Lady Olivia Ravensdale—heroine; engineer; daughter of the Duke of Avesbury; uses false last name Stonewythe

Lord Ian Stanton—hero; Earl of Rathsburn; physician and researcher; Queen’s agent; family estate in Yorkshire

Duke of Avesbury—Olivia’s father; London gentleman in charge of the Queen’s agents

John Warrick—The Doktor

Lord Rancide—a paunchy, red-nosed marquis seeking a wife

Lord Carlton Snyder—Olivia’s former fiancé

RT—a steambot roving table

Watson—Olivia’s hedgehog zoetomatic

Steam Mary—serving steambot

Burton—the Ravensdale family steam butler; an older model with a rusty jaw

Duchess of Avesbury—Olivia’s mother; oversees societal liaisons

Aunt Judith Ravensdale—cryptozoologist studying kraken in Venice; see KRAKEN AND CANALS

SV140—German man who attacked the balloon

Nurse Quinn—nurse in the secure hospital ward

Thornton—fellow researcher; Lord Sebastian Talbot; married to Amanda Talbot née Ravensdale; first appearance in THE GOLDEN SPIDER

Lady Elizabeth—Ian’s sister

Mr. Hutton—Ian’s laboratory technician

Mr. Black—Queen’s agent; friend of Thornton and colleague to Ian; first appearance in THE GOLDEN SPIDER

Steam Clara—Olivia’s personal steambot lady’s maid

Baron Volscini—the Italian Olivia’s mother hopes to marry her to

Oliver Bird—name under which Olivia earned her degree via correspondence

Nicu Sindel—Roma; taught clockwork skills to the Ravensdale children

Emily Sindel née Ravensdale—Olivia’s sister; married to Luca Sindel

Lady Farrington—a dried husk of an old, bitter woman; grandmother to Lord Carlton Snyder

Wei—Chinese girl; niece of Zheng

Zheng—Chinese owner of an antimony mine; associate of the count;

Graf Otto von und zu Eberwin-Katzeneinbogen—Count Eberwin; self-important German who owns the castle

Gräfin Katherine von und zu Eberwin-Katzeneinbogen—Lady Katherine; countess; wife of Count Eberwin; aka Katerina Dyatlova

Wilhelm the First—the German Emperor 

Augusta—the German Emperor’s wife

Steam Matilda—rusty steambot assigned to Olivia in the castle

Hanover—tripod steam butler; Model 2A Grefenshaus

Charles Babbage—considered to be the “father” of the digital programmable computer, the analytical engine

Sofia—a tame, if modified, pteryform

Stephan—the countess’s stable boy

Gunther—a guardsman

Mildred and Anne—students of Olivia’s learning zoetomatic programming

Philtrum—medial cleft above the top lip

Zygomatic arches—cheekbones

Cervical vertebrae—vertebrae of the neck

In vitro/in vivo—cultured outside a living creature/inside a living creature

Erlenmeyer flask—a conical flask

Osteosarcoma—bone cancer

Periosteum—the connective tissue/membrane on the surface of the bone that supplies it with blood, etc.

Pathophysiology—the study of a disease state

Isopropyl alcohol—rubbing alcohol; used as a disinfectant

Bone—a living tissue composed of both organic and inorganic material

Cells—the basic building blocks of all life forms

Osteoprogenitor cells—stem cells that can diffenentiate into bone-forming cells

Osteoblasts—cells that build bone

Osteoclasts—cells that break down bone

Homeostasis—biological process by which the body works to keep things in balance

Hydroxyapatite—a calcium phosphate mineral that composes seventy percent of our bone

Brittle bone disease—osteogenesis imperfecta; a congenital disorder in which osteoblasts create malformed matrix such that calcium and phosphate cannot bind to it correctly making the bone brittle and easily broken

Hemophobia—fear of blood

Bone marrow—the sight of new blood cell production; found in the flare of the hip, the iliac crest

Hypophosphotemia—low phosphate levels that can lead to mental confusion, muscle weakness and ultimately kidney failure

Keratin—a fibrous structural protein; found in horns, hooves, and skin; sulfur is a component

Mendeleev’s 1871 periodic table—noticed patterns in element behavior that lead him to create a far-sighted periodic table of elements

Wolff’s Law—states that a bone will remodel to adapt to the forces placed upon it; developed by Julius Wolff, a German surgeon; works by stimulating osteoprogenitor cells to differentiate into osteoblasts

Ether—an anesthetic; an organic compound

ENGINEERING TERMS

Three phase generator—uses alternating current to generate power

Alternating current—current that periodically reverses direction

Electromagnet—a magnet that’s created by an electric current; involves winding wire into a coil (more wire wraps increase the power)

Solenoid—an electromagnet that can generate a contoled magnetic field

Calcium (Ca)—atomic number 20; alkaline earth metal; fifth most abundant element in the human body

Phosphorus (P)—atomic number 15; highly reactive; important in bone and teeth enamel

Antimony (Sb)—atomic number 51; lustrous gray metalloid; China is the largest producer; a poison in larger amounts

Arsenic (As)—atomic number 33; metalloid; gray; highly toxic; shen in Chinese; Gray arsenic can be oxidized to form arsenous oxide, a classic skin purifier and poison

Mercury (Hg)—atomic number 80; quicksilver; a heavy, silvery-white transition metal; toxic

Metalloid—an element with properties in between those of nonmetal and metal

Kraken—clawed cephalopods infesting the Thames

Pteryformes—bird-like creatures with leathery wings; nocturnal; with a possible relationship to pterodactyls

Queen’s agents—spies who work for the Queen under the supervision of the Duke of Avesbury

