Essay Comprehensive Nursing Care

Essay Comprehensive Nursing Care Essay Comprehensive Nursing Care Comprehensive Nursing Care Within this essay I will discuss what is meant by healthy living and the perception of health and its impact on the life of a specific patient who I have cared for within a hospital setting. When we think of being healthy we often tend to look at the physical aspects, but being healthy is about the person as a whole, their mind and body which often extends to the whole community. The term health is therefore complex and has many definitions (Forster et al., 1999). The World Health Organisation (1948) has a popular definition which has not been amended since 1948, ‘A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. This definition can assist the nurse in developing a holistic approach to understanding health. I recently completed a placement at a local trust, and cared for a lady who I thought was appropriate to focus on in relation to her health status as she had had many admissions into hospital over the past 1 2 months. I will refer to this lady as Joan, as a nurse I have a legal, professional and ethical duty to protect all confidential information concerning patients by recognising the privacy of the patient and practice MNC (2008). Joan has had asthma for all of her life, and after contracting TB 2 years ago Joan’s health and state of mind has gradually deteriorated. Joan’s breathing difficulties has caused many admissions into hospital over the past 12 months and consequently has developed MRSA in her sputum. Joan was admitted into a side ward due to her having the MRSA virus. Her condition caused her to become bed bound for the first two days, she found it difficult to move around the room and relied on the nursing staff to assist her with personal hygiene needs. Joan is a very independent woman and having to have someone else to help her made her very anxious. Moore and Woodrow (2004) state that breathless patients can become confused due to anxiety, therefore I had to ensure that Joan was made to feel comfortable and to give the opportunity for her to do as much as possible without causing added breathlessness. Joan was commenced on oxygen therapy; which relieved the symptoms of breathlessness. Administrating oxygen reduces or corrects hypoxia by compensating for the reduced minute volume (Bennett 2003). Bennett et al (2003) state that oxygen can be delivered in a number of ways, it was important to ensure the method chosen was the appropriate device. Joan had a basic o2 mask and it was decided that she would benefit from a mask providing 8 litres of oxygen. The device used for oxygen administration should reflect the patients’ requirements for oxygen as well as being comfortable for the patient to wear (Jevon and Ewens 2001). In helping Joan managing her breathlessness it was important for me to regularly assess Joan’s condition by observing her general appearance, looking for cyanosis, facial flushing and observing posture as this will indicate if the patient is anxious or afraid. Bennett (2003) states that when questioning breathless patients it is important to remember to use closed questions as talking increases breathlessness. As a nurse caring for Joan I played a big part in reviewing, monitoring and supporting her as she struggled with her breathing. It was particularly important to keep regular checks on all of Joan’s vital signs, tachycardia is common because of anxiety and hypoxia and bronchodilatory medications may increase it (Hoskins et al 2000). Most importantly in patients with respiratory related illnesses the nurse must remain calm and reassuring towards the patient, helping them to sit in an upright position to allow lung expansion. Joan has always been a busy lady, working and bringing up her children and then helping with the grandchildren. She regularly went to the shop and is a very house proud lady, enjoying all aspects of cleaning and keeping a good home. The unpredictability factor of an asthma

