-Nineteenth-Century Dress[29] The strange trendy Victorians used to accessorize with live insect jewelry[30] What Is Victorian Insect Jewellery? | Gatsby Jewellery[31] Meet the Makech, the Bedazzled Beetles Worn as Living Jewelry[32] Do People Really Wear Live, Jewel-Encrusted Beetles as Brooches?

Since I defied death at aged 11, I developed an unconventional approach to illness and disease. I learned to respond to my body with absolute respect. Tempered with strictness to deter disobedience. Your body cannot be trusted without its leader. And it’s leader is you!This is my belief born out of the experience of an abused body that has suffered many ailments, some created by me, others that occurred naturally :1. I contracted pulmonary TB at aged 9 (1957), I was confined to bed in a sanitarium for 21 months. All that time, I had daily Streptomycin injections.From the time I contracted TB to the time I was finally signed off as cured, I never knew I’d had TB. My mother deceived me all that time into believing I had a “scratch on my lung” and that all interim treatments were merely precautionary.At the end of 21 months, my mother was informed that my condition had worsened and the cavity in my lung was continuing to enlarge. Medical opinion ordained that my lung be removed.My mother refused to give permission.She had survived TB as a result of having had a lung removed but it had left her with breathing difficulties and a long scar across her back, neither of which she wanted for me. And many of her family had died of TB. In addition, post operative survival rates from TB in the 1950s were not good either.Consequently, my mother was told I could no longer stay in hospital because there was no further treatment to be had. That necessarily I would die. At home.So, my mother felt coerced into agreeing to the operation.She broke the news as gently as she could. I was devastated. Again, she suggested it was merely precautionary. The “scratch” had worsened and the only way to cure it was to remove the lung.Except for my mother, I believed that anyone who had an operation to remove a lung was never seen again. They left the ward and never returned. And, if they survived, they were semi invalids, like my mother.That I was still unaware that it was TB, my ignorance of the facts made no difference. To my mind, I might as well have had TB since I was being treated as if I had.Nonetheless, despite believing I was better off than someone actually with TB, I was terrified.The operation was set to go ahead in 2 weeks.From the moment I was told about my operation, I was allowed to get out of bed for the first time in 21 months. Not only that, I was allowed to roam the vast and beautiful grounds surrounding the sanitarium, grounds that stretched down a heathery hill, dotted with gorse bushes, woods and large spiky caterpillars. I embraced my freedom greedily. I stayed out most of the day, bashing bramble patches and tunneling into the undergrowth, building dens and spying on rabbits. And, for large chunks of time, I forgot I was about to disappear into a hellish oblivion.But, from the moment I stepped back into the sanitorium, all the dread returned. I prayed day and night that I’d be let off the operation.The day before my operation, my mother arrived to sign the appropriate papers. And, much to the shock of all the doctors, she again refused.However, on this occasion, the decision was certainly not rational : while on the train journey to the hospital, on this miserable, rainy day, the carriage was suddenly filled with sunshine (easily explained by the sun peeking out between 2 buildings). At that same moment, she KNEW she was NOT going to sign the operating papers. Tears poured down her face as she experienced a feeling of revelation about a state of affairs she knew was wrong!!I did not learn this fact until I was 21 years old.Instead of telling me the truth, my mother told me that I was cured and that, consequently, the operation had been cancelled. I was beyond excitement. My prayers had paid off.The date was set 2.5 months ahead for me to be discharged, immediately following my final X-ray at the hospital.3 months later (the minimum period between X-rays in those days) I was X-ray’d.Then, strange news. My mother was informed that my X-ray was clear. The cavity had disappeared. My mother told me that my “scar” had completely disappeared. Until then, while I believed I was cured, I knew I still had a scar on my lung where the scratch had once been. Apparently, almost everyone has scars on their lungs. This was normal. And still is, to my knowledge. So, to be told that even the scar had vamooshed, was incredible news.Nevertheless, the opinion of the doctors remained unchanged.I was sent home to die. That the cavity had disappeared, that I no longer tested as contagious, none of this meant I was cured, said the doctors. The cavity was hidden behind a rib, they said. I was growing. Approaching puberty. Necessarily the cavity would reappear. If I lived that long. Which was improbable, they said. TB in its advanced stages doesn’t disappear.I felt great. And, more to the point, I had no idea that I’d been given a death sentence.I returned to school but was banned from playing the piano or playing games for a further 5 years. My mother told me this was just a precaution to ensure that the scratch would not return.Further and also precautionary, i was to continue to have X-rays every 6 months. And I continued to take 50 PAS