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DictionarySeeblockWenceslas, King Wenceslas, KingSt. Wenceslaus, Vaceslav, Vaclav
The familiar Christmas carol, "Good King Wenceslas," tells of a virtuous deed performed by the noble King Wenceslas on the day after Christmas, St. Stephen's Day. Is King Wenceslas an historical or a legendary character? If historical, did he ever perform a deed similar to that described in the carol?
According to the carol, King Wenceslas spied a poor man scavenging wood outside his castle on St. Stephen's Day. Moved by the needy man's plight, King Wenceslas found out where he lived, and set forth with his page to bring the man food, drink, and fuel. The wind and cold nearly overcame the king's page but, with Wenceslas's encouragement, the page stumbled forward, treading in his master's footprints. Heat rose from the tracks of the saintly king, a sign of heaven's approval of his act of charity.
The story told in the song combines historical fact with pious speculation. The song's lyrics describe a tenth-century Bohemian duke who later became a saint. Known as St. Vaceslav or St. Vaclav in Czechoslovakia, his name is usually rendered as "Wenceslas" or "Wenceslaus" in English. He was born to a Christian father, Wratislaw, and a pagan mother, Drahomira, around the year 903. His grandmother, St. Ludmilla, educated him in the Christian faith.
When his father died his mother became the duchess of Bohemia. Drahomira resented the influence of Ludmilla over the young Wenceslas, and so arranged to have the older woman murdered. Horrified by this act and by her unscrupulous political dealings, Wenceslas eventually wrested power away from his mother and assumed the title of duke. Drahomira had hindered the spread of Christianity, but Wenceslas supported the new religion. Furthermore, Duke Wenceslas acquired a reputation for personal piety and charity to the poor. Drahomira still opposed him, however, and soon convinced Wenceslas's brother Boleslaw to murder the young Duke and take his place on the throne. Wenceslas died at the hands of his brother on September 28 in the year 935. Although he may have been deprived of earthly power at a young age, Wenceslas was elevated to sainthood after his death. He became the patron saint of Bohemia by the eleventh century. His feast day is September 28.
In the nineteenth century an Englishman named John Mason Neele (1818-1866) wrote the lyrics to "Good King Wenceslas." He based the story on legends concerning the saint's good deeds as duke of Bohemia. He paired these lyrics with a thirteenth-century tune he found in an obscure book of early songs. Although the sturdy melody may now automatically evoke images of the noble king trudging through the snow, the tune had earlier been used as a spring carol titled "Spring Has Now Unwrapped the Flowers." Neele's winning combination of words and music spread the legend of Wenceslas to listeners who otherwise would never have known of the saint.
Further Reading
Mershman, Francis. "St. Wenceslaus." In Charles B. Hervermann, ed. Catho-lic Encyclopedia. Nashville, Tenn.: T. Nelson, 1913. Available online at Papin, J. "St. Wenceslaus." In New Catholic Encyclopedia. Volume 14. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967. Studwell, William E. The Christmas Carol Reader. Binghamton, N.Y.: Haworth Press, 1995. Wenckebach block
block [blok] obstruction.1. to obstruct.anesthesia" >regional anesthesia.2. heart block.atrioventricular block 1. any interruption of the conduction of electrical impulses from the atria to the ventricles; it can occur at the level of the atria, the atrioventricular node, the bundle of His, or the Purkinje system. See heart block.2. a type of heart block" >heart block in which the blocking is at the atrioventricular junction. It is first degree when atrioventricular conduction time is prolonged; it is called second degree or partial when some but not all atrial impulses reach the ventricle; and it is called third degree or complete when no atrial impulses at all reach the ventricle, so that the atria and ventricles act independently of each other.atrioventricular block, complete see atrioventricular block.atrioventricular block, first degree see atrioventricular block.atrioventricular block, partial see atrioventricular block.atrioventricular block, second degree see atrioventricular block.atrioventricular block, third degree see atrioventricular block.AV block atrioventricular block.Bier block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia by intravenous injection, used for surgical procedures on the forearm or the lower leg; performed in a bloodless field maintained by a pneumatic tourniquet that also prevents anesthetic from entering the systemic circulation. Called also intravenous block and IV block.bifascicular block the combination of complete right bundle branch block with either left anterior fascicular block or left posterior fascicular block. This is an imprecise though commonly used term; specific terms defining the structures involved are preferred.bundle branch block (BBB) a form of heart block involving delay or failure of conduction in one of the branches in the bundle of His, as determined by an electrocardiogram. It may be complete or incomplete, transient, permanent, or intermittent, and is also named according to involvement of the left or the right bundle branch. It is impossible to determine if bundle branch block is complete or not. When associated with acute anterior wall myocardial infarction, bundle branch block identifies a high-risk patient. See accompanying table.bundle branch block, bilateral heart block characterized by conduction disturbance in the right and left bundle branches; it may be alternate, intermittent, or permanent. Complete bilateral bundle branch block results in complete (third degree) atrioventricular block.bundle branch block, complete heart block characterized by absence of conduction in a bundle branch or conduction delay, causing ventricular activation to occur largely or exclusively through the contralateral bundle.bundle branch block, incomplete heart block characterized by delayed conduction within a bundle branch, resulting in a delay in activation of the ipsilateral ventricle.bundle branch block, right heart block characterized by a delay or failure of impulse propagation through the right bundle branch; it may be either complete or incomplete. See accompanying table.caudal block caudal anesthesia.cervical plexus block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia of the neck by injection of a local anesthetic into the plexus" >cervical plexus.entrance block a zone of depressed conduction surrounding a pacemaker focus, protecting it from discharge by an extraneous impulse but not necessarily from discharges by electrotonic