The French Verb Souhaiter Que Needs the Subjunctive

The French Verb Souhaiter Que Needs the Subjunctive When  souhaiter (to wish or to hope for) precedes a dependent clause beginning with que, the dependent clause uses a subjunctive verb. It joins a long list of other French verbs expressing someones will, an  order, a need, a piece of advice or a desire; they all also need the subjunctive in the que subordinate clause. 'Souhaiter' and 'Souhaiter Que' When used with  que, souhaiter becomes souhaiter que (to hope that), which introduces a dependent clause that uses the French subjunctive.  Souhaiter que is all about the emotion of hoping.  Thus, it fulfills the subjunctives basic requirement  of  expressing actions or ideas that are subjective or otherwise uncertain.   Ã‚  Je souhaite quil vienne.I hope that he comes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Souhaitons  que tout aille bien.We hope that all goes well.   Ã‚  Il est  Ã‚  souhaiter que...It is to be hoped that... As with souhaiter que, the French subjunctive  is nearly always found in dependent clauses introduced by  que  or  qui, and the subjects of the dependent and main clauses are usually different, as in:   Ã‚  Je veux que tu le fasses.I want you to do it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Il faut que nous partions.It is necessary that we leave. French Verbs and Expressions Similar to 'Souhaiter Que' Here are other verbs and expressions that, like souhaiter que, communicate someones will, an  order, a need, a piece of advice, or a desire. They all require the subjunctive in the dependent clause that  begins with que.  There are many other types of constructions that require the French subjunctive as well, which are listed and explained in the full-on  subjunctivator  (our term). aimer mieux que   to prefer thatcommander que  Ã‚  to order thatdemander que  Ã‚  to ask that (someone do something)dà ©sirer que  Ã‚  to desire thatdonner lordre que  Ã‚  to order thatempà ªcher que*  Ã‚  to prevent (someone from doing something)à ©viter que*  Ã‚  to avoidexiger que  Ã‚  to demand thatil est souhaiter que  Ã‚  it is to be hoped thatil est essentiel que  Ã‚  it is essential thatil est important que  Ã‚  it is important thatil est naturel que  Ã‚  it is natural thatil est nà ©cessaire que  Ã‚  it is necessary thatil est normal que  Ã‚  it is normal thatil est temps que  Ã‚  it is time thatil est urgent que  Ã‚  it is urgent thatil faut que  Ã‚  it is necessary that / we mustil vaut mieux que  Ã‚  it is better thatinterdire que  Ã‚  to forbid thatsopposer que  Ã‚  to oppose thatordonner que  Ã‚  to order thatpermettre que  Ã‚  to permit thatprà ©fà ©rer que  Ã‚  to prefer thatproposer que  Ã‚  to propose thatrecomm ander que  Ã‚  to recommendsouhaiter que  Ã‚  to wish thatsuggà ©rer que  Ã‚  to suggest thattenir ce que  Ã‚  to insist thatvouloir que  Ã‚  to want to *These verbs are followed by the more formal  ne explà ©tif,  in which only ne is used in negations (without pas), as in:   Ã‚  Ãƒâ€°vitez quil ne parte.Prevent him from leaving.

What, if anything, was revolutionary about the Scientific Revolution Essay

What, if anything, was revolutionary about the Scientific Revolution - Essay Example he telescope, the dissection and the new conception of the universe will be used to discuss the causes of the Scientific Revolution as well as illustrate how the Scientific Revolution influenced society then and now. Before the mid-1500s, when the Scientific Revolution is generally agreed to have had its start, ideas regarding medicine, the body and the universe were not based on the same sorts of observations that are available to us today. For those who considered the placement of the earth in relation to the universe, it was understood that the earth was at the center with concentric bands of water, air and fire surrounding it. Surrounding these were further bands of the stellar spheres with Jesus and the saints existing even beyond the outermost stellar sphere. Another conception of the universe, the Ptolemaic Universe, was described as consisting of two spheres, the inner one was the earth and the outer one, the remainder of the universe, revolved around this inner core. These images originating in scientific books on the subject produced in this period help to illustrate the depth to which these ideas, born of Biblical interpretations, were believed. However, touching off the debate that w ould eventually change the world, Copernicus wrote to Pope Paul III regarding his soon-to-be published and revolutionary idea that the earth revolved around the sun rather than the other way around (Copernicus 1543 cited in Levick, 2004: 524). Fearful of the backlash his observations might have on a public firmly entrenched in the idea of being central to the universe, Copernicus was working to gain the support of the Pope by pointing out the purely mathematical means by which he came to his conclusions as well as the support he found for this idea in ancient texts. In this letter, he informs the Pope that it is only by assuming a motion of the earth in addition to the observed motions of the other planets can the universe possibly retain its apparent

