The Many Variations of Obsidian Rock

stress Essay - 1411 Words

1/ Definition of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Stressà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? : Stress is an individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s adaptive response to a situation that is perceived as challenging or threatening to the personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s wellbeing. (1) There are two kinds of stress dimensions which are psychological and physiological one. In psychological aspect, people perceive a situation and interpret it as challenging or threatening or both and then this cognitive appraisal leads to physiological responses. Distress: the degree of physiological, psychological and behavioural deviation from healthy functioning. (2) General adaptation syndrome: a model of the stress experience, consisting of three stages : alarm reaction, resistance and exhaustion which helps people to cope with environmental demands by†¦show more content†¦(5) onbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Workplace violence: employees who experience violence usually have symptoms of severe distress after the traumatic event. onbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Workplace bullying: offensive, intimidating or humiliating behaviour that degrades, ridicules or insults another person at work. How to prevent ? Firstly, set expectations regarding acceptable workplace behaviour. Secondly, base on past behaviour/incident. Lastly, companies should have a grievance, mediation or other conflicts resolution process that employees trust when they become victims of workplace bullying. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Organisational stressors: such as the sale or merger trend of a company that employees face. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Non-work streesors: Stressors from work spill over into non-work stressors and conflict with each other. (6) onbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Time-based conflict: The challenge of balancing the time demanded by work with family and the other non-work activities. onbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Strain-based conflict: occurs when stress from one domain spills over to the other. onbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Role behaviour conflict: occurs when people are expected to enact different work and non-work roles. 3/ Individual differences in stress: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;People expose to the same stressors might response differently for some reasons: onbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;People have different approach to aShow MoreRelatedStress And Stress On Stress1266 Words   |  6 Pageswhat exactly is stress and why do we feel it? Stress can be the way someone’s brain responds to a demand no matter how big or small. Stress can be caused by something as simple as commuting to and from work or school on a daily basis; however, stress could also be something as big as marriage or buying a house. We all have our own amount of stress we can handle normally on a daily basis. Stress is a mental or emotional strain or tension due to very demanding circumstances. Stress may also be to giveRead MoreStress And The Stress Of Stress1594 Words   |  7 PagesStress is something everyone goes through no matter what age, gender or race you are. Stress is the experience of a perceived threa t to one’s mental, physical or spiritual well-being, resulting from a series of physiological responses and adaptations. When people think of stress they think it’s a bad thing which isn’t true, some stress is just your body’s reaction to certain situations. At times it may seem like stress is taking over your body leaving you physically, emotionally and mentally hurtRead MoreStress Among Stress And Stress1015 Words   |  5 PagesIn the United States, stress problems are common. According to, â€Å"The American Psychological Association (2017)†, â€Å"Stress in America† is rated to be present in one-third of the population. There are so many studies which associate with stress levels at any particular moment of their lives. When stress occurs repeatedly, the incidence of its occurrence is much higher when you think of throughout a lifespan. When talking about stress, it’s regarding the reference to the negative experiences that overwhelmRead MoreStress And Stress Related Stress1224 Words   |  5 PagesStress is a common problem in modern day life today. It is a basic thing of everyday life and there is no way to completely escape it. Most people associate stress with a negative situations; however, whether the stress related problem is negative or positive, the important key is how you respond to it. People experience stress in many different ways. Because stress has negative effects, it will usually manifest itself it one way or another. Stress is not avoidable but it can be managed withRead MoreStress And The Stress Management1474 Words   |  6 PagesThe definition of Stress, its history and how to manage Stress is a daily conversation word as the world is becoming more challenging and difficult to live. It is very important to understand, and know how to manage it on a daily basis especially on our workplace. This essay will be broken into four parts firstly it is going to discuss about the contrast and similarity in the definition of stress between Engineering and Selye’s approach. Then it is going to critically evaluate the General AdaptationRead MoreStress And Symptoms Of Stress Essay1604 Words   |  7 Pagesdebilitating depression. Stress- just the word may be enough to set your nerve on edge. Stress is a reaction of the body to