The first Finnish malariologist, Johan Haartman, and the discussion about malaria in 18th century Turku, Finland

After the Great Northern War in 1721, Sweden ceased to be an important military power. Instead, the kingdom concentrated on developing science. Swedish research got international fame with names as Carolus Linnaeus, Pehr Wargentin and Anders Celsius. Medical research remained limited and malaria was common especially in the coastal area and along the shores of the big lakes.Already in the beginning of the 18th century Swedish physicians recommended Peruvian bark as medication and they also emphasized that bleeding or blood-letting a malaria patient was harmful. Although malaria was a common disease in the kingdom, the situation was worst in the SW-part of Finland which consisted of the town of Turku and a large archipelago in the Baltic. The farmers had no opportunity to get modern healthcare until Johan Haartman was appointed district physician in 1754. To improve the situation he wrote a medical handbook intended for both the farmers and for persons of rank. Haartman's work was first published 1759 and he discussed all the different cures and medications. His aim was to recommend the best ones and warn against the harmful. His first choice was Peruvian bark, but he knew that the farmers could not afford it. Haartman was appointed professor in medicine at the Royal Academy of Turku in 1765. The malaria situation in Finland grew worse in the 1770's and Haartman analysed the situation. He found the connection between the warm summers and the spring epidemics next year.In a later thesis, Haartman analysed the late summer/early autumn malaria epidemics in the archipelago. Althouh Haartman did not know the connection between malaria and the vector, he gave astute advice and encouraged the farmers to build their cottages in windy places away from the shallow bays in which the Anopheles females hatched. Haartman died in 1788. After his death malaria research in Turku declined. His medical handbook would not be replaced until 1844.     

Comparison of some pollen concentrations in Finland and the Estonian SSR

Summary Pollen and spore concentrations were compared in Tartu, Estonia and in three sites in Finland (Turku, Kuopio and Oulu) during May–September 1989. The onset ofQuercus, Pinus, Poaceae,Urtica andRumex flowering started earlier in Tartu than at any site in Finland. The flowering ofJuniperus andArtemisia, on the other hand, began earlier in Turku and Kuopio than in Tartu.Pinus andJuniperus showed a significant correlation (number of pollen grains at the same date) between Tartu and Turku and between Turku and Kuopio. Poaceae andUrtica were correlated between all the sites, as wasRumex except between Tartu and Turku.Artemisia was correlated between Tartu and Turku, Turku and Oulu, and Kuopio and Oulu.Cladosporium correlated between Tartu and Turku. The pollen seasons of Poaceae,Urtica andRumex are prolonged towards the south.     

Caelius Aurelianus‘ textbook on medicine of the fifth century: rhythm in asthma,pain, and drug effects

Caelius Aurelianus was a Greek-Roman physician in the fifth century. He translated the work of Soranus from Ephesus into Latin and extended the medical knowledge of his time in several textbooks. His book “De Morbis acutis et chronicis” was reprinted many times up to the 19th century and served as the handbook for physicians. Aurelianus aready described in detail the rhythmic pattern – daily and seasonally – of asthma. Tooth pain was also first described by Caelius Aurelianus to peak at night and that drugs were not able to fully suppress the pain, a first indication of chronopharmacology.     

Reminiscences from the first curator of the whitney-rothschild collection

Dr Ernst Mayr has been one of the seminal figures of 20th century biology. His essential contributions were in the development of the Modern Synthesis in evolutionary biology. His landmark book Systematics and the Origin of Species, was published in 1942 and has long been acknowledged as one of the key foundations of 20th century evolutionary biology. In many subsequent articles and books on evolution and the history and philosophy of biology during the past half century, he has continued to be a key contributor of ideas and inspiration to successive generations of evolutionary biologists. In the first of two ‘Roots’ articles, he describes the early stages of his career and the serendipitous events that furthered it. This article was first presented as a talk, on October 27, 1993, at the 50 year Jubilee celebration of the founding of the Whitney wing, the ornithological section, of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. In next month's ‘Roots’ article, Dr Mayr will describe the events that led to the founding of the Society for the Study of Evolution in 1946, in St Louis, Missouri.     

Symbolic plant(s) of the Olympic Games

The victors of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece were awarded crowns made of olive branches. In Antiquity, the symbolism of plants was related to myths, properties, aesthetic values, and civilization. Theophrastus first classifies and identifies plants, and gathers information about them, in his classic books (4th century BC). Symbolic plants are native to the Mediterranean region and they exhibit some convergent behaviour with respect to their functional characteristics. These plants were collected (among other species) by Professor J. Sibthorp and his partners in two botanical journeys in the Levant during the 18th century, and they have been illustrated for Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana.     

Applied zooarchaeology and Oregon Coast sea otters (Enhydra lutris)

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) was nearly driven to extinction on the Pacific Coast in the 19th century due to intensive commercial hunting and the maritime fur trade. Despite successful reintroduction efforts elsewhere in North America, the Oregon sea otter population remains locally extirpated and listed as endangered. Prior study addressed precontact sea otter teeth from Oregon and found they were not significantly different in absolute size from modern California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) teeth, and smaller than modern Alaska sea otter (Enhydra lutris lutris) teeth. These geographic groupings were later confirmed by an ancient DNA study. The conclusion that distinct geographic populations exist based on tooth size was founded on small samples. Larger samples of teeth, as well as new data on humeri and femora, indicate dimensions vary significantly along a latitudinal cline from California to Alaska. Morphometric analyses of ancient animal remains can be used to examine spatial relationships of phenotypic features and inform conservation biology decisions.     

