Mother Goose Investigations - Jack and Jill, a Suitable Case for Treatment
Everyone thinks they know the story of Jack and Jill, but what we know may not make sense.
There is the well up a hill, seen in hundreds of pictures.
In fact since wells tend not to be up hills (since a well is a man made thing) it should be obvious that these pictures are wrong.
It is not a well up a hill, it is a spring.
Despite not knowing about bacteria, our ancestors knew that water nearest its source was purer.
But then Jack breaks his crown-a crown being part of the head.
Probably not a bone break, just a slight injury.
Jill follows down.
The second verse varies, the most famous suggest that Jack either goes home or to alone to Dame Dob.
Dob is believed to be a Scottish name there is Dobs Lynn near Moffat in Scotland.
Dame Dob who patched (bandaged) his nob-the head-with vinegar and brown paper.
Vinegar has been used to fight infection since Greek time, although as said above no one knew about bacteria.
But why brown paper? Why not cotton or even white paper? Well fabric is hard to come by.
Groceries, even in the 19th century were sold in brown paper bags-packaging as such didn't really exist.
A brown paper bag can be turned into a compression bandage.
Horses are still treated with brown paper bandaging.
A following verse brings Jill back in.
She laughs at Jack's paper plaster-a plaster is not a strip of cloth as it now, but refers to a poultice-we are used to a mustard plaster of course, but this one is a vinegar poultice.
His mother-where she came from the poem does not say-whips her next-after Jack it seems for causing Jack's disaster.
Is the female the scapegoat or did they go up the hill for some other reason-we are not told if they are brother and sister...
There is alternative second verse which has Mary Jane hanging out her clothes.
She calls Nell to ring the bell as Jack and Jill were dying.
As a death nell (where a bell is rung-it is unlikely that there would anyone to answer the ring of a bell, it would be easier to go and get someone) means an announcement of death or deaths, it seems that Jack and Jill will expire soon.
Unsurprisingly this version gets forgotten.
There is the well up a hill, seen in hundreds of pictures.
In fact since wells tend not to be up hills (since a well is a man made thing) it should be obvious that these pictures are wrong.
It is not a well up a hill, it is a spring.
Despite not knowing about bacteria, our ancestors knew that water nearest its source was purer.
But then Jack breaks his crown-a crown being part of the head.
Probably not a bone break, just a slight injury.
Jill follows down.
The second verse varies, the most famous suggest that Jack either goes home or to alone to Dame Dob.
Dob is believed to be a Scottish name there is Dobs Lynn near Moffat in Scotland.
Dame Dob who patched (bandaged) his nob-the head-with vinegar and brown paper.
Vinegar has been used to fight infection since Greek time, although as said above no one knew about bacteria.
But why brown paper? Why not cotton or even white paper? Well fabric is hard to come by.
Groceries, even in the 19th century were sold in brown paper bags-packaging as such didn't really exist.
A brown paper bag can be turned into a compression bandage.
Horses are still treated with brown paper bandaging.
A following verse brings Jill back in.
She laughs at Jack's paper plaster-a plaster is not a strip of cloth as it now, but refers to a poultice-we are used to a mustard plaster of course, but this one is a vinegar poultice.
His mother-where she came from the poem does not say-whips her next-after Jack it seems for causing Jack's disaster.
Is the female the scapegoat or did they go up the hill for some other reason-we are not told if they are brother and sister...
There is alternative second verse which has Mary Jane hanging out her clothes.
She calls Nell to ring the bell as Jack and Jill were dying.
As a death nell (where a bell is rung-it is unlikely that there would anyone to answer the ring of a bell, it would be easier to go and get someone) means an announcement of death or deaths, it seems that Jack and Jill will expire soon.
Unsurprisingly this version gets forgotten.