“So it was that the Catherines poured water and spooned gruel, while the Clares prayed for the intercession of the saints. The Catherines changed sheets. The Clares practiced mortification of the flesh. The Catherines employed antibiotics. The Clares made a public display of a kneecap of their patron saint.
It was soon widely know to which hospital one went to get well, and to which one went to die.”

Source: Jack Faust (1997), Chapter 9, “The Plague Kitchen” (p. 141)

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Michael Swanwick96

American science fiction author 1950

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