substantial or unusual demands. In other word, Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. Everyone have some sort of stress and has a different way to cope their stress. When stress is within your comfort zone which we may call good stress, it can help you to stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency si tuations, stress can save your life—givingRead MoreEssay On Stress And Stress1914 Words   |  8 PagesStress and anxiety in the average college student. Selye (1936) defined stress as â€Å"the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change† (The American Institute of Stress, 2017). Stress can lead to feelings of anxiety. Anxiety is a normal part of life, but can be considered a type of worry or fear that can inhibit everyday life. College students show higher stress/anxiety than average individuals. Major sources of stress are from new responsibilities, campus living, money issues, and classworkRead MoreThe Effects Of Stress On The Workplace Stress1387 Words   |  6 PagesWorkplace stress comes in endless types of reactions and is different from employee to employee. According to Hitt, Miller, Colella in Organizational Behavior, stress is a feeling of tension that occurs when a person perceives that a situation is about to exceed her ability to cope an d consequently could endanger their well-being. Job stress is the feeling that one’s capabilities, resources, or needs to not match the demands or requirements of the job. In today’s world everybody deals with some sortRead MoreHow Stress And Stress Management1319 Words   |  6 Pagesin which we have studied during the weeks of nine through eleven. I have selected to explore Stress and Stress Management more in depth. In this assignment I will explain what made me want to know more about it. I plan on telling you what you should know about Stress and Stress Management. Lastly, I will discuss how Stress and Stress Management relate to success in my personal and professional life. Stress can be defined as the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made on it (Lamberton Read MoreThe Effects Of Stress On Students With Stress Management927 Words   |  4 PagesRelief Stress is something everyone deals with on different levels and in different ways. Stress can originate from daily hassles, bad time management, and big life changing decisions. College is where all three of these appear to meet; whether it be deciding what career to chase, the impending terror of midterms, or what to eat for lunch stress is surrounding college students. If universities do not look into ways of helping students with stress management, than students are not only at risk of

Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality Free Essays

People do possess certain behaviors that make us unique from one another. People do vary in their behavior or the way we think, feel and act. The complexity of human behavior and understanding its nature has been the main interests of those studying behavioral genetics. We will write a custom essay sample on Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality or any similar topic only for you Order Now We all know that if we inherit our physical attributes with our parents we also inherit their behavior which we call genotypes. We are also aware of the role of the society, culture or the environment in shaping one’s behavior. Which of the two then exerts the greatest influence in our life? In order to identify which really molds human behavior a family studies, adoption studies and twin studies where conducted. In these three settings the siblings are compared with their shared and non-shared experiences. The environment provides the child with care, education and other experiences. People differ in many ways in terms of intelligence, mental states, social ability, self-concept or self-esteem, attitudes, beliefs and preferences. Genetics versus environment can also be called nature versus nurture in shaping behavior. The debate between the two tries to challenge the fact that genotypes or the nature of a person’s behavior can be altered by the environment or the inherited traits will remain the same and control the person no matter how strong the influence of the environment. Suicidal tendencies and anti-social behavior for example are studied if it is inherited or purely environmental. In my own opinion the behavior could depend upon the individual’s personal adjustment or resistance to the environment that can create a difference in our behavior. Work Cited Haimowitz, Avi. Heredity versus Environment: Twin, Adoption and Family Studies. November 2005. Rochester Institute of Technology: Great Ideas in Personality 4 June 2009 http://www How to cite Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality, Papers

Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality Free Essays

People do possess certain behaviors that make us unique from one another. People do vary in their behavior or the way we think, feel and act. The complexity of human behavior and understanding its nature has been the main interests of those studying behavioral genetics. We will write a custom essay sample on Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality or any similar topic only for you Order Now We all know that if we inherit our physical attributes with our parents we also inherit their behavior which we call genotypes. We are also aware of the role of the society, culture or the environment in shaping one’s behavior. Which of the two then exerts the greatest influence in our life? In order to identify which really molds human behavior a family studies, adoption studies and twin studies where conducted. In these three settings the siblings are