捆绑SM社区

Contents

Musings from the Editor

MURA 2024 Annual General Meeting

MURA Events

MURA Activities

Honours and Awards

Robert D. Stanley Awards - CURAC & MAA

捆绑SM社区 Office for Science and Society Celebrates a Quarter Century

Suzanne Lajoie - 捆绑SM社区 Medal for Exceptional Academic Achievement

听

Faculty Club Centenary Book - Neil Stewart

Volunteering for Our Community - Carlette Walker, Mercedes Delacroix, and Richard London听

You can be a Pro-Dean Too! - Trudis Goldsmith-Reber

Maintaining Our Health as Seniors

Those Darned Ticks! - Dr. Michael Hefferon

Musings from the Editor - Debbie Mercier

Most of us boomer-age cohort of Montrealers did not (thankfully) live through wars; the worst strife that we experienced here at home were the ice storm and the COVID pandemic. Although our generation was pretty vocal during the 70's with feminist, anti-war and other social justice movements, while we were working at 捆绑SM社区, few, if any of us experienced any occupation(s) of the F. Cyril James building or encampments on lower campus. Although MURA鈥檚 Past-President, Ginette Lamontagne has told us of her major struggles as 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 first Executive Director of Government Relations to ensure that 捆绑SM社区 was treated fairly by Quebec鈥檚 Minist猫re de l鈥櫮抎ucation, no previous provincial government has ever launched the discriminatory and substantial tuition fee hikes for other Canadians from outside of Quebec who wish to attend 捆绑SM社区 as the CAQ has done. Our time at 捆绑SM社区 was relatively peaceful, and we were relatively lucky. 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 President, Deep Saini, and our colleagues who succeeded us retirees certainly have their hands full of strife! Although we worked diligently for our university, and were constantly solving problems, I feel very fortunate to have worked during the last century and the beginning of this one. In my 鈥済olden years鈥� I look back on my many 鈥済olden years鈥�, relatively strife-free, at 捆绑SM社区. I am hopeful that 捆绑SM社区 will be restored to "a place of learning, open discussion, and professional and personal development", as Dr. Saini said in one of his communications with his 捆绑SM社区 family.

A mere 10 months prior to the first COVID global quarantine, I retired. As I wanted to kick off my retirement with a couple of trips, I managed to get to Hawaii and Mexico before the world shut down. Then, we were all forced into a west coast, 鈥渃hill鈥� COVID lifestyle, which was far from my frenetic, busy-bee approach to life.

At the risk of sounding Pollyanna-ish, even COVID times, as bad and ever-so-lonely as they were, had an up-side for me, a 1955 boomer. COVID made me sensory enriched. Sounds, tastes, smells, views and vistas all seemed, somehow, enhanced. I explored musical genres with gusto. Frightened into avoiding my local grocery store, I shopped online, and was amazed by the things I found for many tasty and delectable recipes that I tried from cuisines around the world -- a Hawaiian poke bowl, a Latin American Seviche, a Peruvian Lomo Saltado, a British Beef wellington, and, the two cousins: a Spanish Paella and a French Bouillabaisse. The list goes on. Thankfully, my daily, three-hour walks prevented me from acquiring the infamous COVID 20 or 30 (pounds). However, my drinking of wine to accompany my exquisite dishes to satisfy my palate increased by 30%!! This admission reminds me of the time I went to the SAQ when citizens above the age of 70 were under strict quarantine by the Quebec government. At the cash, I was CARDED (!) I was only 65 years old at the time and they asked me for proof that I was 鈥測oung enough鈥� to be out and about purchasing wine!! I was very close to shooting the messenger after he insulted me like this.

As Dr. Joe鈥檚 OSS (Office for Science and Society) celebrates its 25^th anniversary, we can look back now -- with some amusement -- at the scientific quackery that abounded during the period 2020-2023! 鈥�COVID opened the door to a tsunami of misinformation,鈥� says Director, Dr. Joe Schwartz. (More about scientific myths and misinformation later in this issue)!