influences.epidural block epidural anesthesia.exit block heart block characterized by failure of an expected impulse to emerge from its focus of origin and propagate; this usually occurs with a parasystolic focus, but is also seen with sinus, junctional, and ventricular rhythms. In cardiac pacing it means that the pacemaker stimulus is not of sufficient amplitude to stimulate the heart, such as when there is a very high threshold.fascicular block heart block characterized by certain abnormal QRS waveforms ascribed to conduction disturbance in the anterior and posterior divisions of the left bundle branch.fascicular block, left anterior heart block characterized by delay or interruption of impulse conduction in the anterior superior division of the left bundle branch, resulting in asynchronous activation of the left ventricle.fascicular block, left posterior heart block characterized by delay or interruption of impulse conduction in the posterior inferior division of the left bundle branch, resulting in asynchronous activation of the left ventricle.femoral block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia of the posterior thigh and the lower leg by injection of a local anesthetic around the femoral nerve just below the inguinal ligament at the lateral border of the fossa ovalis.field block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia by blocking conduction in nerves with chemical or physical agents.heart block see heart block.intravenous block Bier block.intraventricular block impaired conduction within the ventricles due to absence of conduction within the bundle branches, their ramifications, or the ventricles.intraventricular block, unspecified any heart block characterized by an electrocardiographic pattern of intraventricular conduction disturbance and not qualifying as a bundle branch block or a fascicular block.interventricular block bundle branch block.IV block Bier block.lumbar plexus block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia of the anterior and medial aspects of the lower limb by injection of a local anesthetic into the plexus" >lumbar plexus.mental block blocking (def. 3).metabolic block the blocking of a biosynthetic pathway due to a genetic enzyme defect or to inhibition of an enzyme by a drug or other substance.Mobitz type I block a second degree atrioventricular block in which the P-R interval increases progressively until an atrial impulse is blocked. Called also Wenckebach's phenomenon or block.Mobitz type II block a second degree atrioventricular block in which the P-R interval is fixed, with periodic blocking of the atrial impulse to the ventricle.nerve block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia by injection of an anesthetic close to the appropriate nerve.paracervical block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia of the inferior hypogastric plexus and ganglia produced by injection of the local anesthetic into the lateral fornices of the vagina.paraneural block perineural block.parasacral block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia by injection of a local anesthetic around the sacral nerves as they emerge from the sacral foramina.paravertebral block paravertebral anesthesia.perineural block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia produced by injection of the anesthetic agent close to the nerve. Called also paraneural anesthesia or block and perineural anesthesia.presacral block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia produced by injection of the local anesthetic into the sacral nerves on the anterior aspect of the sacrum.pudendal block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia produced by blocking the pudendal nerves, accomplished by injection of the local anesthetic into the tuberosity of the ischium.  The pudendal block. The pudendal nerves can be effectively blocked by a local anesthetic, thereby anesthetizing the perineum. From Nichols and Zwelling, 1997.retrobulbar block that performed by injection of a local anesthetic into the retrobulbar space to anesthetize and immobilize the eye.sacral block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia produced by injection of the local anesthetic into the extradural space of the spinal canal.saddle block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia in an area corresponding roughly with the areas of the buttocks, perineum, and inner aspects of the thighs, by introducing the anesthetic agent low in the dural sac. Called also saddle block anesthesia.sinoatrial block a type of heart block characterized by partial or complete interference with the propagation of impulses from the sinoatrial node to the atria, resulting in delay or absence of the atrial response.sinus block barosinusitis.sinoatrial block.spinal block spinal anesthesia.subarachnoid block spinal anesthesia (def. 2).trifascicular block an imprecise term referring to heart block characterized by failure of conduction, partial or complete, in all three of the fascicles of the intraventricular conduction system; i.e., there is simultaneous right bundle branch block, left anterior hemiblock, and left posterior hemiblock. In the setting of acute anterior wall myocardial infarction, this is an ominous sign. More precise terms referring to the specifically involved structures are preferred.vagal block (vagus nerve block) anesthesia" >regional anesthesia produced by blocking of vagal impulses by injection of a solution of local anesthetic into the vagus nerve at its exit from the skull.Wenckebach block Mobitz type I block.wrist block anesthesia" >regional anesthesia of the hand by injection of a local anesthetic around the median, radial, and ulnar nerves at the wrist.Wen·cke·bach block (ven-kă-bahk'), a obstruction in any cardiac tissue (most often the atrioventricular junction) in which there is progressive lengthening of conduction (decremental conduction) until the beat is dropped.Wenckebach block Möbitz I block, secondary AV heart block, Wenckebach AV block, Wenckebach phenomenon Cardiology A heart block in which there is progressive prolongation of the P-R interval until a beat is dropped, usually attributable to a block at the AV node. See Möbitz II block. Wen·cke·bach block (ven'kă-bahk blok) A first-degree atrioventricular block in which there is a progressive lengthening of conduction, as manifested in prolonged P-Q interval on electrocardiography, until one QRS complex and T wave are missed. Wenckebach, Karel F., Dutch internist, 1864-1940. Wenckebach block - Synonym(s): Wenckebach phenomenonWenckebach period - a sequence of cardiac cycles in the electrocardiogram ending in a dropped beat due to A-V block.Wenckebach phenomenon - progressive lengthening of conduction time in cardiac tissue, with ultimate dropping of a beat. Synonym(s): Wenckebach blockLegalSeeBlock |