compared with their shared and non-shared experiences. The environment provides the child with care, education and other experiences. People differ in many ways in terms of intelligence, mental states, social ability, self-concept or self-esteem, attitudes, beliefs and preferences. Genetics versus environment can also be called nature versus nurture in shaping behavior. The debate between the two tries to challenge the fact that genotypes or the nature of a person’s behavior can be altered by the environment or the inherited traits will remain the same and control the person no matter how strong the influence of the environment. Suicidal tendencies and anti-social behavior for example are studied if it is inherited or purely environmental. In my own opinion the behavior could depend upon the individual’s personal adjustment or resistance to the environment that can create a difference in our behavior. Work Cited Haimowitz, Avi. Heredity versus Environment: Twin, Adoption and Family Studies. November 2005. Rochester Institute of Technology: Great Ideas in Personality 4 June 2009 http://www How to cite Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality, Papers

Marketing Mix an Example of the Topic Business Essays by

Marketing Mix A Proposed Marketing Mix for Innocent Company Innocent is a manufacturing company that major in the production of cooking oil products globally in which its mission is to supply and sell its products to its consumers. The companys market has been realized to have dropped in the last one year, and as a company, we have decide to undertake a decision making process that is meant to define the actual tactics to be utilized in achieving our goals. Need essay sample on "Marketing Mix" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed This process is known as the marketing mix that carries four elements which include; product this is where the companys aim will be to define the characteristics of its products that will enable the goods to meet the consumers needs; price this is the decision on how the company should price its products; promotion this is a process through which we should make our products known to our customers and lastly the place element which is the mechanism through which the goods of our company will be moved from the company to the consumers. For our company to achieve recognition of the products through which our marketing opportunities have chances to increase, then we should be able to have our target consumers. This is normally achieved depending on the following factors; the consumers desires and preferences for our products, geographical factors, location, gender and also age, these factors should be determined before we make a decision on a particular market segmentation which will later give our products a marketing opportunity. This segmentation should match differences in the buying behaviour of our customers under which we should also consider the product competition in the market by stating plans on how our company is going to overcome the competitors strength through which we should analyze the number of competitors, their size, location and their strengths and weaknesses in the market. Under market segmentation, we should be able to state what the customers seek in our products whether it is the quality, price or convenience, through this we will be able to identify the needs and the benefits that our customers will gain from our products. For the companys marketing mix, we should have a look at the following elements applied in the marketing mix: product-we should ensure that before the product is promoted into the market, the characteristics of the products should be well defined to meet the needs of the consumers, the packaging of the product should be attractive to entice the customers to buy the product, the quality of the product should be perfect, that is it should be the quality that matches with the prescription of the product in the market so that it can maintain its consumers who are not misled with the misrepresentation of the qualities with its competitors. Pricing-the company should decide on the following pricing methods to enable product reach its marketing standards. Premium pricing is where the uniqueness of the company product is defined. This pricing is normally high and is totally used where there is a substantial competition of the product in the market. For the company to be able to gain the market share, we should therefore apply the penetration pricing whereby, once the company achieves the market share, it increases the price of its product. In a situation where the companys need to promote the product in the market, then we are advised to use the promotional method of pricing in which a consumer is asked to buy a product and the purchase is accompanied by a free sample of the product. For the company to capture our consumers, we are advised to use the captive product pricing method which is used where the product contain complements and immediately the consumer is captured, then the premium price will be charged by the company. Under the psychological pricing method, the company will have an aim of wanting the consumer to respond to its product emotionally rather than rationally. Also price skimming may be applied in our company whereby the company will charge a high price due to a substantial competition, this high price is normally applied to bring new competitors in the market and then after they appear in the market then the price falls thus attracting the consumers to buy a product charged with a low price. The place or the channel of distribution, this is the activities that is to be used by our company to move its product from the production to