TTX pistol—weapon issued only to Queen’s agents; uses darts with pufferfish poison (tetrodotoxin); one to slow a man down, two to drop him, three to kill him

Markoid battery—a small battery (proprietary and experimental) that can power devices

Steambot—a steam-powered household robot

Zoetomatic—battery powered mechanical creature

Widow requirement—a requirement for female Queen’s agent

Ottoman Uprisings—slightly fictionalized problems of the very real Ottoman Empire’s difficulties with Britain and Russia

Babbage card—punch card used to introduce programing to clockwork and steam-powered contraptions

Cipher cartridge (model B257)—holds Steam Clara’s Babbage cards

Roma and Romani—the gypsy people and their language

Acousticotransmitter—device that transmits sound to the acousticocept

Societal liaison—women who work with/beside Queen’s agents

Firkin cincture bolt—a challenging lock to pick on a briefcase

Captain Jack’s Tension Torque—uses alkylsorcin and a thumb wheel (to make fine adjustments) to open simple locks after which the alkylsorcin liquefies leaving no trace

Dirigible—flying conveyance filled with hydrogen (dangerously flammable, but cheap) or aether (stable, but expensive)

Escape dirigible—small dirigibles attached to the rooms of the wealthy so that they might abandon the larger airship in case of disaster

Neurachnid—clockwork spider that can re-weave damaged nerves

Franconian multipunch—used to punch the holes that program Babbage cards

Osforare apparatus—has reservoirs with transforming fluid and a small rotary motor to puncture the skin and drive the needles through muscle to the surface of the bone; built primarily of a chromium alloyed steel designed to resist corrosion

Automated gear winch—attached to dirigible ropes to ascend/descent to/from a dirigible

Efflux detector—a silver-capped glass and crystal cylinder filled with opaque crystalline material; a pulsing yellow light indicated evidence of bioluminescent decay

Sky Dragon—name of the Chinese dragon dirigible

Axon thrall band—silver cuff with blue, glowing edges; move too far from its matching control and the resultant electric arc sends a bolt of electricity traveling up the arm straight to the spine, forcing the wearer into submission

Tripod butler—steambot butler upon three wheels; Model 2A Grefenshaus

Jellied kraken—a local delicacy from the Rhine made from river kraken; sharp claws and poison glands removed 

Black potato—a marriage of a (fictional) arbuscular mycorrhizas fungi with a common potato; a plant-fungi symbiotic union that restores nutrients to the soil as it grows; a nod to the Irish potato famine; used to make knödel

Shadow board—a group of scientific-minded gentlemen who worked together to bypass official protocols

CEAP—Committee for the Exploration of Anthropomorphic Peculiarities; believe that myths and fairy tales conceal core truths; side-step rules and regulations in an attempt to discover their underlying biological facts

Voltaic prod—an instrument designed to deliver bolts of painful electricity.

Gantz batteries—developed in Hungary for steambots; batterybots?; rumored to provide enough power for uninterrupted function for up to twenty days

Loden—a green color; a thick, waterproof cloth made from wool; popular with hunters

Magnetite—a gray, magnetic rock mineral; lodestone; can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet

Acousticocept—a device worn in the ear that allows an agent to hear

Barrel auger—wrought iron cork screw

Harald-Fletcher formula—a fictional formula related to cyclic loading 

Crinlozyme—a drug that immobilize a person for up to twenty-four hours; antidote available

Flyby—boarding a moving dirigible by rope; dirigible does not stop

Cyrillic—writing script used in Russia (and other countries)

Kreuger-Schalterhammer lock—forty-seven pins and a level containing a liquid mercury trigger; very difficult to breach

Sneak thief—a thief who steals without violence or visibly breaking into buildings

Veritasium—truth serum; muscle relaxant

Scheldner—a basic lock with only three pins

Rapunzel cord—braided metal cord

Russian storm frigate—largest and most dangerous of all Russian airships; outer hulls are super cooled, enough so that when they passed through clouds, it began to snow, obscuring the ship’s position and blinding their enemies. Storm frigates also carried weapons and—presumably—many, many Russian agents

Bioactive nocturnal goggles—night vision goggles

Mechanical climbing dragon claws—powered claws that slip over the hands and feet to add strength to natural hand/food movement

Russian tentacle weapon—bioengineered to use the cnidoblast of the sea comb (jellyfish)

Selkie—a mythological creature capable of shedding its skin to change from seal to human form

Grosvenor Bridge—bridge over the Thames

Rankine Institute—an engineering school in London; known to work with the Queen’s agents; courses include difference engine programming and robotic engineering skills; named after William Rankine

Lister University School of Medicine—a co-educational institution to seek out the brightest young medical minds; Lister Laboratories; Lister University

Clockwork Corridor—street in London where gypsies sell clockwork components and contraptions

Captain Oglethorpe’s Luxury Airways—based in Dover; introduced dirigible boarding towers complete with various forms of gaudy, ostentatious, over-the-top decadence to amuse the wealthy 

Burg Kerzen—Castle Kerzen; modeled on Burg Eltz

The Roost—a narrow balcony attached to a spire with an iron railing; used as a dirigible access platform for those willing to ascend/descend to/from the dirigible by ropes

Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität—first University of Berlin

Kadskoye—rumored Russian biological research facility, location unknown

Nicht sprechen Deutsch—I don’t speak German

Hören sie mir zu—Listen

Liebling—darling

Sie können jetzt gehen.—You can go now.

Ich warte draußen.—I wait outside.

Stillgestanden!—Stand still.

Jagdzimmer—trophy room

Können Sie uns retten?—Can you save us?

Hilfe!—Help!

Tut mir leid.—I’m sorry. 

Mir geht es gut.—I’m fine.