Our Spring 2024 newsletter is full of reports from participants about their fulfilling MURA activities and events. Use this link to view the MURA Executive and Board听- they will be working feverishly over the coming months and years to bring you programming and activities that add social, physical, and intellectual benefits to our lives. Next year, MURA will celebrate its 10th Anniversary, and your ideas, suggestions, participation, and engagement are most welcome, now and in future. Thanks to all of you MURA members who volunteer to help worthwhile organizations in our community, including MURA itself!

Thank you, Newsletter Contributors!

• All of our hardworking MURA activity organizers and writers
• Carlette Walker, Mercedes Delacroix, and Richard London
• Trudis Goldsmith-Reber
• Dr. Michael Hefferon
• Wendy Reichental
• Neil Stewart
• Newsletter design: Kate Maguire

听

VOLUNTEER HELP WANTED!
NEWSLETTER EDITOR

MURA needs a creative and dedicated volunteer to continue the legacy of Joan Wolforth (former editor), and Debbie Mercier, who, after completing 5 annual issues of the newsletter, is stepping down as Editor. Our MURA Newsletter is a publication distributed to our 600 members, often in June, following the Annual General meeting.

• Do you like to write, edit, and create engaging content? The role includes gathering information, writing articles, editing contributions from other enthusiastic and engaged MURA members, and ensuring that the newsletter is informative and articulate
• MURA Communications volunteers will format the layout and distribute the newsletter to our members

QUALIFICATIONS

• A genuine interest in MURA鈥檚 mission
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, a proven ability to proofread and edit content
• Ability to give and receive constructive feedback
• Experience using Microsoft Word

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested, please send an email by September 5th听to: 听mura-arum.association@mcgillca.

2024 MURA Annual General Meeting, 听June 12, 听2024 - Debbie Mercier

Keynote Speaker Dr. Deep Saini, 捆绑SM社区's President and Vice-Chancellor, joked with seventy-four 捆绑SM社区 retirees at the June 2024 MURA AGM that he should have been more cautious with his appointment date, April 1, 2023 (April Fools鈥� Day). Coming off of a pandemic and at the cusp of a 鈥渞eset鈥�, we can all empathize with Dr. Saini that his current challenges of the encampment on campus related to the Hamas-Israeli conflict in Gaza, and the severe provincial interference in the tuition framework and (under)-funding formula of 捆绑SM社区 are creating havoc for our President and for our beloved university/employer/alma mater.

Armed with his first degree from Punjab Agricultural University in India, Hargurdeep Saini went on to do his PhD in plant biology at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Following his academic credentials, and, in addition to many national and international governance and advisory roles over the years, Dr. Saini became an accomplished researcher in plant physiology and an able administrator at the following institutions: University of Alberta (post-doc, and lecturer), Universit茅 de Montr茅al (Faculty and Directeur g茅n茅ral de l鈥橧nstitut de recherche en biologie v茅g茅tale),Dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, Vice-President of the University of Toronto, Principal of U of T鈥檚 Mississauga campus, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra, President and Vice-Chancellor of Dalhousie University.

With his very optimistic outlook, his vision for 捆绑SM社区, as Dr. Saini strives, with his team, to meet the post-bicentennial, post-pandemic challenges, he reassures us, 鈥渢his too shall pass.鈥� President Deep Saini is not a coward who will turn the other cheek. He is stepping up to demonstrate the value of 捆绑SM社区 to Qu茅b茅cois society that doesn鈥檛 always see universities as primarily relevant. Certainly, he stressed, on the issue of divestment, the university has no business in geopolitics. 鈥淚 am going to stick to my knitting, and not someone else鈥檚.鈥� It sounds like a good plan, President Saini. Focus on those things that you control. Take 捆绑SM社区 into its tricentennial. Dr. Saini stated categorically that 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Presidency is his last gig. He will, like the rest of us, 鈥渞etire鈥� from 捆绑SM社区. He is, in other words, one of our future 鈥淢URA鈥� members.

听

MURA Events

Here is an overview of all of the special events organized by MURA volunteers over the past year.