consumption. Innocent has to come across various channels of distribution to enable our products reach the targeted market. This means that we should choose either to use the direct or the indirect channels that is it may be to the consumers directly or through wholesalers. We should consider the following in order to decide on the type of the distribution channel we are to use; we should know the market segment that the distributor is familiar with in which the distributor must be familiar with our companys target markets. We should also know if our company policies, strategies and image match with that of the distributor, we should also check on the qualification of the distributor by establishing his experiences and deciding on how much training and support we should give the distributor. There are various types of channels that we can decide on which one to apply in the distribution of our products, and this include: wholesalers, these are said to be buying goods in bulk from our company and selling them in smaller packages for resale by the retailers, they can also provide storage facilities for our products, wholesalers will offer our company a reduced physical contact cost between us the producers and our consumers. The second channel that our company may use is the agents who are normally used in international markets; they may be used to widen the international market for our goods. We can also use retailers, they will have a strong personal relationship with our consumers through whom the products will be exposed to our consumers, they will be offering credits to our customers thus promoting and merchandising our products. The other alternative is the use of the internet through which the company will have a geographically wider market thus enabling our products to reach a wider audience. This channel has a low costs set up due to its low barrier in the entry to the products market. The other element is promotion, this is the marketing communication that should be used by our company to get our products in the market, pushing the consumers to the point of purchasing our products, we are advised to use the following methods in promoting our products: Personal selling, this is a way of maintaining personalcustomer relations in which the sales person will be acting on behalf of our company, these person should be trained and should be having the personal selling techniques, though hiring them is expensive we should use them when there is a genuine return on investments. Public relations-this should be applied in applied in our company which will lead to a sustained and a planned effort in establishing and bringing understanding between our company and our consumers. Lastly, we can use the exhibitions to make new contacts and renewing the old contacts. This will be used to increase the awareness of our products to the consumers thus giving our company an opportunity to meet both the trade and consumers. Advertising may also be used in creating awareness of our products to the consumers so that we may gain responses from our target markets, under this there many advertising mediums including, print (newspapers, journals and posters.) and electronic(television, internet and radio) mediums of communication which we may choose to create awareness of our products to our consumers. Bibliography Baker, M. (2000): Marketing Management and Strategy, 3rd edn: London. Macmillan Business Blythe, J. (2001): Essentials of Marketing, 2nd edn: New York, Prentice Hall Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2000): Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edn: New York, Prentice Hall, Harlow Gronroos, C. (19994): From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: - Towards A Paradigm Shift in Marketing: Management Decision - Vol. 32; 1994, 4-20 Hoffman, D. and Novak, T. (1996): Marketing in Hypermedia Computer-mediated Environments: - Conceptual Foundations: Journal of Marketing, Vol. 60(July), pp 50 - 68 Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. (2001): Consumer Behaviour, 2nd Edn: New York, Houghton Mifflin Company Kotler, P.; Armstrong, G.; Saunders, J. and Wong, V. (1999): Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edn: New Jersey, Prentice Hall Lovelock, J. (2001): Services Marketing, People, Technology, And Strategy: New York, Prentice Hall McDonald, M. (2001): Marketing Plans: - How To Prepare Them, How To Use Them. 4th Edn: London, Butterworth Heinenamm Proctor, T. (2000): Essentials of Marketing Research: London, Financial Times-Prentice Hall

What is the future of recruiting as a profession

What is the future of recruiting as a profession Attention recruiters- are you feeling a bit of existential despair when it comes to your profession? If so, you’re not alone. Most of us go through inflection periods at various points in our careers and begin to wonder if we’re stuck in a dead-end profession, merely punching a clock and wasting time that would be better spent doing something- anything- else.These moments of professional introspection can be scary but they can also be really beneficial- they can help you take stock of your current levels of career happiness and fulfillment, and possibly plan for a change if needed. Or, they can help you think through a potentially incomplete way of thinking and make you reappreciate your current field or position. Both of these can be positive and beneficial steps, despite the fact that they can feel overwhelming or scary in the moment.If you’re a recruiter and are starting to feel as if you’re in a dead end job, first acknowledge that it’s a questi on many of us ask about our careers these days, as technology and innovation rapidly change and reshape the ways