They are normally seen as membranes that cover important organs but the study of bacterial capsule polysaccharides is one that is being conducted by the medical community to determine the role this has in disease. Bacterial infection is something that kills millions of people each year.
The Government's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill received Royal Assent on 17th July 2013, having been passed by both Houses of Parliament. The Bill followed a Government consultation in 2012.
But when the empire collapsed, in the 5th century, church courts took over and elevated marriage to a holy union. As the church's power grew through the Middle Ages, so did its influence over marriage. In 1215, marriage was declared one of the church's seven sacraments, alongside rites like baptism and penance. But it was only in the 16th century that the church decreed that weddings be performed in public, by a priest, and before witnesses.