tablets each day, as a precaution against “the scratch” returning. After 5 years, my X-rays were taken just once a year for a further 5 years.At aged 21, I was pronounced clear of TB. It was only at this point that I learned the whole truth about my cancelled operation. And, indeed, my whole ordeal.The supposed “scratch” was a cavity caused by TB germs eating the lung tissue. TB is cured by fibrosing the germs with drugs or by removal of the infected part. When fibrosing occurs, it leaves a scar on the lung. The TB germs that infected you never leave the body. Instead they are trapped within the lung, in a kind of prison. They can break out if your immunity is lowered, usually in old age.However, the cavity did not reappear. Neither did a scar reappear. Nothing reappeared. And I have shown no TB symptoms since the last X-ray in the sanitarium.2. I developed terrible digestive problems after leaving the sanitarium. I suffered severe stomach pain at frequent intervals eg every few days or so. This debilitating condition was diagnosed as IBS or Crohns Disease after about 10 years. I refused treatment that included the possibility of removal of some colon.My condition continued to worsen. I tried all different kinds of dietary methods to control it and/or to alleviate the symptoms. Nothing worked. Even a sip of water could spark off the symptoms. By the time I was 43, I was living in medium to severe pain most of the time.Then, I met a holistic practitioner, who recommended Aloe Vera PULP (the liquid version is useless). Immediately, my symptoms were eased. I began to consume about 5 tablespoonfuls of this thick pulp every day. I took it all over the world with me. I was totally dependent on it. Every time I experienced pain, still several times almost every day, I took large quantities of it.And, if I was going out for dinner or anywhere for several hours, I would take some to prevent an attack.8 years later, I was cured. It happened suddenly. One day, I took some pulp to prevent an attack and I immediately felt weird. It had the opposite effect as compared with the usual good effect. These adverse effects continued for several days, every time I swallowed the pulp. So, I stopped. And, amazingly, I experienced no more gut pain. That was about 12 years ago and I’ve been great ever since. The condition had lasted for about 45 years and had worsened over time.3. At aged 17, I started to take “the pill” as a contraception. At the end of one month, I blew up like a balloon. And I felt dreadful. I stopped taking it. My periods did not reoccur. Until then, my periods had been perfectly regular for 2 years. I became sluggish and retained fluid.I underwent all kinds of medical examinations and, after 5 years of no periods, I was put on Chlomide, a fertility drug, once a year for 3 months, for 3 years. For the 3 months I was on Chlomide, I felt great, regained my energy and returned to my old self. But as soon as the 3 months was up, I became a slug again and the periods stopped.For several months, once a week, I was sent to a psychiatrist, a Professor Crisp, who was a noted physician and who attended to the Royal family. He suggested that my lack of menstruation could be a result of my slender frame (my weight was yo-yoing to the extreme up and down because I was totally out of synch with my body and my life. And on the occasions of seeing him, I happened to be slim). Or, he said, it could be purely psychological. Either way, he was of no help, despite many “psychiatric “ chats.At the end of 8 years, I was diagnosed as “medically sterile”. I was told that someone who hadn’t had periods (without intervention of hormone therapy) for 8 years would never have periods again. That there was no medical record of anyone restarting menstruation again after 8 years of sterility. There was nothing further that could be done medically. That the only thing that might help me with my suicidal feelings was “an encounter group”, where I could discuss my problems.I’ve always hated the idea of this kind of activity. A date was set one month ahead. I absolutely dreaded this date. And I “willed” with my whole being that my periods would recommence. My periods started the night before I was due to attend the encounter group and continued perfectly from the age of 24 to 57, at which point I underwent menopause.4. All my life, I’ve suffered eating disorders and mental health issues. I conquered those demons too. But this is another story, to be elaborated on in my memoir to be published 2020/1.I will inform all my followers as soon as it’s finished!!In short, I believe in the power of the mind. That we can exercise control over our sometimes errant bodies is a mysterious process. But we do it.Hypnotherapy is one way. I have employed a form of “self hypnosis” without ever having opened a text book or attended a lecture on how to do it. I simply evolved these techniques naturally over time by carefully observing how my body responded in certain situations.There are many other ways too.More than anything, I learned that it’s the respect I have for my body that has enabled me to gain the health and fitness I enjoy today in my 70s. It’s why my body looks the way it does, with no aches or pains or any other kind of disability. And, I thank all the gods in tarnation that I have not met with an accident resulting in a permanently debilitating injury. That’s pure luck! However, I do take care to look both ways, even when crossing a one way street!