in which we think, work, and live our lives in fundamental ways. In addition, the more time we spend doing a specific set of tasks, the more likely it is that fatigue will set in- which is perfectly normal. This fatigue might make it temporarily feel as if you’re in a dead-end job, or it might be an indication that you’re ready to consider the possibility of a career change. Before you make up your mind about whether or not being a recruiter is truly a â€Å"road to nowhere,† let’s dig a little deeper.How the role of recruiters is changing- and what it meansPerhaps you’ve reached the conclusion that being a recruiter is a dead-end job because of all the ways in which new technological advances, such as the rise of Artificial Intelligence,   are changing the industry, and are starting to wonder if it’s only a matter of time befor e human recruiters are no longer even needed. The following key aspects of the human recruitment process can indeed be replaced by automation including:Resume screening: Software is being utilized (and becoming more sophisticated) that can capably â€Å"learn† the requirements and skills needed for a particular job and identify qualified candidates accordingly. Increasingly sophisticated software is able to analyze historical performance data to determine those candidates who are most likely to be successful employees, using such information as experience, background, skills, and other qualifications to grade and rank potential candidates.Prequalification tasks: Automated processes can now streamline the â€Å"job candidate experience.† Everything from keeping candidates updated on the status of a position to answering questions, providing feedback, and offering helpful suggestions can help make potential candidates feel more connected during the job application proces s, a key benefit to attract top talent in today’s candidate-driven job market.Interviewing: AI and automated interviewing tools can make the interview process easier and more effective. Interviewing software is becoming so sophisticated that it can analyze a myriad of key factors- from facial expressions to speech patterns and word choices among others, alongside such metrics as job requirements and company culture- to determine potential quality of hire.Bottom line: Although technology is making certain facets of the recruitment process easier than ever before, rest assured that human recruiting is not dead! In fact, according to Digitalist Magazine, innovation will serve as tools to improve the performance of human recruiters, not eradicate it: â€Å"By streamlining some aspects of the recruiting workflow, experts predict recruitment automation will enhance a human recruiter’s capabilities†¦ Industry experts predict  that by reducing time to fill and improvin g quality of hire, technology will enable recruiters to become more strategic by spending more time on  proactive hiring and workplace planning.† So, if your fears about recruitment being a dead end were rooted in the thought that human recruiters were on their way towards becoming as extinct as dinosaurs, think again.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Why recruiters are vitalIt’s no secret in the professional world- regardless of industry- that securing top talent is a primary concern and key ingredient for a company’s success. According to  Auren Offman, SafeGraph, CEO and former LiveRamp CEO, â€Å"The best companies are obsessed with recruiting over almost everything else.  That means the CEO and the other leaders of the best companies are constantly thinking about recruiting all the time.  Usually it is because it is a real problem area.  Rarely have I ever heard a company say ‘we are meeting all our recruiti ng goals.’†¦ Because recruiting is so important, it gets the attention of the senior leaders of the company.  And if you are a star, you will quickly get noticed.†Kristina Martic, Head of Marketing and Employer Branding at TalentLyft, echoes the positive industry sentiments of Auren Offman: â€Å"†¦ recruiting is NOT a dead-end job! Recruiting and Talent Acquisition related positions are becoming the most important and most valuable positions in every firm. This is because talent has become so scarce and the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"War for talent†Ã‚  is getting more and more intense. Talented people have so many options to choose from, and if your firm is not able to attract them, you won’t be able to beat your competitors and survive. Talent is the biggest driver of every company’s success, and that makes recruiting one of the most important positions company can have.†A bridge to somewhereOne of the great parts about working as a recruiter is that it doesn’t have to be the final stop on your career path. In addition to the wealth of valuable transferrable skills that recruiters typically acquire during their tenures (management skills, organizational skills, people skills- the list is endless), there are options for next steps- if and when you’re ready to move on. Some options include moving from recruitment to HR, or moving from an agency to a position as an in-house recruiter for a specific company. You can also look to segue into management- as a recruiter you have picked up the traits necessary to lead a variety of personality types. Think outside the box, and use the skills you’ve gained so far in your career!Is recruiting a dead-end job? Ultimately, the answer to this question will be up to you, but clearly there are several folks in the know who feel strongly that this is not the case. As companies across industries increasingly recognize the importance of having the best candidates possible o n their teams, the more valued recruiters will be.