Respond for the video david cole interviews dr. franciszek piper Essay

Respond for the video david cole interviews dr. franciszek piper - Essay Example olocaust is a debatable topic, Russians have always opined that Polish, Ukrainians and Russians suffered most, as their propaganda, post-world war, has little mention of Jews. The other part of story, which this tape reveals, deals with the existence of a huge disinfestations complex, where disease caused by lice was combated, using Zyklon B gas. These facts remain unpublicized along with other major evidences of the period which may not serve the purpose of holocaust glorification. In a way, the above chambers were real gas chambers, but the victims were not the inmates, but lice and other insects. The holocaust story has no definite proof, except the eye witness accounts, which could be exaggerated. For example the gas chambers, where the ultimate sacrilege had taken place did comprise of certain areas that never matched with the description of holocaust. These include the marks on walls and floors, indicating their knocking down. In addition, the holes in the floor suggest bathrooms’ existence at the gas chamber, which was never mentioned in the holocaust story. Cole David & Smith Bradley, Interview Transcript, 1992, â€Å"David Cole Interviews Dr. Franciszek Piper, Director, Auschwitz State Museum’, Retrieved on 9th Dec 2010 from:

The Role of African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement Essay

The African American Civil Rights Movement was a series of protests in the United States South from approximately 1955 through 1968. The overall goal of the Civil Rights Movement was to achieve racial equality before the law. Protest tactics were, overall, acts of civil disobedience. Rarely were they ever intended to be violent. From sit-ins to boycotts to marches, the activists involved in the Civil Rights Movement were vigilant and dedicated to the cause without being aggressive. While African-American men seemed to be the leaders in this epic movement, African-American women played a huge role behind the scenes and in the protests. When discussing the American Civil Rights Movement, the names that seem to come up are those of prominent black men. While these men did enormous amounts of good during this movement, there are many women who seem to be poorly represented or credited. Black women had a huge amount of influence during the Civil Rights Movement. While many of the protests and movements were led by men, the women were behind the scenes organizing and promoting and popularizing the ideas themselves. Many women were heavily involved in political organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and many others. Even if they were not directly involved in organizations, however, many black women became informal leaders of movements and/or enthusiastic participants. A few famous example of black women’s involvement are: Citizenship Schools in South Carolina, the Montgomery B us Boycott, And various women’s involvement in political groups and organizations. One of the most influential women i... ...rica? Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party." Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers, 1941-1965. By Vicki L. Crawford, Jacqueline Anne. Rouse, and Barbara Woods. Vol. 16. Brooklyn, NY: Carlson Pub., 1990. 27-37. Print. Robinson, Jo Ann Gibson, and David J. Garrow. The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It: the Memoir of Jo Ann Gibson Robinson. Knoxville: University of Tennessee, 1987. Print. Ransby, Barbara. Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: a Radical Democratic Vision. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2003. Print. Standley, Anne. "The Role of Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement." Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers, 1941-1965. By Vicki L. Crawford, Jacqueline Anne. Rouse, and Barbara Woods. Brooklyn, NY: Carlson Pub., 1990. 183-202. Print.