Vielen Dank.—Many Thanks

Sauerbraten, strudel, kuchen—traditional German dishes

NiHao—Chinese for hello

Tsar—Slavic monarch/ruler

Miss Cait McCullough—heroine; half-sister to Alec in THE IRON FIN

Mr. Jonathan “Jack” Tagert—hero; Queen’s agent

Lady Mildred—Viscount Aubrey’s fiancée

Viscount Aubrey—Jack’s brother

Dr. William Oakes—physician friend of Aubrey

Stephen Carruthers—son of Lord Saltwell

Lord Saltwell—gentleman who dies at the ball

Beadle—uniformed guard at the Burlington Arcade

Mr. Logan Black—Cait’s not-quite-a-brother; Queen’s agent; first appearance in THE GOLDEN SPIDER

Mrs. McCullough—Cait’s mother

Mr. Reggie Dryer—owner of the cobra Cait collects

Louisa—Mr. Dryer’s female friend

Duke of Avesbury—London gentleman in charge of the Queen’s agents; first appearance in THE GOLDEN SPIDER

Duchess of Avesbury—Eudora; lady in charge of societal liaisons; first appearance in THE GOLDEN SPIDER

Lady Saltwell—wife of Stephen Carruthers who gains the title when her father-in-law dies

Miss Lucy Cooper—dead body found on Holywell Street

Janet—Cait’s maid

Thornton—researcher; Lord Sebastian Talbot; married to Amanda Talbot née Ravensdale; first appearance in THE GOLDEN SPIDER

Jabar and Mahommed of Egypt—snake charmers who performed at the London Zoo in the 1850s

Coroner Baxton—man in charge of the vampire murders until the Queen’s agents took over

Metropolitan Police—London police force

Robert Acker—the only known survivor of a London Vampire attack

Quinn McCullough—Cait’s half-brother; Queen’s agent; location unknown

Dr. Alec McCullough—Cait’s half-brother; BURR member; physician; hero of THE IRON FIN

Mrs. Isa McCullough—sister-in-law; Finn; heroine of THE IRON FIN

Angela— Jack’s sister; married Icelandic nobility as a societal liaison

Katherine Black—the name Cait uses when she does not wish to give her real name

Mr. Nicholas (Nick) Torrington—Queen’s agent; scientist; hero of A REFLECTION OF SHADOWS

Emsworth— Aubrey’s steam butler

Dr. Whitby—the researcher in whose lab Cait works

Lord Churlton—a randy old man at the Turkish hammam

Ceyda—venomous masseuse in the Turkish hammam at the Grand Menwith Hotel

Dr. Thrakos—mad Greek scientist

Mr. and Mrs. Swinton—false identities assumed by Jack and Cait

Ayla—snake lady at the floating circus

Helena—lamia

Kālūnāth Sapera—Cait’s biological/natural father

Torkel—six-fingered sabre-juggler

Adie—small child, hulder from Norwegian folktales

Mr. Everly—apothecary

Miss Smyth—apothecary shop attendant/assistant

Mr. Garlock—shoots Dr. Oakes

Mrs. Garlock—wife, reluctant mother

Katie—a kitchen maid

Master James—Carruther’s young son

Miss Tempest—one of the leading ladies in Fay O’Fire

Gabrielle—proprietress of the Parisian apothecary Le Serpent Tordu; half-sister to Cait 

Nicu Sindel—Roma; taught clockwork skills to the Ravensdale children

Sodium (Na) pellet—atomic number 11; soft and silver-white and highly reactive metal; in the alkali metal group of the periodic table; produces a highly reactive exothermic reaction when mixed with water

Powdered ammonium nitrate and powdered zinc (Zn)—a reactive, fire-starting combination

Torpor—decreased physiological activity

Necrotic tissue (necrosis)—dying tissue

Apoplexy—an old-fashioned term for a stroke

External jugular vein—drains blood from the head, a poor choice for a vampire as veins have lower blood pressure

Carotid artery—supplies blood to the head, a good choice for a vampire as arteries have higher blood pressure

Venom—a specialized poison produced by animals; a kind of biotoxin

Envenomation—a process by which venom is injected by a bite

Maxillary intercanine distance—distance between the canine (pointy) teeth of the upper jaw

Nasal septum—structure that divides the nasal cavity into right and left passages

Sphenoid—a ‘butterfly’ shaped bone that forms part of the base of the skull; houses the sella turcica where the pituitary gland sits

Sella turcica—the depression in the sphenoid bone that houses the pituitary gland

Pituitary gland—a pea-sized gland responsible for producing a number of hormones; the anterior portion produces human grown hormone (hGC), Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and prolactin (PRL) – many of which are critical reproductive hormones; the posterior portion produces ADH and Oxytocin

Cerebral hemispheres—two halves of the brain

Bunsen burner—a gas burner invented by Robert Bunsen

Microliters— 1/1,000,000th of a liter

Antitoxin—an antibody that will neutralize a specific toxin

Antivenin—also known as antivenom or antiserum; contains antibodies against specific poisons, especial snakes, scorpions and spiders

Petri dishes—a shallow dish that holds liquid in which cells are cultured/grown

Antibodies—a Y-shaped protein that will bind to specific proteins to neutralize them (such as bacteria and viruses)

Ethanol—ethyl alcohol; EtOH; C2H5OH; often used as a disinfectant

Neurotoxin—toxins destructive to nerve tissue

Biotoxins—substances that are toxic and have a biological origin

Tumor—an abnormal growth of tissue

Benign—not cancerous

Pituitary adenoma—a tumor of the pituitary gland, most are benign; symptoms include headaches and vision problems (from pressure, including against the optic nerves), sexual dysfunction, bone structure changes, etc. which are related to hormone changes