听

Use this link to view a complete list of events enjoyed and upcoming.听

Crafternoons - Katherine Gray-Donald

We meet regularly on Zoom (except in summer) to share information about our crafty projects, to show our work in progress or finished objects and seek help where needed. Our main emphasis is on knitting with some very experienced knitters who are happy to help the less experienced. The group is organized by April Colosimo, a librarian at 捆绑SM社区, who plans meetings with themes, sends out relevant links and keeps us organized. It is a welcoming group and we all contribute our experiences.

For more information, please contact Katherine Gray-Donald at katherine.gray-donald [at] mcgill.ca.

听

Groupe de v茅lo de l鈥橝RUM : Mettre la p茅dale douce鈥�ou pas! - Line Robitaille

脌 commencer par la formidable 茅quipe de b茅n茅voles qui est tellement bien organis茅e! Chaque trajet est planifi茅 en d茅tail : distance, d茅nivellation, type de surface, emplacement de toilettes (tr猫s pratique!), lieu pour piqueniquer, possibilit茅 de stationnement, etc. Il y a toujours un 鈥�濒别补诲别谤鈥� qui prend les devants du groupe et un 鈥�sweeper鈥� qui s鈥檃ssure que personne ne soit laiss茅e derri猫re. En plus, il y a toujours quelqu鈥檜n qui a les connaissances et les outils pour r茅gler les petits ennuis m茅caniques qui peuvent survenir. Une belle tranquillit茅 d鈥檈sprit pour les participants qui ont juste 脿 choisir quels v锚tements porter et quelles provisions amener!

C鈥檈st aussi une belle occasion de d茅couvrir et de se familiariser avec de nouveaux circuits en toute s茅curit茅. Les r茅gions sont aussi tr猫s vari茅es : Laurentides, Cantons de l鈥檈st, rive sud de Montr茅al, parcs de chaque coin de l鈥櫭甽e, etc. La plupart des trajets (en g茅n茅ral de 20-40 km, assez plats) se d茅roulent sur pistes cyclables ou routes peu fr茅quent茅es.

La saison s鈥櫭﹖end de la fin mai 脿 la mi-octobre, 脿 raison d鈥檜ne randonn茅e par semaine. Bref, 莽a aide 脿 garder la forme! Mais pas de soucis, tous les niveaux sont les bienvenus, ainsi que tous types de v茅lo. La taille du groupe est normalement de 10-20 personnes. Pas d鈥檕bligation, on participe quand on veut. Pas besoin de se lever aux aurores, les d茅parts se font vers 10h30 (et on 茅vite ainsi le traffic)!

Ce qui est aussi tr猫s agr茅able, pour ceux qui le d茅sirent, c鈥檈st de se 鈥榩ayer la traite鈥� apr猫s la randonn茅e dans un caf茅/bistrot pour socialiser. Parlant de socialiser, l鈥檜n des aspects int茅ressants de cette activit茅 est de rencontrer des gens de milieux tr猫s vari茅s, ce qui donne lieu 脿 des conversations tr猫s enrichissantes tout au long des parcours (on ne fait pas de course apr猫s tout!), et permet de cr茅er de nouvelles amiti茅s. Comme on le sait maintenant, la socialisation est indispensable 脿 la sant茅 cognitive.

Finalement, je ne vais pas oublier un des points forts de cette activit茅 : un 鈥�pot luck鈥� gastronomique chez un des organisateurs pour lancer la saison. 脟a a bien commenc茅!

Bref, avec tous ces avantages, si vous aimez le v茅lo, il n鈥檡 a aucune raison de s鈥檈n passer! Pour ma part, ce sera ma 2e ann茅e, et quelle belle d茅couverte! Si vous voulez participer de fa莽on plus active et vous impliquer dans le comit茅 organisateur, il y a aussi de la place!

If you are interested in joining us and are not already on our mailing list, please contact Debbie Mercier (Debbie.mercier [at] mcgill.ca) and Simon Fulleringer (simon.fulleringer [at] mcgill.ca).

