Medicine: Curing an Ill Wind

Moving up out of the desert each spring and fall, the khamsin is an ill wind that blows no one in the Middle East any good. It picks up hot air and dust as it sweeps across Africa and the Sinai Peninsula, bringing a variety of afflictions in its northerly thrust. The moistureless air causes feet to swell painfully, noses and eyes to itch and asthmatics to gasp for breath. The khamsin can also madden men. Automobile accidents are far more frequent when it is blowing, crime rates increase by as much as 20%...

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