Analysis of Amores Perros

Analysis of Amores Perros The Urban Environment of Mexico City, As Presented in Amores Perros Amores Perros represents the feature film directorial debut of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and was written by Guillermo Arriaga, the craftsman behind such acclained Hollywood successes as 21 Grams and Babel. It is perhaps no surprise then that this pairing, of inspired passion and experienced creativity, resulted in a film that won 52 of the 69 total awards for which it was nominated world-wide, including the Ariel Award for Best Picture from the Mexican Academy of Film and the Critics Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.But it is more than exceptional filmmaking that is responsible for the critical success of this film. Depicting the social and economic stratification of life in modern day Mexico City, Amores Perros exhibits a host of cinematic techniques whose aim is to join form to content in an effort to convey the fractured nature of, and fracturing effects on, the individual a nd the family that life in this particular urban environment creates. The film takes the form of a triptych, (a composition made up of three parts).These three stories represent the three general levels of life in Mexico City. The first story explores what amounts to working class life in Mexico City. It depicts a quality of life determined by and confined within the economic limitations that are a fact of that social sphere. The second story sets itself to convey an upper class life that amounts to little more than a veneer of wealth, while the third story examines both the confined nature and the inherent freedom of the underclass of Mexico City.But, beyond a simple explication of these disparate levels of society in this capital city, the film also strives, by the ways that it intertwines these three stories, to show how these levels of society are both mutually interdependent, and, ultimately, inextricable, one from the other. Story I: The Working Class The first story opens wit h a chaotic car chase, and we’re introduced to one f this story’s two main characters, Octavio, who is driving, and his dog Cofi, who is bloody in the back seat, while Octavio’s friend Jorge desperately attempts to stem the bleeding, as the three flee from gun-toting thugs through the streets of Mexico City. Immediately, the turbulent, life-or-death nature of working class life in this city becomes evident. The chase ends with Octavio barrelling through a red light and plowing into another car. As the story unfolds through flashbacks, we learn that Octavio has decided to give up life as a high school student to enter his dog in the local dogfights.Living at home with his mother, his unstable brother Ramiro, and his brother’s wife Susana and their young infant, Octavio is driven to pursue this illicit activity by his growing infatuation with his brother’s wife, and his desire to run away with Susana and make a life for them. But with no hope that hi s education will bring him a job by which he can support a family, Octavio sees no other choice but to fight his dog for money and hope that his newfound wealth will prove to Susana that he can be the man of a household. His choice here is the clearest summation of the way working class life is depicted in this film.Unable to find a legal avenue to assure a financially stable life, a working class person’s only recourse is to step outside of the law. Octavio’s brother reaches the same conclusion only in a more extreme fashion, as dictated by his sociopathic personality. He moonlights from his job asa supermarket clerk as an armed robber whose crimes eventually get him killed. Prior to that, though, a more subtle indictment of working class life in Mexico City is explored through the burgeoning relationship between Octavio and Susana.Octavio is unable to recognize that he is misreading Susana’s need for the comfort and understanding she is not getting from her hu sband for a reciprocation of his own passion, and so he becomes increasingly attached to the immediate gratification of his desire for connection that Susana represents. Having no reason to hope for the fruitfulness of any long term goals or aspirations, Octavio’s immediate environment has shunt him off into a fixation upon what is immediately attainable—pursuing his brother’s wife and chasing the money and increased social standing that comes with ighting his dog. It comes as no surprise to the viewer, then, that these constraints placed upon him by the particular urban environment in which he lives lead to his downfall. After succeeding wildly through a number of dogfights, Octavio has earned enough money to convince Susana that they can run away together, but he gets greedy and agrees to only last, high-stakes fight against a dog owned by the local gang leader, who has been Octavio’s constant nemesis and antagonist.Octavio descends to his lowest point, though, when at the same meeting where he agrees to this final fight, he contracts with the ringleader of the dogfights to assault his brother, who, as a result, is nearly beaten to death. This choice backfires on Octavio, as Susana is now compelled to flee with her husband, taking with her all the money Octavio and Cofi had won. This shows that working class life in Mexico City often produces in people aims which will only exacerbate their situation. Learning of the betrayal, Octavio is outraged and is