Nutrition, aspects of land use and environment in medieval times in southern Germany: plant macro-remain analysis from latrines (late 11th–13th century a.d.) at the town of Überlingen, Lake Constance

From high medieval courtyards at überlingen, Lake Constance (Bodensee), 17 archaeobotanical samples from seven latrines (11th–13th century) were analysed for plant macrofossils. They contained small amounts of cultivated plants and many well preserved seeds and fruits of wild plants. The most numerous cereal finds were of Triticum spelta followed by Secale cereale. Recorded oil plants were Papaver somniferum and Linum usitatissimum. Cultivated and gathered fruits such as various Prunus species, Pyrus communis and Malus domestica, Rubus sp. and Fragaria vesca were eaten by the people of überlingen. Only one seed of Ficus carica was found which may have been imported; no other imported plants could be recognised. Agrostemma githago and Vaccaria hispanica were prevalent weeds. The presence of the latter probably indicates the cultivation of cereals on the steeper slopes above überlingen. It is shown that in central Europe, V. hispanica became a troublesome weed only around the 12th/13th century A.D. Grassland species—mainly from more or less wet locations—and ruderal plants of nitrogen-rich soils were well represented in the samples and characterize the surrounding area. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at     

警惕芒果蛎蚧Lepidosaphes tapleyi(同翅目:盾蚧科)传入中国

【背景】芒果蛎蚧属于盾蚧类昆虫,食性杂,分布广,是危害热带和亚热带水果、蔬菜和园林植物的重要害虫,主要随水果、苗木和交通工具等介质进行远距离传播。该虫被列入中华人民共和国进境植物检疫性有害生物名录。惠州口岸于2014年12月从芬兰进境的货物中截获该虫,属于我国口岸首次截获。【方法】在收集整理芒果蛎蚧的生物学、地理学等信息的基础上,介绍了芒果蛎蚧的主要形态特征、地理分布、寄主植物和生物学特性,并分析了该有害生物入侵我国的风险。【结果】芒果蛎蚧雌成虫为椭圆形,长约1.2 mm,触角每侧有1根长毛,每侧前气门有3个盘状腺,形态特征与近似种Lepidosaphes camelliae和Lepidosaphes pallida非常相似。风险分析表明,我国广东、广西、海南、云南、福建、台湾以及四川等省非常适合芒果蛎蚧生存和危害。芒果蛎蚧入侵我国会给芒果等果树造成危害,给相关产业带来损失,影响从业人员收入,还影响生态环境,可能导致生态灾难。【结论与意义】芒果蛎蚧有入侵我国的可能,加强检疫是防范该虫入侵的主要手段,生物防治是治理该虫的重要措施。     

Regulation of D1-protein degradation during photoinhibition of photosystem II in vivo: Phosphorylation of the D1 protein in various plant groups

Photoinhibition of PSII and turnover of the D1 reaction-centre protein in vivo were studied in pumpkin leaves (Cucurbita pepo L.) acclimated to different growth irradiances and in low-light-grown moss, (Ceratodon purpureus) (Hedw.) Brid. The low-light-acclimated pumpkins were most susceptible to photoinhibition. The production rate of photoinhibited PSII centres (k_PI), determined in the presence of a chloroplast-encoded protein-synthesis inhibitor, showed no marked difference between the high- and low-light-grown pumpkin leaves. On the other hand, the rate constant for the repair cycle (k_REC) of PSII was nearly three times higher in the high-light-grown pumpkin when compared to low-light-grown pumpkin. The slower degradation rate of the damaged D1 protein in the low-light-acclimated leaves, determined by pulsechase experiments with [³⁵S]methionine suggested that the degradation of the Dl protein retards the repair cycle of PSII under photoinhibitory light. Slow degradation of the D1 protein in low-light-grown pumpkin was accompanied by accumulation of a phosphorylated form of the D1 protein, which we postulate as being involved in the regulation of D1-protein degradation and therefore the whole PSII repair cycle. In spite of low growth irradiance the repair cycle of PSII in the moss Ceratodon was rapid under high irradiance. When compared to the high- or low-light-acclimated pumpkin leaves, Ceratodon had the highest rate of D1-protein degradation at 1000 mol photons m^–2 s^–1. In contrast to the higher plants, the D1 protein of Ceratodon was not phosphorylated either under high irradiance in vivo or under in-vitro conditions, which readily phosphorylate the D1 protein of higher plants. This is consistent with the rapid degradation of the D1 protein in Ceratodon. Screening experiments indicated that D1 protein can be phosphorylated in the thylakoid membranes of angiosperms and conifers but not in lower plants. The postulated regulation mechanism of D1-protein degradation involving phosphorylation and the role of thylakoid organization in the function of PSII repair cycle are discussed.Abbreviations Chl Chlorophyll - D1^* phosphorylated form of D1 protein - F_max and F_v maximal and variable fluorescence respectively - k_PJ and k_REC rate constants of photoinhibition and concurrent recovery respectively - LHCII lightharvesting chlorophyll a/bprotein of PSII - PFD photon flux density Dr. R. Barbato (Dipartimento di Biologia, Universita di Padova, Padova, Italy), Prof. P. Böger (Lehrstuhl fur Physiologie und Biochemie der Pflanzen, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany), Prof. A. Melis (Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA), Prof. I. Ohad (Department of Biological Chemistry, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel) and Mr. A. Soitamo (Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland) are gratefully acknowledged for the D1-protein-specific antibodies. The authors thank Ms. Virpi Paakkarinen for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by the Academy of Finland and the Foundation of the University of Turku.     