Shark liver oil—oil from the liver of sharks; used as a moisturizer and available on Amazon

Ichthyosis vulgaris—a skin condition characterized by dry, thickened and scaly skin; face not usually affected; a condition that can be made better or worse by exposure to sunlight; symptoms often improved by a warm, humid environment; the only treatment is attempting to hydrate the skin 

Organotherapy—use of animal extracts to treat medical conditions

Sirenomelia—a congenital deformity in which the legs fuse together; sometimes called mermaid syndrome

Thoracic vertebrae—those vertebrae that have ribs attached to them; snakes have many

Caudal musculature—muscles of the tail (caudal = tail)

Transsphenoidal—entering the brain through the sphenoid bone; preferred approach for pituitary adenoma surgery

Transcranial—entering the brain through the side of the skull (temporal bone)

SNAKES

Vipers (Viperidae)—a family of snakes; fangs fold back when not in use

African bush viper—from sub-Saharan Africa

Asp viper—found in southwestern Europe; famous for killing Cleopatra

Puff adder—a viper native to Africa

Common adder—a poisonous viper found in Britain

Rattlesnake—a viper; famous for the rattle on its tail

Elapids (Elapidae)—a family of snakes; fangs do not fold back; includes cobras and kraits

Cobra—venomous, elapid snakes

Spectacled cobra, Naja naja—found in India (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Shri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan); often seen with snake charmers; revered in Indian mythology

Grass snake—nonvenomous; European

Firkin cincture bolt—a challenging lock to pick on a briefcase

Captain Jack’s Tension Torque—uses alkylsorcin and a thumb wheel (to make fine adjustments) to open simple locks after which the alkylsorcin liquefies leaving no trac

Crystal visilux scope—a steampunk endoscope that uses crystals

Haimatos Separation Machine a device with an internal centrifuge that can separate blood components (producing serum, the part that will contain antibodies).

Cockatrice—a mythical beast, a two-legged serpent/dragon-like creature with a rooster’s head

Double immunodiffusion biogels—modeled after Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion that allows for the identification of antibodies and antigens using holes punched/cut into agarose gel (not actually developed until 1948 by the Swedish physician for whom it is named)

Steambot—a steam-powered household robot

Lucifer lamp—a lamp with blue-white light generated by bioluminescent bacteria; name originates from luciferase

Crank hackney (hack)—a wind up conveyance for hire; common on the streets of London

The Lustful Turk. Colonel Spanker’s Amatory Exploits. An Erotic Philosopher’s Lectures.—Victorian erotic literature, one of which is quite real

Ascension chamber—an elevator

Queen’s agents—spies who work for the Queen under the supervision of the Duke of Avesbury

Widow requirement—a requirement for female Queen’s agent

Societal liaison—women who work with/beside Queen’s agents by marrying men under suspicion

Cryptozoologist—someone who studies cryptids, animals that were formerly thought to exist only in myth or legend

TTX pistol—weapon issued only to Queen’s agents; uses darts with pufferfish poison (tetrodotoxin); one to slow a man down, two to drop him, three to kill him

Downy bit—slang for whore

Cracked pitcher—slang for whore

Debrett’s— hierarchy of titles of various ranks of the British peerage

Laudanum—a tincture of opium

Skeet pigeon—a clockwork bird used to carry messages; addresses are programmed in using a punch car

Ichor machine—a machine that analyzes blood; derived from ichor

Cipher cartridge—compartment into which Babbage punch cards are placed

Department of Cryptobiology—department that handles unusual biology and/or unusual biological creatures

Spyglass—a hand-held telescope

CEAP—Committee for the Exploration of Anthropomorphic Peculiarities; believe that myths and fairy tales conceal core truths; side-step rules and regulations in an attempt to discover their underlying biological facts

Shadow board—a group of scientific-minded gentlemen who worked together to bypass official protocols

Selkie—a mythological creature capable of shedding its skin to change from seal to human form

Dirigible—flying conveyance filled with hydrogen (dangerously flammable, but cheap) or aether (stable, but expensive)

Escape dirigible—small dirigibles attached to larger floating/flying vessels for escape purposes, e.g. glider class with patagium wings that can be retrofitted to carry a propulsive engine

Kraken—clawed cephalopods infesting the Thames

Pteryformes—bird-like creatures with leathery wings; nocturnal; with a possible relationship to pterodactyls

Queen’s agents—spies who work for the Queen under the supervision of the Duke of Avesbury

TTX pistol—weapon issued only to Queen’s agents; uses darts with pufferfish poison (tetrodotoxin); one to slow a man down, two to drop him, three to kill him

Veritasium—truth serum; muscle relaxant

Steambot—a steam-powered household robot

Babbage card—punch card used to introduce programing to clockwork and steam-powered contraptions

Cipher cartridge—holds Babbage cards

Roma and Romani—the gypsy people and their language

Priapus—a fertility god in Greek mythology

Naga and nagini—mythical beings in Hindu mythology who are half human, half cobra

Nagamani —a snake stone said to be found in the head of a cobra and rumored to protect its wearer against poisonous snake bites

Captain Oglethorpe airliner—large and fancy dirigibles that cater to the wealthy and offer long-distance trave over and beyond Europe; like a floating cruise ship

Harpoon anchor—shot from a dirigible to attach the flying vessel to something

Tension cannon—used to shot harpoon anchors

Aeronaughts—balloon pilots

Sapera—a twirling snake dance performed in India… and a name given to Indian snake charmers

Langston townhome—a new housing subdivision in London

Sharp’s—Lord Aubrey’s (and friends) club

Everly and Company—an apothecary in the theatre district

Princess lace—a tape lace made in Belgium 

Biometric gel pad—a security device that reads unique biological characteristics to unlock doors

