Page 36 Daily Mail, Thursday, March 5, 2020
McCartney:
I had a little
help from my
friend Chaucer
Paul McCartney says the ‘dirty
bits’ of Chaucer helped him to
become a better songwriter.
The former Beatle said study
ing English literature – also
including the works of Shakes
peare and Thomas Hardy –
inspired him as a teenager.
In 1953, Sir Paul was one of
only three children out of 90 at
his primary school to pass the
1 1plus exam, meaning he could
attend a grammar school, the
liverpool Institute.
Sir Paul said: ‘I had this one
guy who was English literature
teacher and he turned me on.
‘He just showed me some
things. He showed me the dirty
bits in Chaucer. and for a
1 6yearold boy, (it was) “wow,
I’m loving this!” I said, “are you
sure I should be reading this?”
‘He says, “it’s not in the cur
riculum but...” With him as my
teacher I did OK. It’s the only
exam I did well in. But I did love
learning about Shakespeare,
learning about Thomas Hardy,
looking at poetry.
‘So I think, it’s just a theory,
that when I left school and then
started getting into music, I
think that kind of stayed with
me and I thought I naturally
produced these words and
rhythms that were better than
what I had done before.’Daily Mail Reporter
A NURSERY school teacher
was almost killed by her contra-
ceptive coil after it became
embedded in her womb and
caused sepsis.
Jessica Cowgill, 25, repeatedly vis-
ited her GP complaining of agonis-
ing cramps, but they were dismissed
as period pains and tests failed to
show anything was wrong.
Eventually she went to hospital and
doctors realised she was suffering from
life-threatening infection sepsis.
She was rushed into emergency sur-
gery where she had to have the coil, one
of her fallopian tubes, an ovary and part
of her uterus removed.
Miss Cowgill remains in hospital more
than three weeks later.
Yesterday she said she feared her fer-
tility could have been damaged and
called for the copper coil to be banned.
Miss Cowgill said: ‘I know the coil
sounds like a good idea and low mainte-
nance but it’s not worth the outcome
I’ve had. My experience has been terri-
fying and exhausting.
‘I’m still unsure as to whether I’ll be
doctors to get to the bottom of it,
but nothing came of it. I kept get-
ting sent home. I took myself to
A&E (and) I could barely walk
through the doors.
‘Within a few hours I was being
rushed into theatre and told I
needed major surgery, which had a
50 to 79 per cent mortality rate.
‘They removed my left ovary and
fallopian tube as well as my cop-
per coil contraception, I was also
full of stomach ulcers.’
However, after the operation the
pain continued and she was forced
to have a second surgery when
medics realised some of the
infected tissue was still there.
Miss Cowgill, who is engaged to
fiance Nathan Grogan, 27, added:
‘It’s been the scariest experience
of my life but I’m coming out somuch stronger. My bloods are
showing that the infection is clear-
ing up nicely.
‘Visually, my wound looks healthy
and is beginning to knit back
together but it won’t be for about
a year until I have my reconstruc-
tive surgery after my body has
formed a hernia.’
The contraceptive coil, or intrau-
terine device (IUD), is a T-shaped
birth control device which is
inserted into the womb.
The copper damages sperm and
affects their mobility, meaning
they cannot join with an egg, pro-
tecting against pregnancy.
The Daily Mail has long cam-
paigned for greater awareness of
sepsis symptoms and quicker
treatment for patients to limit the
numbers seriously affected.By Liz Hull
Almost
killed by
my coil
Teacher’s birth control
device gives her sepsis
able to have children – the doctors
seem positive that I will as I still
have my right tube and ovary.
‘But I wouldn’t want anyone else
going through this for the sake of
contraception when there are
many other forms available.’
Miss Cowgill, from Blackburn,
had the coil fitted when she was
- It is a type of device that can
be kept in situ for ten years.
During the various ultrasounds,
doctors did not identify it as the
problem and claimed it was in the
correct place.
She had suffered agonising
cramps for years but thought the
pain was due to her periods.
She repeatedly went to her GP
and last year was sent to see a
specialist gynaecologist.
He examined her and performed
an ultrasound scan but could not
find anything wrong. Another trip
to A&E earlier this year was also
inconclusive and she was sent
away with antibiotics.
However, the pain intensified and
in February she was admitted to
the Royal Blackburn Hospital.
There, doctors scanned her again
and rushed her into theatre when
they realised what was wrong.
Miss Cowgill added: ‘I’ve been
having stomach pains for quite a
while now and I’ve been seeingStrong: Jessica Cowgill yesterday
END THE SEPSIS
SCANDAL