Sting relief | Romans in Scotland | A wild translation | Wrapping paper solution
I agree that dock leaves probably have no special properties for curing nettle stings (It is true that…, 9 November), but this raises the question of why our ancestors chose them. Two reasons are likely – first, dock leaves are easy for a non-specialist to identify, and second, docks are common plants with similar habitat preferences to the stinging nettle, which means they can usually be found nearby. There are many British plants that are probably more effective for nettle stings, but these are no help if the stung person cannot find them. Dr Richard Milne Senior lecturer in plant evolutionary biology, University of Edinburgh
Any discussion of the Romans in Scotland (What did the Romans ever give Scotland? Heated floors, flashy sandals, sun gods – and a lot of nails, 5 November) should include the immortal words put into the mouth of the Caledonian chieftain Calgacus (the first named “Scot”) by the historian Tacitus after the Roman armies had ravaged the Highlands: “Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant” (They make a desert and call it peace). Harry D Watson Edinburgh
Not every song lyric is easily translatable into German (Letters, 8 November). The Troggs 1966 hit Wild Thing became “Wild Ding, du machst mein Herz sing, du machs alles groovlich”, murdering the grammar to keep the scansion and introducing a brand new word into an old language. Tim Atkinson Norwich
After two glossy Christmas ads (M&S takes on John Lewis in Christmas ad battle with topless ‘shredded Santa’, 6 November), it’s surely time to start saving the Guardian picture centrefolds for wrapping paper. Jeanette Hamilton Buxton, Derbyshire
