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‘Sea salt is made by boiling and evaporating sea water over the fire. Bay salt, by evaporating sea water, in pits clayed on the inside, by the heat of the sun. Basket salt is made by boiling away the water of salt springs over the fire. Rock salt is dug out of the ground’, wrote Charlotte Mason in The Lady's Assistant (1775), one of the most comprehensive eighteenth-century cookbooks. Although there were at least four variations of salt before the pre-industrial era, several historical recipes specified the use of bay salt (solar salt) for meat preservation, elevating its cultural status and implying that early modern actors had a refined understanding of salts, their tastes and their applications. This study uses scientific analysis to determine whether there is a biological or chemical basis for the superior reputation of bay salt for curing. Laboratory data suggest that bay salt contains microbes that produce nitrate and nitrite, which give the meat a more favourable taste and pleasant aesthetic. The authors thus demonstrate that combining insights from experimental archaeology with textual analysis of historical sources gives us a deeper understanding of historical uses of taste as an epistemic tool.

Pressure ulcers form when skin is compressed against a bony prominence, often in the context of prolonged supine or prone-based care. Hospitalized, bedridden patients are at the highest risk of this complication, especially when preventative measures like regular rotational bed treatment are not employed. In this case report, we present a rare case of a COVID-19-related facial pressure ulcer that occurred in the context of regular rotational bed treatment. The lesion was managed by wound care and allowed to heal by secondary intention. Ultimately, we hope that this manuscript will raise awareness for this atypical ulcer location, especially as prone-position treatment approaches take hold.

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Linear lichen planus (LLP), also known as blaschkolinear or blaschkoid lichen planus, is a rare subtype of lichen planus that presents along the lines of Blaschko. While LLP has been associated with vaccinations, neoplasms, medications, and successive pregnancies, we present a case of LLP following a primary pregnancy. A 29-year-old G1P1 female presented to dermatology for the evaluation of an intensely pruritic, whorled rash confined to her left lower leg that appeared shortly after the birth of her first child. A biopsy of the lesion and subsequent histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of LLP. The patient was treated with topical steroids with minimal response to therapy and declined further treatment.