British women participated in public political work at a higher rate than ever before during the 1906 United Kingdom general election campaign. Working as fundraisers, door-to-door canvassers, and even orators, women were particularly active in debating the campaign's central economic question: should Britain uphold the free trade policies it had maintained since the 1840s, or should it follow its economic rivals, Germany and the United States, in strengthening tariff protections? Dorothy M. Hunter (1881-1977) rose to prominence during this period as a compelling public speaker who worked on behalf of the Liberal Party and its free trade agenda. Her career serves as a fascinating case study for understanding how some British women established their credibility in traditionally male spheres at the beginning of the twentieth century; nevertheless, historians of the Edwardian era have largely overlooked her work. Based on an analysis of the collection of Hunter's documents held at the Surrey History Centre in Woking, England, this paper argues that Hunter built her authority as an activist in the public sphere upon the conventional understanding of women's power over the private sphere. Following the rhetorical tradition established by Victorian philanthropists, Hunter increased the scope of her influence by extending the definition of "the household" and "domestic duty" to encompass public life and civic virtue. This strategy is present throughout her work from 1900 to 1914, from emotionally persuasive didactic literature written early in her career to economic arguments presented in public meeting halls at the height of her fame.

Baylisascaris procyonis is a predominant parasitic infection of raccoons (Procyon lotor) in the Pacific Northwest, commonly referred to as “raccoon roundworm”. Raccoons serve as definitive hosts of the parasite, harboring adult worms in their intestine and shedding eggs in their feces. Infection can be spread to humans, dogs, birds and rodents through incidental consumption of eggs or other infected animals. Maturation of eggs occurs in the gut before larvae travel to other tissues including the liver, heart, lungs, brain and eyes. Infection causes encephalitis, liver damage, blindness, seizures, coma and death. Understanding the regional prevalence of B. procyonis infection is important for targeting resources for effective treatment. This research seeks to determine the prevalence of B. procyonis infection between geographically distinct raccoon populations of the Pacific Northwest. We expect a greater prevalence of B. procyonis infection in urban groups due to higher population densities. Fecal samples were collected between 2013 and 2020 from three categories of geographical regions: urban, rural and island. Samples were taken from the greater Seattle area (urban), surrounding regions of the Puget Sound (rural) and Blakely Island (island). Wet mounts were prepared from flotations using 1 g of fecal sample in aqueous ZnSO₄ or sugar solution. Samples were examined using light microscopy to identify the presence of B. procyonis eggs and nematode larvae. Current data shows a greater prevalence (p = 0.018) of B. procyonis eggs in urban populations compared to rural and island populations. There appears to be no difference in nematode larvae prevalence between geographical locations (p = 0.586) suggesting nematode infections in rural and island populations are likely not B. procyonis. This data provides valuable information to educate the public about the risk of B. procyonis infection and take preventative measures to protect humans and domestic animals.