MURA Bridge Club -听Helen Megan, BSc'65

Born, raised and educated in Montreal, many years ago, I returned in January, 2020, just in time for the isolation of COVID. I didn't have as many friends here as I thought I had. Most had died or moved away. I'm pretty old.

I heard there was Bridge at the Faculty Club quite by chance, in the ladies' washroom after lunch. The person who told me about it doesn't play Bridge but she thought it looked like a very nice group. I enquired of the receptionist downstairs, as to who ran it. That got me a phone call Sylvia Sklar, who put me in touch with Alenoush Saroyan and I have been playing Bridge there every second Tuesday, ever since, that is, when I am not at sea.

It IS a very nice group. I had not played for years and I was, and still am, seriously rusty. They took me in and shared Bridge lessons with me. A year later they are still patient and now, they are friends. I look forward to every second Tuesday afternoon, when I get to see them and sharpen up my Bridge skills.

Golf - Alfred Jaeger

I joined the MURA golf group as I had played golf occasionally in the past and wanted to do so more regularly now that I was retired and had the time for it. I did not have regular golfing partners in Montreal so this was a way for me to play more golf with others rather than just by myself from time to time or with others visiting from out of town. That said, many, if not most, of the other members also play with others on a regular basis, often weekly, as opposed to the every second week schedule of the MURA group. The golf group was a way for me to get to know other golf courses in the Montreal area as the games rotate between courses. I also joined because the other members were very encouraging, welcoming and quite open to the participation of golfers of varying ability levels.

I enjoy having the opportunity to get out of the house into the countryside to be outside and be engaged in moderate physical activity. Most members including myself take a cart but some walk the course, getting more physical activity than I do. I also enjoy the social aspect as members of foursomes have plenty of time to chit chat about the game and other things.

Like all other golfers, I enjoy the rush of a good shot which erases any frustration one might have had before that. Playing regularly every two weeks has helped me improve my game which remained fairly static during the previous thirty years. It is also nice to be outside and witness the change in seasons, especially in the Fall. Of course the 19^th hole is also a highlight when we sit down by the clubhouse after a day on the links.

I would strongly encourage MURA members to join the golf group. There is a camaraderie similar to that of other MURA groups, however this one is outside! Give it a try and you will not regret it. If you would like to join the group this year, please email Anne Billyard at: Annebilly [at] hotmail.com.

听

Pickleball - Karen Cavanagh

I was delighted to be asked to write about my personal pickleball experience with MURA. I was intrigued back in 2022 when pickleball was first offered as a prospective MURA activity. I knew nothing about pickleball but kept it on a back burner to look into. I finally decided to give it a try in January 2023. I borrowed a paddle and convinced my husband to join me for a trial session. We were both hooked and bought our own paddles to play weekly. I found it a very easy game to pick up, though keeping the ball inbounds and learning to simultaneously keep score was a challenge. But who doesn鈥檛 enjoy a good challenge? I stuck with it and gradually got better at playing and scoring, and my skills level quickly improved. With the group players of diverse levels of skills it is easy to find a match well suited to your level. The overall benefits include cardio, balance, eye hand coordination, and a fun group of people. I鈥檓 happy to have joined the group and enjoy the many health supportive aspects of the game. I would recommend it to anyone thinking of giving it a try!

If you are interested in participating in this activity either this spring or in the fall don鈥檛 hesitate to contact Henry Leighton (henry.leighton [at] mcgill.ca)

Restaurant Dinner Group - Beverlea Tallant

This MURA Group meets monthly (except December) in a variety of interesting restaurants. Currently we have 20+ members who enjoy a meal together. Although, we may not have met while working, our common retiree bond is 捆绑SM社区鈥�a good starting point for new friendships and interests.

The MURA BYOB Restaurant Group provides an opportunity to discover different eating areas in the Plateau, Griffintown, East Montreal, NDG, Westmount and the West Island and to try out different types of food. Menus vary from Italian to Japanese, Greek, Iranian, Hawaiian, Pub, Vietnamese, African, Grill, and French, etc. And, of course, BYOB means you can enjoy all this with your favourite drink!