forced to scramble together his remaining money to fund the bet of the final fight.At the fight, Cofi once again takes the upper hand against the gang leader’s dog. The thug is prepared for him this time, and pulls out a gun and shoots the dog. As Jorge scrambles to carry the bleeding animal to their car, Octavio lashes out and stabs the gang leader in the gut, initiating the car chase that opens the film. The first story ends on the seminal car crash, and we jump back in tim e again to be introduced to the main characters of the second story, Daniel and Valeria. Story II: Upper Class Life This middle story depicts upper class life in Mexico City in a way that puts its superficiality and frivolousness front and center.If the essence of working class life—its chaotic and dangerous nature—is symbolized by the car chase that opens the film, the fact that the first scene of the second story consists of Valeria, a high fashion model, being interviewed on a morning talk show, pretending to be in a relationship with a soap opera star, is a clear indication of the artificial and cosmetic nature of celebrity life in Mexico City. The problems of the upper class, like those of the working class as explored in the first story, play a central role in the second story, but they are problems of a completely different order.Daniel, a successful magazine editor, is committing adultery with Valeria. Whereas in the first story the father is absent altogether, in this story Daniel’s relative wealth allows him to support both his family and the purchase of an upscale apartment for himself and Valeria. But, as he makes the choice to leave his family for his mistress, the facade of wealth begins to crumble. The veneer-like quality of wealth in Mexico City is conveyed in clear symbolism when, shortly after moving into their new apartment, Valeria puts her foot through the pristine-looking parquet floor.It is conveyed explicitly when, as we learn that it was Valeria who was driving the car Octavio hit in the scene that opened the film and who is now in a wheelchair with a badly fractured leg, Daniel becomes frantic over his financial situation. As it turns out, Valeria had no insurance, and so, between his mortgage, the cost of their new apartment, and Valeria’s medical bills, Daniel begins to doubt his choice to stay with Valeria. But this is where a clear difference between the upper class and the working class, as represented in this film, begins to become obvious.While the actions of the characters in the first story seem almost inevitable due to their economic situation, Daniel’s relative wealth allows him some means of freedom to choose how he is to act. His financial burdens may, and do, create great stress for him, but he has the means to make his decisions upon moral grounds instead of merely upon financial considerations. So whereas Octavio is driven to fight his dog by his need for money in order to possess Susana, Daniel, after flirting with the idea to abandon Valeria and return to his wife, in the end chooses to remain with his new love.He may have revealed his moral weakness by leaving his family in the first place, but he shows some ability to act ethically when he decides to commit himself to his decision to join his life to Valeria’s, instead of leaving her in her time of greatest need. The film conveys this choice as one allowed him, in great part, by his financial situatio n. Story III: El Chivo The third, and final, story explores the life of a member of the upper class, and transigent named El Chivo who works as a hitman for the corrupt police force.Living in squalor with only his dogs as companions, El Chivo represents, by his physical appearance, the decrepit state of members of this class of society in Mexico City. As his story unfolds, though, we learn that his tale is not one of perennial poverty—he is a fallen man. Giving him an origin of normality and respectability conveys the tragic nature of members of this underclass—their current state of abject poverty is a result of flaws in their character. On the contrary, El Chivo left his family to fight in some unnamed ideological quest—he wanted to save the world.Having failed at that, he has fallen in cynicism and exploits the freedom and lack of accountability for his actions that his life on the outskirts of society allows him to become a murderer for hire. His perspective is changed, though, upon seeing the obituary for his wife in the paper. He attends the funeral, slinking on the periphery. When he sees the daughter he chose to leave when she was only a child, he feels compelled to find some measure of redemption that would allow him to become a part of her life again.He gives up his life as a gun-for-hire, bathes and shaves for seemingly the first time in years, and, as he walks off into the proverbial sunset to close the film, the viewer gets a clear sense that El Chivo, contrary to appearances, is the one least constrained by his economic situation. While the characters of the first two stories were driven, in some part, by economic considerations, El Chivo’s greatest desire is to find the moral and ethical ground that would make him worthy of reconnecting with his daughter.While Octavio is driven by immature passion, and Daniel is led by his wandering heart, El Chivo searches for the firm ground of morality upon which to stand. His desi re is only for redemption, and by this desire he is redeemed. Part IV: Greater