Mumps

Here’s a funny story I just read about mumps and the blue tint that mothers use to apply on them.

There had been a mumps outbreak in the Philippines some time during the Spanish invasion. Since there were people who had fat or wide faces, it was hard to recognize who to avoid. So, the Spaniards, who I guess were so afraid of infertility, put blue markings on the face of infected persons.

Tina is a warning sign and not a cure. For so many years, I believed what my mother believed. I was wondering how this helps heal the swelling but I never bothered to ask. It took me all my life to find this out. Maybe a lot of people already know this and no one even told me!

Oh well. The more you know, the more you don’t know, to quote Aristotle. At my age, new infrmation like this one still fascinates me. My college buddies would have been as excited as I was after finding it out, unless they’ve heard it already.

Damn, I miss those nerd years!