We welcome new members - this group likes variety鈥�whether it be people, location, or food! Contact Joan Wolforth at joan.wolforth [at] mcgill.ca if you are looking for good food, fun and fellowship!

Honours and Awards听

Robert D. Stanley Awards

The MURA 2025 Awards Committee, Ginette Lamontagne, Chair, Mercedes Delacroix, Lawrence Mysak, and Carlette Walker nominated Bob Stanley for two awards:

College and University Retiree Associations of Canada Tribute Award

Bob (Robert D.) Stanley has been treasurer for MURA since his retirement and has served for an unprecedented three terms (8 years). Bob was nominated by MURA for CURAC鈥檚 Tribute Award for his sustained relationship with MURA鈥檚 partner associations and unions, as well as his dedication to ensuring MURA鈥檚 sound organizational stewardship and financial stability. The MURA Nomination Committee highlighted Bob鈥檚 鈥渇inancial annual reports at the AGM [which] are clear, concise, precise, and most appreciated by the membership at large. Every organization needs a forward-looking backstop like Bob Stanley, someone who is keen to encourage the association to take on new challenges and develop a full program of activities.鈥� (Full article

Suzanne Lajoie

Education Professor Emerita Susanne Lajoie, now a MURA member, was awarded the 捆绑SM社区 Medal for Exceptional Academic Achievement on May 30 during the Faculty of Education鈥檚 convocation ceremony for her work on optimizing the use of digital technology to enhance learning. In the past, she also received the Carrie M. Derick Award for Graduate Supervision and Teaching at 捆绑SM社区. Susanne taught in the Faculty of Education鈥檚 Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology for 32 years prior to her retirement. ()

听

The Honora Shaughnessy 捆绑SM社区 Ambassador Awards

Named in honour of Honora Shaughnessy, MLS鈥�73, MURA member and former Executive Director of the 捆绑SM社区 Alumni Association, this award is presented to a member of the 捆绑SM社区 Community, who has made an exceptional contribution to the University as a role model in fostering friend-raising, loyalty, professionalism and team spirit. In addition to his demanding 鈥渄ay job鈥� as Director Project Management and Development, Bob Stanley volunteered for 10 years as Vice-President of MUNASA. He was also a course and visiting lecturer in the School of Architecture sharing with students his vast experience in project management. Post retirement, he was a member of the Career Development Committee, a judge of the 捆绑SM社区 Student Sustainability Challenge, and was recruited in 2015 as Treasurer of the 捆绑SM社区 Retiree Association (MURA). For an unprecedented three terms, Bob鈥檚 many contributions for the 捆绑SM社区 Retirement Association (MURA), including his sustained relationship with partner associations and unions, has ensured a sound financial stability. Bob was a recipient of this award at the MAA Honours and Awards Celebration in Montreal on May 7, 2024, held at the newly renovated 9th Floor of the Eaton Centre. (Full article)

Bob's academic and work history at 捆绑SM社区 are outlined in his Made by 捆绑SM社区 story - "." As a Retired Director, Project Management, Facilities Operations and Development, he talks about the fascinating highlights of his twenty-four year career at 捆绑SM社区.

The听捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Office for Science & Society (OSS) Celebrates a Quarter Century听

As 捆绑SM社区 鈥減roves its mettle鈥� and relevance in today鈥檚 Quebec society, we all know of at least one office currently celebrating an important 25th anniversary that has accomplished so much in exposing quackery and pseudo-science to the public. 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Office for Science & Society (OSS) that 鈥渟eparates sense from nonsense,鈥� was launched by Drs. Schwarz, Fenster and Haarp and Deans of Science, staff, students, and donors.

鈥淚n the last 25 years, the OSS has had to face off against an ever-increasing volume of BS and Buncombe, as the internet has empowered every hair-brained idea and every tinfoil-hat-wearing crackpot. Once upon a time, these folks were creaking out their ideas on a Gestetner machine. Today, they can reach millions and with the advent of AI, generated content. In the future, it looks like there will be even more battles to fight. 鈥� misinformation, falsehoods and charlatans are more prevalent than ever鈥� (Charles Anderson of the Discovery Channel).

