Strange investigate the case of death of an elderly clergyman.
Windows
Strange's comment about the windows being bricked up refers to The Window Tax. Introduced in 1696, the tax was calculated from the number of windows in a house. All houses were charged at 2 shillings, properties with 10-20 windows paid 4 shillings and those with more than 20 windows paid 8 shillings.
Canny house owners would block up their windows so they would qualify for a smaller fee. The tax was repealed in 1851 and was replaced by the House Duty.
St Vincents
The church of St Vincent takes its name from St. Vincent De Paul. A Catholic priest, Vincent founded the Fathers of the Mission, also called Lazarists. Vincent, the peasant priest, was canonised in 1737 and proclaimed patron of all charitable societies
Azal
While there is no record of a demon called Azal, the word is mentioned in the bible. "And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal" - Zecharia 14:5. It was either an actual place, or a term to mean 'somewhere near'.
There is a demon named Azazel or "goat-god" described in the Old Testament. Azazel was the wild demon who the scapegoat (representing the nation's sins) was sent to on the Day of Atonement. The Moslem version of Azazel is Iblis, meaning despair. Azazel also features in Milton's Paradise Lost as the name given to the standard-bearer of the rebel angels.
A demon called Azal featured in the 1971 Doctor Who story The Daemons. The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) uncovers a plot by the Master to summon Azal, the last of a race known as the D�mons, whose miniaturised spaceship is buried at Devils End. For more information access the Doctor Who Episode Guide.
CAT Scan
The CAT Scan machine (CAT standing for Computerised Axial Tomography) was invented by 1967 Godfrey N. Hounsfield. It is basically an x-ray tube that rotates around the patient taking multiple pictures that can be analysed separately like the slices of a loaf of bread.
Science Fact
Faraday's Electroscope is a device that detects electrical charge invented by Michael Faraday. Faraday, born on 22nd September 1791, was an English physicist and chemist who discovered that electricity could be made by moving a magnet inside a wire coil. This discovery enabled him to build the first electric motor.
That's Magic
Strange's exclamation: "I said he was a demon, not Harry bloody Houdini!" refers to the Hungarian illusionist. Born Ehrich Weiss on 24th March 1874, Harry Houdini earned an international reputation as an escape artist on the vaudeville circuit and starred in many motion pictures. He died on 31st October 1926 in Detroit, Michigan.