Lamia—a beautiful half-woman, half-serpent creature of Greek mythology reputed to seduce young men then later feed on their flesh; some accounts mention a thirst for blood; a folkloric monster on par with a vampire or succubus

Decilamp‌—a small bioluminescent torch (flashlight)

Pituitary extractor— a brass device resembling an oversized metallic insect that uses a cipher cartridge to remove a person’s pituitary gland

Ouroboros —a snake eating its own tail, often said to represent the cycle of life, death and rebirth; an early alchemy symbol with roots in ancient Egypt and Greece

Waterhouse—John William Waterhouse, Victorian painter of The Magic Circle (1886)

Fay O’Fire—a romantic opera performed at the Opera Comique in 1885

Undercroft—a medieval cellar or storage room, traditionally vaulted

Londinium—Roman London

Yorkshire—a historic county of northern England

Grand Menwith Hotel and Spa—a fictional hotel in North Yorkshire

Menwith—a semi-fictional town in North Yorkshire

Turkish bath or Hammam—a bathhouse; modeled after the Victorian Turkish Baths of Harrogate

Burlington Arcade—a covered shopping arcade in London; you can still visit today

Holywell Street—a street renowned/infamous for selling Victorian pornography (novels and photographs); buildings were torn down in 1901 to widen and reorganize nearby streets

Reptile House at the London Zoo—opened in 1849; the original building now houses birds

Number Thirty-Seven, Holywell Street—location of a secondhand bookshop, just past an alley that reeks of urine, an alley found beneath the figure of a golden crescent moon with a long, sullen face; sign is (sometimes) on display in the Museum of London

Half-Moon Passage or Pissing Alley—a narrow alleyway that led from Holywell Street to The Strand; marked by a sign that was sullen-looking half-moon

Lister Institute (comprised of Lister Hospital, Lister Laboratories and Lister School of Medicine)—a fictional institution in the Elemental Steampunk World; named for Joseph Lister

Cannon Street—a road in the city of London

St. Paul’s—a cathedral in London

The Hissing Cockatrice—a pub in Covent Garden on Rose Street; modeled after the Lamb and Flag (the real pub located there)

Covent Garden—theater district associated with a fruit and vegetable market

Rose Street—a street in Covent Garden

Garrick Street—a street in Covent Garden

Albany—an apartment complex in Piccadilly, London; famous for being a prestigious set of bachelor apartments; many famous occupants; privacy

The ropewalk—covered walk behind the Albany

Trinket Alley— a fictional location where Roma peddle ingenious contraptions

St. James’ Church—Anglican church in Piccadilly

Glasgow—city in Scotland

Hyde Park—a major park in central London

Serpentine—a lake in Hyde Park

Italian Gardens—in Kensington Gardens, a gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria

Pump House—northern end of the Italian Gardens, a steam engine operated the fountains

Tazza Fountain—a white marble fountain in the Italian Gardens

Harrogate—a spa town in North Yorkshire known for its waters

Professor Grimaldi’s Floating Cabinet of Curiosities—an aerial steampunk circus

Menwith Well—fictional; produces strong-smelling mineral water due to the iron and sulfur content

York—a cathedral town in England; a major railroad center

Mayfair—an affluent area of West London on the east edge of Hyde Park

Regent’s Canal—a canal north of central London that runs near the zoo

The Strand—a major road through central London

St. Mary le Strand—a Church of England near the former Holywell Street; still standing today

Opera Comique—a theater built upon the grounds that once housed Lyon’s Inn, situated between Holywell and Wych Streets; two theaters were built back-to-back: The Royal Globe Theater and the Opera Comique

Lyon’s Inn—one of the Inns of Chancery, a former law court once situated between Holywell and Wych Streets

Clockwork Corridor—street in London where gypsies sell clockwork components and contraptions

paidi mou—”my child”; a Greek term of affection

morphophídia—“shape snakes”; snakes whose biological charactersitics have been modified by a mad scientist

drakonourá—”dragon tail”; shape a Lamian Queen takes

*Listen to the words spoken aloud

Natalia Zakharova Kinross—heroine; organic chemist; Lady of Kinlarig

Luke Dryden—hero; cryptozoologist

Stuart Kinross, Laird of Kinlarig—Natalia’s dead husband

Rathail—cryptid hunter; sells rare animals and their parts on the black market

Aileen—housekeeper; granddaughter of McKay

Zia—a Russian Mountain Dragon; Laudakia alpino

Willie McKay—the ancient Kinross butler

William—Natalia’s fencing student

Dimitri Kravchuk—a man Natalia once thought to marry

Sasha—young, male dragonet; named after Natalia’s father

Yuri—a young male dragonet that died

Sir Ridley Sutton—historian of dragon mythology

John Dryden—Luke’s brother; gamekeeper

Misha Ivanov—aka Michael; Aileen’s fiancé

Parthenogenesis—an egg formed without fertilization by the male of the species; first observed by Charles Bonnet in 1740; a reproductive strategy mostly confined to invertebrates but known to occur upon rare occasions in amphibians and reptiles

Hepatitis—inflammation of the liver

Milk thistle—an herbal remedy to support liver function

Ventral coccygeal vein—ventral tail vein; used to obtain blood samples from lizards

Ernst Haeckel—German scientist first to use the term “stem cells”

Stem cells—cells that can differentiate to become other kinds of cells

Hematopoietic cells—stem cells that give rise to other blood cells

Amniotic stem cells—stem cells derived from the amniotic fluid and/or amniotic membrane; highly mitotic, undifferentiated and immunoprivileged

Extraembryonic tissues—tissue surrounding and supporting the development of a fetus (includes the chorion, amnion, yolk sac)

