Posted on 04/22/2022 11:53:43 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The year 1850 was plagued by stormy weather and the turbulent conditions were closely followed by the aptly named George Merryweather, a doctor in Whitby, North Yorkshire, who claimed to forecast storms using leeches.
Merryweather had been inspired by distinguished predecessors such as the 18th-century poet William Cowper. “I have a leech in a bottle that foretells all these prodigies and convulsions of Nature,” Cowper wrote. “He is worth all the barometers in the world.”
Edward Jenner, inventor of the smallpox vaccine, was another believer in the forecasting abilities of leeches, observing how agitated they became before storms: “The leech disturbed is newly risen/ Quite to the summit of his prison.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thetimes.co.uk ...
I know that they get all jumpy while I’m trying to impale one on a hook on a walleye rig.
“agitated leeches”
Sounds like a commentary on 21st century life. Do our agitated leeches foretell storms?
They MAKE all the storms.
agitated might be the wrong word. Maybe they get excited or more active.
Don’t leeches require a certain amount of moisture or humidity? Wont they dry out and die in the sun? They live in the water or under rocks. So then it makes sense they might become active during rain looking for food.
Just a thought.
I enjoy conjuring up images of an AGITATED leech.
Welfare recipients fit in bottles?
Nah. They just short sell or offer mortgage backed securities.
Just ask Brandon a tough question if you want to see an agitated leech.
Thanks nickcarraway. Imagine my surprise, this isn't about Hunter Biden.
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