or, sneezes -

或者，打噴嚏 -

we can now observe in very close detail

我們現在可以非常仔細地觀察

the “turbulent multiphase cloud”

"湍流多相雲"

which distributes a payload

它分發了一個有效載荷

of droplets and mucosalivary ligaments,

的液滴和粘膜韌帶。

or, well, stringy gobs of spit,

或者，嗯，絞碎的口水。

at high speeds and over great distances.

在高速和遠距離的情況下。

These gross but engrossing images

這些噁心但引人入勝的影像

are made possible by highly sensitive, slow-motion cameras

通過高靈敏度的慢動作相機，使之成為可能。

which can track each single speck of snot.

它可以追蹤每一粒鼻涕。

This is high-tech stuff, but the fascination with sneezing

這是高科技的東西，但對打噴嚏的迷戀

and the attempt to capture and examine the sneeze

以及捕捉和檢查噴嚏的嘗試

is actually as old as the moving image itself.

實際上，它與移動影像本身一樣古老。

This short film, known as Fred Ott's Sneeze, was recorded in 1894

這部短片被稱為弗雷德-奧特的噴嚏，記錄於1894年

to test a new moving picture machine called the Kinetoscope.

以測試一種名為Kinetoscope的新活動影像機。

This five-second long film,

這部五秒鐘的長片。

showing Fred Ott taking a pinch of snuff and then sneezing,

顯示弗雷德-奧特吃了一撮鼻菸，然後打了個噴嚏。

captured the imagination of a public

吸引了公眾的想象力

who were wowed by the idea that something as fast as a sneeze

他們對像打噴嚏這麼快的事情感到驚奇。

could now be captured, preserved and repeated.

現在可以捕捉、保存和重複。

Of course, sneezes were also an object of fascination

當然，打噴嚏也是一個令人著迷的對象。

long before the cinema.

早在電影院之前。

For the ancient Greeks, sneezes could be an omen from the gods.

對於古希臘人來說，打噴嚏可能是來自神靈的預兆。

According to one ancient Roman doctor,

根據一位古羅馬醫生的說法。

sneezing during sex could be used as a contraceptive.

性生活中打噴嚏可以作為一種避孕措施。

But the most common interpretation of a sneeze

但對噴嚏最常見的解釋是

is probably that you might be getting ill.

可能是你可能要生病了。

But it was not until the late 19th Century

但直到19世紀末，才有了

that the idea that infectious diseases

感染性疾病的觀點

can be caused by microscopic pathogens was introduced.

介紹了可由微觀病原體引起的。

It was this new understanding of how disease is spread,

正是這種對疾病如何傳播的新認識。

along with the global shock of the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918,

伴隨著1918年西班牙流感大流行的全球衝擊。

that spawned the public health messages that we know today,

催生了我們今天所知的公共衛生資訊。

like, “Coughs and sneezes spread diseases.”

比如，"咳嗽和打噴嚏會傳播疾病"。

It was the development of stroboscopic photography in the 1930s

是1930年代頻閃攝影的發展

which really brought this message home.

這真的使這個資訊深入人心。

This work, led by the MIT researcher Harold Edgerton,

這項工作由麻省理工學院研究員Harold Edgerton上司。

used short sharp flashes of light to seemingly freeze time

用短而尖銳的閃光來彷彿凍結了時間

and analyse all sorts of high-speed phenomena,

並分析各種高速現象。

including the humble sneeze.

包括不起眼的噴嚏。

Images like this one helped us to understand the raw power of sneezes,

像這樣的圖片幫助我們瞭解了噴嚏的原始力量。

and to think about how we might protect ourselves

並思考我們如何能保護自己

and those around us.

和我們周圍的人。

An infectious sneeze can be dangerous at any time.

傳染性的噴嚏在任何時候都可能是危險的。

But the prospect of a wave of viral infections

但是病毒感染浪潮的前景

was particularly worrying to public health officials in the UK

對英國的公共衛生官員來說，這一點尤其令人擔憂。

during the Second World War

第二次世界大戰期間

who were keen to protect the health of those working in the war effort.

他們熱衷於保護那些在戰爭中工作的人的健康。

Wartime propaganda made good use of these stroboscopic sneezes

戰時的宣傳很好地利用了這些頻閃的噴嚏聲

to persuade people to cover their mouths and wear masks.

勸說人們捂住嘴，戴上口罩。

The germ mask is a simple way of keeping the germs at bay.

防菌面具是一種簡單的保持細菌的方法。

Get one and wear it now.

得到一個，現在就穿上它。

In the age of SARS and COVID-19,

在SARS和COVID-19的時代。

cutting-edge technology is still being used

尖端技術仍在使用

to try to better capture and visualise

試圖更好地捕捉和形象化

the mechanics of the sneeze.

打噴嚏的力學原理。

Maybe an even fuller understanding of exactly how a sneeze works

也許對打噴嚏的確切原理有了更全面的瞭解

will help us to use tools like masks and social distancing

將幫助我們使用面具和社會疏遠等工具

more effectively in the fight against epidemics.

在抗擊流行病的鬥爭中更有效。

But it's not only researchers who are continuing

但不僅僅是研究人員在繼續

the long tradition of filming sneezes.

拍攝噴嚏的悠久傳統。

A quick search on a video streaming site

在一個視頻流媒體網站上快速搜索

will bring up homemade footage from vloggers and filmmakers,

將調出視頻博客和電影製作人的自制鏡頭。

all capturing these explosive moments for themselves.

都為自己捕捉到這些爆炸性的時刻。

The image of the sneeze is with us to stay.

打噴嚏的形象一直伴隨著我們。

Yes, it can provide us with useful information,

是的，它可以為我們提供有用的資訊。

but it can also be a comic punchline, a tool for persuasion,

但它也可以是一個滑稽的笑料，一個勸說的工具。

or just a source of fascination.

或者僅僅是一個吸引人的來源。

It's something that is common to us all,

這是我們大家共同的事情。

yet it is also so strange, spontaneous and fast

但它也是如此奇怪、自發和快速

that we never really get to see it.

我們從未真正看到它。

Maybe capturing it on film, repeating it, and slowing it down,

也許在膠片上捕捉它，重複它，並放慢它。

gives us a measure of control -

給予我們一定程度的控制 -

or at least the illusion of control - that we can't have in real time.

或者至少是控制的錯覺--這是我們在實時中無法擁有的。

And so in well over a century since Fred Ott's Sneeze,

是以，在弗雷德-奧特的《噴嚏》之後的一個多世紀裡。

in some respects

在某些方面

our viewing habits haven't really changed so much after all.

我們的觀看習慣畢竟沒有真正改變那麼多。