The Plague in Athens - Thucydides Peloponnesian War

The Plague in Athens - Thucydides' Peloponnesian War During wartime, Plague was the worst enemy.... The Plague - Thucydides Peloponnesian War Book II Chapter VII Second Year of the War - The Plague of Athens - Position and Policy of Pericles - Fall of Potidaea From Internet Classics Archive Such was the funeral that took place during this winter, with which the first year of the war came to an end. In the first days of summer the Lacedaemonians and their allies, with two-thirds of their forces as before, invaded Attica, under the command of Archidamus, son of Zeuxidamus, King of Lacedaemon, and sat down and laid waste the country. Not many days after their arrival in Attica the plague first began to show itself among the Athenians. It was said that it had broken out in many places previously in the neighbourhood of Lemnos and elsewhere; but a pestilence of such extent and mortality was nowhere remembered. Neither were the physicians at first of any service, ignorant as they were of the proper way to treat it, but they died themselves the most thickly, as they visited the sick most often; nor did any human art succeed any better. Supplications in the temples, divinations, and so forth were found equally futile, till the overwhelming nature of the disaster at last put a s top to them altogether. It first began, it is said, in the parts of Ethiopia above Egypt, and thence descended into Egypt and Libya and into most of the Kings country. Suddenly falling upon Athens, it first attacked the population in Piraeus- which was the occasion of their saying that the Peloponnesians had poisoned the reservoirs, there being as yet no wells there- and afterwards appeared in the upper city, when the deaths became much more frequent. All speculation as to its origin and its causes, if causes can be found adequate to produce so great a disturbance, I leave to other writers, whether lay or professional; for myself, I shall simply set down its nature, and explain the symptoms by which perhaps it may be recognized by the student, if it should ever break out again. This I can the better do, as I had the disease myself, and watched its operation in the case of others. That year then is admitted to have been otherwise unprecedentedly free from sickness; and such few cases as occurred all determined in this. As a rule, however, there was no ostensible cause; but people in good health were all of a sudden attacked by violent heats in the head, and redness and inflammation in the eyes, the inward parts, such as the throat or tongue, becoming bloody and emitting an unnatural and fetid breath. These symptoms were followed by sneezing and hoarseness, after which the pain soon reached the chest, and produced a hard cough. When it fixed in the stomach, it upset it; and discharges of bile of every kind named by physicians ensued, accompanied by very great distress. In most cases also an ineffectual retching followed, producing violent spasms, which in some cases ceased soon after, in others much later. Externally the body was not very hot to the touch, nor pale in its appearance, but reddish, livid, and breaking out into small pustules and ulcers. But inter nally it burned so that the patient could not bear to have on him clothing or linen even of the very lightest description; or indeed to be otherwise than stark naked. What they would have liked best would have been to throw themselves into cold water; as indeed was done by some of the neglected sick, who plunged into the rain-tanks in their agonies of unquenchable thirst; though it made no difference whether they drank little or much. Besides this, the miserable feeling of not being able to rest or sleep never ceased to torment them. The body meanwhile did not waste away so long as the distemper was at its height, but held out to a marvel against its ravages; so that when they succumbed, as in most cases, on the seventh or eighth day to the internal inflammation, they had still some strength in them. But if they passed this stage, and the disease descended further into the bowels, inducing a violent ulceration there accompanied by severe diarrhoea, this brought on a weakness which was generally fatal. For the disorder first settled in the head, ran its course from thence through the whole of the body, and, even where it did not prove mortal, it s till left its mark on the extremities; for it settled in the privy parts, the fingers and the toes, and many escaped with the loss of these, some too with that of their eyes. Others again were seized with an entire loss of memory on their first recovery, and did not know either themselves or their friends. But while the nature of the distemper was such as to baffle all description, and its attacks almost too grievous for human nature to endure, it was still in the following circumstance that its difference from all ordinary disorders was most clearly shown. All the birds and beasts that prey upon human bodies, either abstained from touching them (though there were many lying unburied), or died after tasting them. In proof of this, it was noticed that birds of this kind actually disappeared; they were not about the bodies, or indeed to be seen at all. But of course the effects which I have mentioned could best be studied in a domestic animal like the dog. Such then, if we pass over the varieties of particular cases which were many and peculiar, were the general features of the distemper. Meanwhile the town enjoyed an immunity from all the ordinary disorders; or if any case occurred, it