Growth media—a liquid/semisolid/solid material designed to support the growth of cells; can contain (according to desired growth) a carbon source (often glucose), water, salts, essential elements, vitamins, amino acids; e.g. agar plates

Xenograft—a tissue or organ transplant from a different species (xenogenic immune response=immune rejection of such a graft)

Immunosuppressant drug—suppresses the immune system to prevent the body from attacking transplanted tissues; in this story, a sulfated purine derivative

Petri dish—a shallow dish named for its creator; used to culture cells

Enzymatic cascades—a series of enzymatic reactions in response to a stimulus that regulates cellular responses; allows cells to respond to changing internal/external environments

Candling—shining a bright light through an eggshell to study embryonic development

Blood ring—forms inside the eggshell when the embryo dies and the blood vessels detach from the interior of the shell

Sulfur (S)—an element; atomic number 16; brimstone; bright yellow; solid at room temperature; a favorite treat of dragons and pteryformes; good for the skin and hair; compounds of sulfur often carry a strong odor

Department of Cryptozoology—the Edinburgh division funds Natalia’s research

Pteryformes—bird-like creatures with leathery wings; nocturnal; with a possible relationship to pterodactyls

Hyena fish—fish from the western coast of Africa; vicious; will swarm carrion, stripping it to the bone in minutes

Kraken—clawed cephalopods infesting the Thames

Dragonet—young or baby dragon

Rapier—a long, slender and sharp sword

Trouvé outboard—Victorian inventor’s first outboard motor

Snowdrops—a small, white early spring (sometimes winter) flower

Thermite—a metal powder that, when ignited, gives off intense heat (sometimes explosive)

Fuge—short for centrifuge

Married Women’s Property Act (Scotland)—permitted married women to own and control property (enacted 1881)

Potato scone—tattie scone; savory griddle scone

River Teith—a river in Scotland

Castle Kinlarig—fictional castle based on Doune Castle 

Postern door—a secondary door in a fortification wall

Stirlingshire—a county of Scotland

Scottish laird—name for the owner of a long-established, Scottish estate; though styled address uses Lord/Lady, they are not peers (of the nobility)

Trossachs—mountains in Stirlingshire north of Callander

Callander—a town on the River Teith in Stirlingshire; gateway to the highlands

Loch Lubnaig—a freshwater loch in the Trossachs north of Callender

Castle Edinample—a Scottish castle on the shores of Loch Earn

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Katorga—a penal labor camp in Siberia during (Russian Empire and Soviet Union)

Kama River—Russian river; tributary of the Volga River

Perm—Russian city on the banks of the Kama River near the Ural Mountains

Ural Zavód—a secret Russian biotechnology laboratory

Ural Mountains—mountain range in western Russia running north to south

Kadskoye—secret Russian biotechnology facility first mentioned in THE SILVER SKULL

Bairn—Scots for ‘child’

Cyrillic—writing script used in Russia (and other countries)

Lapochka—Russian for ‘sweetie pie’

Evie Brown—heroine; librarian; medieval scholar

Ash Lockwood—hero; botanist

Dr. Bracken—villain; chemist

Mr. Davies—head librarian

Dr. Wilson—chemist

Mr. Black—Queen’s agent

Timmy—Evie’s nephew

Beatrix—Evie’s sister

Papa—Evie’s father

Mary—Ash’s former romantic pursuit

Brea—scribe of Hardwicke’s Leechbook

Mr. Thistleton—head botanist of Lister Laboratories

Mengri—clockwork attack squirrel.

Gypsy peddler—man in Hyde Park who controls Mengri

Lord Thornton—Queen’s agent; earl; hero of The Golden Spider

Botany

Oleander—a bush or a small tree; all its parts are deadly

Oleandrin—bioactive component (poison) of the oleander shrub

Amatiflora—gypsy name for a (fictional) flower; pick during the full moon for full potency; a twisting vine that bears white flowers; blooms late summer; used to make a nerve calming agent

Gingerols and shogaols—ginger constituents

Mistletoe—a parasitic plant; Viscum album; poisonous if consumed in large enough quantities

Viscum album—scientific name for mistletoe

Hemiparasitic plant—a somewhat photosynthetic plant, but one that prefers to draw its nutrients and water from a host plant

Haustorium—structures that grow into a host tree, drawing water and nutrients into a parasitic plant

Taxus baccata—scientific name for the Yew bush

Sambucus nigra—scientific name for the Elderberry

English Oak—an oak species native to most of Europe and sacred to the druids

Panellus stipticus—the bitter oyster, a North American variety of the fungus responsible for legends of foxfire (Mycelial bioluminescence)

Mycelial bioluminescence—light produced by a fungus

Hawthorn—a shrub/bush with medicinal properties

Dried hemlock—a fine, white powder from the hemlock plant; poisonous; used to execute Socrates

Books

A Survey of Metals in Medieval Remedies, Magic or Medicine?—Evie and Dr. Wilson’s re-examination of an 1865 translation of medieval medical texts; fictional

Leechdoms, Wortcunning and Starcraft of Early England—translation of eleventh century Anglo-Saxon medical texts by one Oswald Cockayne.

