Posts by Sam Cromartie
Tularemia as a biological weapon
Tularemia is a bacterial disease caused by Francisella tularensis. It occurs primarily in North America and Eurasia. Spread does not occur from human to human. The disease is contracted by contact with infected animals, eating infected meat, and from arthropod bites. During WWII, the Japanese infected prisoners of war with the organism for research purposes…
Read More2011 Clan Urquhart Gathering
The 2011 Clan Urquhart Gathering & Tour honoring the 400th anniversary of the birth of The Great Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty takes place July 26 – August 3, 2011. The Cromartie family is a sept of the Urquhart Clan. Attendees will gather at a Glasgow airport hotel on July 26 and travel the next…
Read MoreBotulism
Botulinum toxin causes paralysis by blocking the release of acetylcholine from neurons at the neuromuscular junction. It is one of the most poisonous substances known to man. The bacteria, Clostridium Botulinum, C. baratii, and C. butyricum, produce this substance, which causes the disease known as botulism. These organisms live in soil. Ingestion of contaminated, poorly…
Read MoreThankful Cromartie
The second child of William Cromartie and Ruhamah Doane was Thankful Cromartie who was born on April 24, 1768 in Bladen County, North Carolina and died at White Oak Plantation in New Hanover, North Carolina on August 28, 1843. She was buried at Whiteoak Plantation Cemetery. Her husband Alexander Hendry II was born on the…
Read MorePlague
Plague is a disease found mainly in rats, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs caused by a Gram-negative bacillus. It is normally transmitted by a fleabite except in its respiratory form when it passes from human to human by respiratory droplets. In 541 A.D. it killed 50 to 60% of the population of North Africa, Europe,…
Read MoreJames Cromartie
The first child born to William Cromartie and Ruhamah Doane was James. He was born in Bladen County, North Carolina on March 28, 1767 and died also in Bladen County on June 27, 1845. His first wife was Eleanor Hannah Meredith who died before 1817. Subsequently in 1817 he married Catherine Taylor who was born…
Read MorePakistani nuclear weapons
Aljazeera reports that Taliban fighters overtook a naval base in Karachi, Pakistan yesterday. Although the Pakistani forces recaptured the base after seventeen hours, this incident draws attention to the potential vulnerability of that countries nuclear weapons. Even if the weapons are secure, the U.S. State Department just last year expressed concerns for the safety of…
Read MoreThis story begins with William Cromartie, Jr.
William Cromartie Jr., the only son of William Cromartie and his first wife, was born September 10, 1765 in North Carolina. He remained in North Carolina in 1796, but afterwards left for India to visit his uncle, James Cromarty, who had moved there from Orkney. William subsequently went to Orkney where he married Janet Pass. …
Read MoreIntroduction to High Tech Terror
One of the perplexing problems faced by first line defenders against a bioterrorist attack is the incubation period between exposure and manifestation of symptoms. Thus victims exposed to an organism at one locality may move to another area, even another country, before they seek medical assistance. As a result, the physician who sees a patient…
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