ended in this. Some died in neglect, others in the midst of every attention. No remedy was found that could be used as a specific; for what did good in one case, did harm in another. Strong and weak constitutions proved equally incapable of resistance, all alike being swept away, although dieted with the utmost precaution. By far the most terrible feature in the malady was the dejection which ensued when any one felt himself sickening, for the despair into which they instantly fell took away their power of resistance, and left them a much easier prey to the disorder; besides which, there was the awful spectacle of men dying like sheep, through having caught the infection in nursing each other. This caused the greatest mortality. On the one hand, if they were afraid to visit each other, they perished from neglect; indeed many houses were emptied of their inmates for want of a nurse: on the other, if they ventured to do so, death was the consequence. This was especially the case with such as made any pretensions to goodness: honour made them unsparing of themselves in their attendance in their friends houses, where even the members of the family were at last worn out by the moans of the dying, and succumbed to the force of the disaster. Yet it was with those who had recovered from the disease that the sick and the dying found most compassion. These knew what it was from experience, and had now no fear for themselves; for the same man was never attacked twice- never at least fatally. And such persons not only received the congratulations of others, but themselves also, in the elation of the moment, half entertained the vain hope that they were for the future safe from any disease whatsoever. An aggravation of the existing calamity was the influx from the country into the city, and this was especially felt by the new arrivals. As there were no houses to receive them, they had to be lodged at the hot season of the year in stifling cabins, where the mortality raged without restraint. The bodies of dying men lay one upon another, and half-dead creatures reeled about the streets and gathered round all the fountains in their longing for water. The sacred places also in which they had quartered themselves were full of corpses of persons that had died there, just as they were; for as the disaster passed all bounds, men, not knowing what was to become of them, became utterly careless of everything, whether sacred or profane. All the burial rites before in use were entirely upset, and they buried the bodies as best they could. Many from want of the proper appliances, through so many of their friends having died already, had recourse to the most shameless sepultures: sometimes gett ing the start of those who had raised a pile, they threw their own dead body upon the strangers pyre and ignited it; sometimes they tossed the corpse which they were carrying on the top of another that was burning, and so went off. Nor was this the only form of lawless extravagance which owed its origin to the plague. Men now coolly ventured on what they had formerly done in a corner, and not just as they pleased, seeing the rapid transitions produced by persons in prosperity suddenly dying and those who before had nothing succeeding to their property. So they resolved to spend quickly and enjoy themselves, regarding their lives and riches as alike things of a day. Perseverance in what men called honour was popular with none, it was so uncertain whether they would be spared to attain the object; but it was settled that present enjoyment, and all that contributed to it, was both honourable and useful. Fear of gods or law of man there was none to restrain them. As for the first, they judged it to be just the same whether they worshipped them or not, as they saw all alike perishing; and for the last, no one expected to live to be brought to trial for his offences, but each felt that a far severer sentence had been already passed upon them all and hung ever over their heads, and before this fell it was only reasonable to enjoy life a little. Such was the nature of the calamity, and heavily did it weigh on the Athenians; death raging within the city and devastation without. Among other things which they remembered in their distress was, very naturally, the following verse which the old men said had long ago been uttered: A Dorian war shall come and with it death. So a dispute arose as to whether dearth and not death had not been the word in the verse; but at the present juncture, it was of course decided in favour of the latter; for the people made their recollection fit in with their sufferings. I fancy, however, that if another Dorian war should ever afterwards come upon us, and a dearth should happen to accompany it, the verse will probably be read accordingly. The oracle also which had been given to the Lacedaemonians was now remembered by those who knew of it. When the god was asked whether they should go to war, he answered that if they put their might into it, victory would be theirs, and that he would himself be with them. With this oracle events were supposed to tally. For the plague broke out as soon as the Peloponnesians invaded Attica, and never entering Peloponnese (not at least to an extent worth noticing), committed its worst ravages at Athens, and next to Athens, at the most populous of the other towns. Such was the history of the plague. For more from Thucydides, see Pericles Funeral Oration. Also see resources on ancient medicine, including:Â   Types of Greek MedicineThe Four HumorsThe Hippocratic OathThe Hippocratic Writings