Lacnunga—one of the volumes translated in Leechdoms, Wortcunning and Starcraft of Early England

The Old English Herbal—the British library possesses the sole illustrated copy of this Old English medieval herbal

Hardwicke’s Leechbook—fictional medieval text discovered by Evie and Ash, written by the fictional Brea

Complete Herbal and English Physician—a book of herbal remedies; completed in 1653 and written by Culpeper

The London Dispensatory—a pharmaceutical text; written/compiled in 1822 by A.T. Thompson

Ashmole 1505—a copy of Bernard de Gordon’s Lilium medicinae in Middle English and the inspiration for A SNOWFLAKE AT MIDNIGHT

Medical Terms

Wen-salve—a topical cure for tumors or swellings

Subcutaneous injection—medication injected under the skin

Copper and silver—elements with known antimicrobial properties

Cardiotoxic—toxic to the heart

Hepatotoxic—toxic to the liver

Nephrotoxic—toxic to the kidneys

Hatton Chair of Chemistry—an official academic position within the Lister Institute that comes with privileges and responsibilities

Yule log—an enormous log brought into the house, often decorated, and burned during the duration of Christmas

Lucifer lamp—a lamp with blue-white light generated by bioluminescent bacteria; name originates from luciferase

Queen’s agents— spies who work for the Queen under the supervision of the Duke of Avesbury

Oversight Committee—the group that oversees research projects in the Lister Institute

Review committee—the group that plans to review proposals and select the winning entry

Mincemeat—a traditional holiday pie made with, among other ingredients, currents, candied orange peel, cinnamon; originally contained meat

Stratospheric oxygen masks and wing packs—contraptions that are used in the even that an airship must be evacuated when in flight

Steam cook—steambot kitchen cook

Automixer—kitchen aid contraption

Pliny the Elder—a Roman author who, among other things, recorded some of the Druid traditions; with regards to mistletoe, he writes that it was cut down using a golden scythe while wearing white vestments

Iced biscuits—fancy cookies served, among other times, at Christmas

Romanichal gypsies—a subgroup of gypsies in the United Kingdom

Trees sacred to the Druids—Oak, Ash, Apple, Hazel, Alder, Elder, Yew

Wassail—a hot, mulled beverage involving cider; traditionally consumed at Christmastime

Tin whistle—also known as a penny whistle, indigenous to the British Isles; a simple, six-holed woodwind instrument

The Druid Oak—a fictional English oak growing in Hyde Park with mistletoe in its branches

Celtic—an Indo-European linguistic group

Cribiform wick—a device (wick) that absorbs and registers smells in order to inform a mechanical device; name based on the cribriform plate

Pectin coagulator—part of the lock that guards the morgue entrance to the Lister Institute; derived from the words pectin and coagulation

Nitroglycerine—a colorless, explosive liquid used in dynamite; in small doses, serves as a potent vasodilator

Goblin merchants—a reference to the poem ‘Goblin Market’ by Christina Rossetti

Fairy Queen—a nod to all the stories involving a fairy queen seducing a young man in the wilds

Posey ring—rings often given as an expression of romantic interest; “You have my hart” is the inscription on the ring presented to Evie

Mayan temples—built by the Mayan people in Mesoamerica, often pyramidal in structure;

Maudslay—a British archaeologist; among the first to study the Maya

Lister University School of Medicine—a co-educational medical school and research facility in London created to seek out the brightest young medical minds; associated with the Queen’s agents; Lister Laboratories; Lister University; Lister Institute; named for Joseph Lister

Captain Oglethorpe’s Luxury Airways—based in Dover; introduced dirigible boarding towers complete with various forms of gaudy, ostentatious, over-the-top decadence to amuse the wealthy 

Kew Gardens—the Royal Botanical Gardens in London

Girton College—a college of the University of Cambridge; a pioneer in woman’s education

Boroughbridge—a town in North Yorkshire

Oxford—a research university in Oxford, England

Bodleian Library—The University of Oxford’s main library; one of the oldest in Europe; opened in 1602; books were chained to their shelves (an inspiration for the Hogwart’s Library in Harry Potter)

Hyde Park—a large park in central London

British Honduras—a former British colony in central America now known as Belize

Old English

Old English—the oldest historical form of English spoken in the early Middle Ages

Wennsealfa—ointments for tumors

Misteltán—mistletoe

Āc—oak

Eow—yew

Ellæn—elder

Romani

Rúkkersaméngri—squirrel

‘Chavaia—stop

Av akai—come here

Lady Judith Ravesburg—heroine; kraken cryptobiologist

Arturo Piatti—hero; engineer

Gino—injured man; field engineer 

Luigi—Venetian kraken sharpshooter

Lord Garrick—British lord who owns many properties in Venice

Aunt Agatha—Judith’s sick aunt; raised her and her brother

Duke of Avesbury—Judith’s brother; gentleman in charge of the Queen’s agents

Lord Thornton—scientist at the Lister Institute; married to Judith’s niece, Amanda

Battista—steam butler in the house with Lady Judith’s Venetian laboratory

Lady Olivia Ravensdale—Judith’s niece

Vittoria—Judith’s laboratory assistant

Dr. Fracastoro—a chemist in Rome; colleague of Judith’s

Bromine (Br)—atomic number 35; a halogen; red-brown liquid and gas; can be used as an anti-epileptic

Indigo kraken—Venetian kraken species that produces a purplish-blue ink

Lagoon kraken—Venetian kraken

I Cancelli di Recupero del Canale—Canal Recovery Gates; contains sharp, spinning blades

Cephalopod-stunning oil—thrown onto the surface of the canals, it slows down the kraken

Cryptobiologist—biology who studies unusual animals once thought to be mythical

The Kraken Controversy—debate as to the origins of kraken; are kraken they more closely related to squid or octopuses?