Illuminaries such as Julie Payette, Charles Anderson (Producer of the Discovery Channel), Hon. Kelvin K. Ogilvie, Lorne Trottier (捆绑SM社区 OSS Supporter), Timothy Caulfield (U. Alta), Dr. Phil Gold (Professor Emeritus, 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Faculty of Medicine), Craig Colby (Executive Producer), Barry Kar (Executive Director, Committee for Skeptical inquirer Magazine), Paul Offit (Children鈥檚 Hospital of Philadelphia), Josh Blum (American Council on Science and Health), and Dr. Melody Ko (physician and 捆绑SM社区 alumna), attest to the accomplishments in this 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 OSS regularly reaches large audiences through a variety of means (podcasts, newspaper columns, and YouTube online courses to further its mission of 鈥渟eparating sense from nonsense.鈥�

Faculty Club Centenary Book - Neil Stewart

After a career of a little over fifty-two years as a tenure-track professor, I retired from my position as Full Professor at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al in 2021. My career there comprised more than fifty years of teaching and research on the mathematical side of Computer Science.

I have been coming down regularly to 捆绑SM社区's Faculty Club for over eight years now, and since my retirement I've participated in several 捆绑SM社区 Retiree Association (MURA) activities. I've been an Affiliate Member of the association since 2022.

One of my activities at the Faculty Club may be of interest to MURA members. There is a magnificent book on New York's Neue Galerie that describes the mansion in which the museum is housed. It is an "Art Book," with beautiful pictures, but it also gives a great deal of historical information about the building and the area around it (the building is at 86th and Fifth). A couple of years ago it occurred to me that the Baumgarten House, which houses the 捆绑SM社区 Faculty Club, also deserves such a book. I pitched this idea to Nicolas Zrihen, the General Manager of the Faculty Club, and with his strong support (and the support of many other people from 捆绑SM社区 and elsewhere), the book is nearing publication.

The archival research, and the writing and editing, are finished at last: I estimate that the project involved about sixteen hundred hours of my time over sixteen months. With the help of Professor David Covo and his students, the architectural drawings have been done. Professional photos of the building have been taken, permissions to use archival photos have been obtained, and the text is now in the hands of the 捆绑SM社区 Graphics Design people. A draft version of the front cover is shown here, and the book should be published in time for centennial celebrations in the fall of 2024.

MURA is mentioned in the book, albeit briefly. In Section 1.4 it is written that the Faculty Club ". . . provides a meeting place for a bridge club, most of whose members are active or retired members of 捆绑SM社区's faculty and staff, and for organizations such as the捆绑SM社区 Association of University Teachers and the 捆绑SM社区 Retiree Association."

You can be a Pro-Dean too! - Trudis Goldsmith-Reber

MURA forwards messages from the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies reaching out to the retired academic community members seeking Pro-Deans for defences. The Office truly appreciates all the help that members have provided and I would like to tell you about my experiences.

It was quite a discovery to learn from a Ph.D.candidate in the Faculty of Music about a 鈥渘ew mouthpiece鈥� for the saxophone, which would embellish the sound of the instrument. I "travelled" to Alexandria with an architecture student to discover the ancient town through literature, written by Lawrence Durrell, and dicovered what architecture students have to study in 鈥減lace writing鈥� - when exploring a 鈥減lace鈥�, that is ready for buildings being erected. I followed the route of a graduate student in city planning when new bicycle routes in remote suburban areas have to be added for those who do not live close to their work places.

Most important for me was my own learning process, because I do actually read each thesis (and the evaluations of the outsiders!) of each individual student, making sure that evaluations from supervisor and external evaluators are in, that the thesis is handed in with format and submission rules set by the Graduate Faculty office are fulfilled. Getting to know the new and highly motivated 捆绑SM社区 students at that last phase of their 捆绑SM社区 years and at the conclusion of their studies before they step out into the professional world awaiting them, is an extra pleasure for me.

