“Half Brains” is the first book in the Sacred Water trilogy. In this book the world of Daniel and Heather is introduced as well as the importance of the Sacred Water, which contains iodine which prevents the development of deformed babies. These iodine deficient babies are referred to medically as cretins, but in the world of Daniel and Heather they were called half brains. Their status was as sub-humans and slaves. One of these half brains is Betty, who is blessed with a way of knowing things and becomes instrumental in protecting the Sacred Water.
Others had learned of the power of the Sacred Water and tried to capture the source, which was located in the Forest—which is as much a living thing as it is a place in the mountains. It is the efforts of Daniel and Heather with those of the Forest who defeat those who would have captured the spring of their Sacred Water. Not only those of the Forest but also those of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms were dependent upon this single source of iodine.
This series developed from my own interest in diseases of the thyroid, which was a major portion of my medical practice. The early descriptions of the Africans brought to this country as slaves contain drawings of their coarse facial features and descriptions of their slow mental status. It turns out that the majority of those captured into slavery were from the iodine deficient areas of Africa. Many of our prejudices, like those explored in this trilogy, were based on medical issues which could have been easily solved had the knowledge been available. This book is written for young readers of all ages who are interested in science and medicine.