Lister Institute—medical school and research facility in London associated with Queen’s agents; encompasses both the Lister University School of Medicine and Lister Laboratories

Palazzo—a large Italian residence

Fondaco—ground floor

Porta d’acqua—the water entrance

Cannaregio district—one of the six historical districts of Venice

Into the Aphotic Depths: The Biology of the Vampyromorphidia—an autographed book Arturo gifted to Judith 

Giordano Restorative Apparatus—a device used to refine kraken ink

Frommholtz spray gun—a weapon that can be used underwater against kraken when loaded with water soluble squid tranquilizer

Bromine (Br)—atomic number 35; a halogen; red-brown liquid and gas; can be used as an anti-epileptic

Indigo kraken—Venetian kraken species that produces a purplish-blue ink

Neurons and Synapses: The History of Its Discovery

History of anaesthesia: Who discovered the neuromuscular junction? The opposing views of Claude Bernard and Alfred Vulpian

The Medical Practitioner Who Paved the Way for Women Doctors in America

Ian’s sister, Elizabeth, has a genetic condition known as brittle bone disease, otherwise known as osteogenesis imperfecta (OI),a disease for which there is no cure. He’s spent his whole life searching for a cure…

Osteogenesis imperfecta

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (more detail)

The story required a kind of MRI machine (or at least its electromagnet). This is why we end up in an old mill:

Vertical turbine hydro generator system. (Homemade)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

In this book, we meet a pteryform who eats sulfur nuggets (good for the skin) and is blasted with a kind of blow torch. Why? To create more disulfide bridges for additional strength and rigidity:

Keratin.

When we meet Isa, we learn that her people require a special kind of anesthesia…

History of Anesthesia

How do diving mammals manage to avoid decompression sickness?

What’s underwater around Scotland’s coast?

An underwater safari: Incredible photos reveal secret marine world off the coast of Scotland

What inspired the idea behind the biomech octopuses?

Cardiopulmonary bypass: development of John Gibbon’s heart-lung machine

And what kind actually live in British waters?

Octopuses & other Cephalopods 

And was time for action…

Is it worse to be near an explosion on land or in water?

In A Trace of Copper we encounter an odd skin infection. Though it’s not real, many of the underlying parts are.

The Dermal Chromatophore Unit

Photonic crystals cause active colour change in chameleons.

Histology and ultrastructure of the integumental chromatophores in tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) (Linnaeus, 1758) skin.

Stress-induced changes in color expression mediated by iridophores in a polymorphic lizard.

Hormone-induced pigment translocations in amphibian dermal iridophores, in vitro: changes in cell shape.

Amoebiasis

Rare, forgotten but dangerous: Pathogenic free-living amoebas and their brutal infections in humans.

Copper Sulfate

Copper Sulfate for Ich

In Pursuit of Dragons leans heavily on cutting edge research of our own era: stem cell therapy. There are many kinds of stem cells obtained from a variety of tissues, and I needed to choose one. But which?  Off to primary sources I went. There was also the question of dragon reproduction. When I read about parthenogenesis in Komodo Dragons, things began to fall in place. Here’s your chance to take an in-depth look at the biology behind the book.

On the origin of the term “stem cell”.

Could Stem Cell Therapy be the Cure in Liver Cirrhosis?

Placenta as a reservoir of stem cells: an underutilized resource?

In Vitro and In Vivo Hepatic Differentiation of Adult Somatic Stem Cells and Extraembryonic Stem Cells for Treating End Stage Liver Diseases

Parthenogenesis in Komodo dragons.

Introduction to Fetal Bovine Serum Class

Enter the Dragon: The Dynamic and Multifunctional Evolution of Anguimorpha Lizard Venoms

The Filter of Life

Carl Von Linde: 19th-century German engineer, an inventor of refrigeration technology.

Early Nineteenth Century Electrochemistry

On the Structure and Rhythm of the Heart in Fishes, with especial reference to the Heart of the Eel

Darwin’s greatest discovery: Design without designer

PACEMAKERS AND HEART BLOCK

A brief history of cardiac pacing

Trends in Cardiac Pacemaker Batteries

A Lifesaver in a Plastic Cup: A history of pacemakers at Siemens

Cardiac outcome of pregnancy in women with a pacemaker and women with untreated atrioventricular conduction block

Adams-Stokes Syndrome

WORMS!

French heartworm

The Nervous Systems of Phylum

Teaching Basic Neurophysiology Using Intact Earthworms

CAT EYES

Tiger tiger, burning bright: the retinal specializations that cause glowing eyes

Gardener dies ‘after brushing against deadly wolfsbane flower’ on millionaire’s estate

Aconitum napellus (Monkshood): A Purple Poison

Botany Gone Bad: The History of the Deadly Nightshade Plant

Uses and risks of belladonna

Foxglove (Digitalis) 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions

Digitalis: The flower, the drug, the poison

Kraken and Canals introduces the concept of cephalopod ink as a cancer therapy. I didn’t pull that from thin air. And what might our lagoon kraken be feeding upon to make this dye? Why not Hexaplex trunculus, famous for their purple-blue indigo dye? What might the kraken reproduction strategy be? For that, I took a close look at the octopuses. And, of course, there’s all that architectural science behind the building of Venice. Check out the science below.

Ancient ink for cancer treatment

Squid Ink–Now With Medical Applications!

How black squid ink may help fight cancer and tumor cells: Glycosis happens

Cephalopod Ink: Production, Chemistry, Functions and Applications

A Potential Adjuvant Agent of Chemotherapy: Sepia Ink Polysaccharides.

Anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic activities of sulfated polysaccharide of Sepiella maindroni ink.

Anti-tumor activity of squid ink.

High performance liquid chromatography of slightly soluble brominated indigoids from Tyrian purple.

The Hardest-Working Mom On The Planet

A Look at Venice: Past and Present

Engineering Venice

The Construction of Venice, the Floating City

The History of Venice: a tour through the past centuries

THERMITE RAIL WELDING: HISTORY, PROCESS DEVELOPMENTS, CURRENT PRACTICES AND OUTLOOK FOR THE 21st CENTURY