You do not need to be an expert, not even marginally, on the topic of the thesis. You can serve as Pro-Dean in your home Faculty as long as the defence is outside of your home department, and provided there is no conflict of interest. Many defences are being held on Zoom, so remote attendance is possible! Use this link for complete information about serving as a Pro-Dean.

Those Darned Ticks!- Michael Hefferon, M.D.

Ed note: Born in Dublin, Ireland, and raised in a bilingual Gaelic household, Michael secured a scholarship to study Medicine at University College Dublin. He then specialised in children鈥檚 medicine in Dublin, Liverpool,and then Kingston, Canada. Dr Hefferon became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in 1986. His training, teaching, and pediatric practice ignited his interest in medical beliefs- some based more on myth, than fact. I met Dr. Michael/鈥滿iguel鈥� Hefferon in January 2020 when I was at a Writing Workshop in Barra de Navidad, on the west coast of Mexico, just south of Puerto Vallarta. He had just published his first book: Medical Myths: A Sceptic's Journey,

He also writes for the following online publications:

And now, back to those ticks鈥�

With the snow gone (hopefully) and more outdoor chores, you鈥檒l soon hear stories of tick bites and tweezers. Tick borne diseases are often on the minds of woodland adventurers, landscape workers and cottagers. In the late 1970鈥檚 the town of Lyme, Connecticut experienced a cluster of children with arthritis. No cause was initially found, and tests such as rheumatoid factors were negative.It took a while to demonstrate that all of the patients had been bitten by a deer tick transmitting a bacterium called Borrelia Burgdorferi. This organism would prove to be responsive to antibiotics, if caught in time. Now another tick-borne malady called Lyme Disease was added to the list of summer infestations. In medical practice I was often puzzled by the recurrence of tick bites in the same people. In contrast some folks reported that they had never encountered a tick.

听

This black-legged tick has been working its way north, carried by deer and migrant birds. Only about 30% of ticks carry the causative Lyme bacteria, but odds of 1 in 3 are not comfortable. So, no problem really. Anyone who endured a tick in their skin for 24 hours would be given antibiotics to prevent Lyme Disease(after removing the tick). But why were the same patients showing up year-after-year with these bites?

Some families were even conducting night time rituals examining each other for ticks before bed. As far back as 1974, researchers had concluded that mosquitoes were attracted to people with blood group O, and least attracted to those of Group A. Perhaps individual blood types smell differently to insects. Based on the antigens on the surface of the red cell , human blood types are divided into 4 blood groups- A, B, AB and O. In Canada and north Europe, group O is the most common blood type. This may be changing somewhat as trends of immigration alter the makeup of our towns and cities. In these peaceful summer days of retirement, I still receive medical journals by mail, and I finally have time to read them properly! This article in a European Journal of Infectious Disease caught my eye; In 2019 a group of researchers from Mazaryk University in the Czech Republic had seen the research on mosquito preferences, and set about a similar study of ticks, using blood from volunteers . Drops of blood from each antigen group were placed on the perimeter of a circular filter paper, with 100 ticks (carriers of Lyme) in the centre of the paper. The majority of the ticks migrated to the drop of blood group A. A few to group AB, and group O. Virtually none moved towards Group B. There was my answer! Those who had never reported a tick bite were probably group B. While being group B be makes you unlikely to host a tick, it does not guarantee that you鈥檒l never be bitten. On the other hand, if you are Group A, you might survey the areas of infestation nearby, and take precautions such as spraying tick repellant such as Permethrin on clothing.

Your own blood group data is on your birth record. It鈥檚 also on your medical records if you have ever had a transfusion or been crossmatched for one. Children with diabetes have shown significant complications from tick bites. This has led to a myth that such children attract ticks because of the sweetness of their blood. This is untrue. However patients with diabetes can have more severe reactions to tick bites, including infection at skin level, due to altered immune response. So as we enter the outdoor season, be aware that you can鈥檛 protect yourself from all tick bites, but you can be prepared by knowing your risk level and what to to do if you are bitten. This way we can still enjoy the outdoors! 鈥︹�︹�︹�︹�︹��. Have a great, healthy, summer, everyone!