than the Sum of its Parts Such clear and intricately constructed depictions of the stratified layers of life in Mexico City would amount to little more than three separate stories if they weren’t connected by equally clear and intricate means.The filmmakers were interested not merely in showing these layers in isolation, but in weaving them into a cohesive whole that would mirror the actual situation in this modern city. This is done in several ways, both structurally, and through plot. First, the writer took inspiration for the structure of the film from William Faulkner’s Light in August, which is also told through three loosely connected stories. Amores Perros makes heavy use of flashbacks and flash forwards to intertwine the stories into a single film.The writer also used the technique of hyperlinking, which he exploited in his films 21 Grams and Babel as well. This technique consists of introducing one character slowly, and often mysteriously, over the course of the film, and building up his or her story until it is fully revealed in the final, climatic scenes. This is done with the character El Chivo, and the effect is further enhanced by the director’s choice to shoot the early scenes with El Chivo using a telephoto lens, so that the viewer is kept at a distance from this seminal character.He shows up in each of the first two stories, but it isn’t until it is time to tell his story that the viewer actually is allowed some intimacy with this character. These stories are intertwined through plot as well; namely, through the traumatic experience of the car crash. By the time we get to the third story, we know that it was Octavio who was driving the car responsible for the crash, that it was Valeria who was driving the car that was hit, and that it was El Chivo who was present at the scene to rescue Cofi, who had been left to die on the side of the roa d by the paramedics.As the writer said in the commentary track for the film, â€Å"Crashes are horrible, life-altering events, but they serve to bring people together who otherwise would never have met. † It is trauma that, among other things, connects all three of the layers of society as represented in this film; no one is free from pain. Finally, these three stories are linked thematically. One theme that links all three stories is that of the absentee father. For the working class family, the absence of the father makes no mention—he is just gone.In the second story, we watch as the father decides to leave his family, and in the third, we see the father’s sincere desire to return to his family. This is the most significant emotional arch of the film—the redemption of the father. First, we have the wreckage left behind in the wake of his abandonment, the bitter nature of the brothers Octavio and Ramiro, a pain whose source is buried deep under the surf ace. Then we see the crime being committed, as Daniel leaves his family, and the viewer is allowed to feel the anger and outrage produced by the father’s abandonment, and, more importantly, we can link that pain to its proper cause.Finally, we are positioned within the perspective of the father, El Chivo, and are allowed to feel his own pain and experience the authenticity of his own desire to atone for abandoning his family. It is this progression that, ultimately, drives this film. A theme closer to the surface, and more sentimental in nature, which also connects these three stories, is a love of dogs. Cofi is Octavio’s best friend and is responsible for whatever pleasure his master is able to gain from his surroundings through being forced to participate in dog fighting. The dog Richie is Valeria’s constant companion.He falls into the hole in the floor that Valeria accidently created and is trapped under the floor of the couple’s apartment for the bett er part of their story. With Valeria languishing in the hospital after having suffered a thrombosis, Daniel, in the penultimate scene of the second story, decides to tear up the floor to rescue the dog. As he pulls Richie out of the hole he has created, his is symbolically rescuing his and Valeria’s relationship. Finally, El Chivo’s dogs are his best friends and, until he rediscovers his desire to be with his family, they are the only connection he has left to his humanity.His humanity is put to the test when, after rescuing Cofi from the aftermath of the crash and nursing him back to health, Cofi kills every last one of his dogs. He moves to kill Cofi in retaliation, to act out an impotent and meaningless revenge. But, because he has seen his daughter at his wife’s funeral, his humanity has already begun to awaken and he is compelled to let Cofi live, so that he is there with El Chivo, man and man’s best friend, to walk off into the sunset that brings on the closing credits. In the American release, the film’s title was translated as, â€Å"Love is a bitch. This title is in some ways relevant to the movie—none of the characters manage to find unqualified happiness. But, according to Wikipedia, the director gave an interview to NPR where he expressed dissatisfaction with the use of this English idiom as the title for his film. For him, â€Å"Amores† expresses everything that is good about life, while â€Å"Perros† expresses life’s wretchedness. In this sense, the title could be viewed as meaning, â€Å"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,† which captures the highs and lows that each set of characters experiences.

The Meaning of Witchs Cake in the Salem Witch Trials

In seventeenth-century England and New England, it was believed that a witchs cake had the power to reveal whether witchcraft was afflicting a person with symptoms of illness.  Such a cake or biscuit was made with rye flour and the urine of the afflicted person.  The cake was then fed to a dog. If the dog exhibited the same symptoms as the ill person, the presence of witchcraft was proven.  Why a dog?  A dog was believed to be a common familiar associated with the devil.  The dog was then supposed to point to the witches who had afflicted the victim. In Salem Village, in the Massachusetts colony, in 1692, such a witchs cake was key in the first accusations of witchcraft that led to court trials and executions of many who were accused.  The practice was apparently a well-known folk practice in English culture of the time. What Happened? In Salem Village, Massachusetts,  in January of 1692 (by the modern calendar), several girls began behaving erratically.  One of these girls was Elizabeth Parris, known as Betty, who was nine years old at the time.  She was the daughter of the Reverend Samuel Parris, the minister of the Salem Village Church. Another of the girls was Abigail Williams, who was 12 years old and an orphaned niece of Reverend Parris, who lived with the Parris family.  The girls complained of fever and convulsions. The father tried prayer to help them, using the model of Cotton Mather, who had written about curing similar symptoms in another case. He also had the congregation and some other local clergy pray for the girls to cure their affliction.  When prayer did not cure the illness, Reverend Parris brought in another minister, John Hale,  and the local physician, William Griggs, who observed the symptoms in the girls and could find no physical cause. They suggested that witchcraft was involv ed. Whose Idea Was it and Who Made the Cake? A neighbor of the Parris family, Mary Sibley, recommended the making of a witchs cake to reveal whether witchcraft was involved.  She gave directions to John Indian, a slave serving the Parris family, to make the cake.  He collected urine from the girls and then had  Tituba, another slave in the household, actually bake the witchs cake and feed it to the dog that lived in the Parris household. (Both Tituba and John Indian were slaves brought to Massachusetts Bay Colony by Reverend Parris from Barbados.) Even though the attempted diagnosis revealed nothing, Reverend Parris denounced in church the use of this magic. He said it didnt matter if it had been done with good intentions,  calling it going to the devil for help against the devil.  Mary Sibley, according to church records, was suspended from communion. Her good standing was restored when she confessed before the congregation, and the people of the congregation raised their hands to show they were satisfied with her confession. Mary Sibley then disappears from the records about the trials, though Tituba and the girls figure prominently. The girls ended up naming those they accused of witchcraft.  The first accused were Tituba and two local girls, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne.  Sarah Osbourne later died in prison, and Sarah Good was executed in July.  Tituba confessed to witchcraft, so she was exempted from execution, and she later turned accuser. By the end of the trials early the following year, four accused witches had died in prison, one had been pressed to death, and nineteen were hanged. What Really Afflicted the Girls? Scholars generally agree that the accusations were rooted in a community hysteria, primed by belief in the supernatural.  Politics within the church likely played a part, with Reverend Parris at the center of a controversy regarding power and compensation.  Politics in the colony likely also played a part: It was an unstable historical period.  Some historians point to some long-standing squabbles among community members as some of the underlying problems that fueled the trials. All these factors are credited by many historians as playing a part in the unfolding of the accusations and trials.  A few historians have also argued that grain that had been contaminated with a fungus called ergot may have caused some of the symptoms.