A new clade of Dickeya spp. plays a major role in potato blackleg outbreaks in North Finland

Until recently Dickeya was regarded as a pathogen not established in Finland. As a result the blackleg symptom observed on potato was often associated with Pectobacterium atrosepticum. The occurrence of Dickeya spp. on potato in Finland was first reported in 2004. Since then the prevalence of Dickeya has been monitored through surveys and routine test of seed lots produced in the country. The results of monitoring of Dickeya spp. in seed lots produced in Finland between the years 2004 and 2008 indicated a steady increase in the incidence of Dickeya spp. The highest incidence was observed in samples from the 2006 growing season where about 37% were positive for Dickeya spp. The summer in 2006 was one of the warmest summers recorded in 100 years in Finland. The majority of infected lots were imported varieties. Since recently heavy blackleg outbreaks have occurred in production fields in the High Grade (HG) zone. A detailed study of these incidents of blackleg outbreaks in North Finland during the years 2008 and 2010 indicated that Dickeya spp. was the major component in the observed blackleg complex. It was detected and isolated from almost all symptomatic plants investigated. Repetitive sequences PCR (REP‐PCR) and Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of strains isolated in Finland showed identical pattern with those isolated recently in other European countries with a proposed name ‘Dickeya solani’. Moreover, the dnaX gene sequence of the representative strains isolated in Finland indicated 100% similarity to the dnaX sequences of ‘D. solani’. The study presents the first report of a detailed analysis of bacteria involved in potato blackleg complex from natural field outbreaks in North Finland HG zone and characterisation of the ‘D. solani’ strains playing the major role in the disease complex.     

A Conversation About Health Care Reform

Professor Victor R. Fuchs is the Henry J. Kaiser Jr Professor at Stanford (California) University, where he applies economic analysis to social problems of national concern, with special emphasis on health and medical care. He holds joint appointments in the Economics Department and the School of Medicine''s Department of Health Research and Policy. Professor Fuchs is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association and a member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was the first economist to receive the Distinguished Investigator Award of the Association for Health Services Research and has also received the Baxter Foundation Health Services Research Prize. Professor Fuchs is president-elect of the American Economic Association. His latest book, The Future of Health Policy, was published by Harvard University Press in 1993.The following edited conversation between Professor Fuchs and Linda Hawes Clever, MD, Editor of the journal, took place on April 8, 1994.     

Food, medicinal and other plants from the 15th century drains of Paisley Abbey, Scotland

Plant remains from the 15th century drains at Paisley Abbey, Scotland include medicinal plants which may have grown in the abbey's physic garden. They are Chelidonium majus, Conium maculatum, Euphorbia lathyris, and Papaver somniferum. Plants with both medicinal and culinary uses are Rumex pseudoalpinus and cf Armoracia rusticana. Other vegetables are represented by Allium sp. and Brassica spp. Malus domestica and Prunus domestica ssp. insititia would have been grown in the abbey's orchard. Juglans regia, represented by nut and wood fragments, was either grown in the orchard or imported. Ficus carica was certainly imported as dried fruit from the Mediterranean region. Myristica fragrans as mace came from Indonesia. Locally grown plants are Avena strigosa, Hordeum, Triticum/Secale, Linum usitatissimum and the dye plant Reseda luteola. It is known that spices and other foodstuffs were purchased at fairs at Berry, Bruges and Antwerp and imported into Scotland at the end of the 15th century.     

Life cycle and life strategy features of Puccinia glechomatis (Uredinales) favorable for extending the natural range of distribution

The objective of this study was to find features in microcyclic rust fungi (Uredinales) on wild host plants favorable for extension of the natural range of distribution. Puccinia glechomatis, a leptosporic rust fungus and its herbal host Glechoma hederacea (Lamiaceae), both natives to Eurasia and introduced in North America, were used for this study. Although the host has been known from North America since the beginning of the nineteenth century, the rust fungus was first observed there only in recent years. Favorable features were identified by studying the life cycle of the rust, including nuclear conditions and seasonal characteristics as well as its spread in North America. The life cycle was studied macroscopically by inoculation experiments, by various light microscope techniques, and by scanning electron microscopy. The spread of the pathogen and its host were reconstructed by evaluating host plant herbarium specimens and databases, literature, and field study data. The studies on P. glechomatis show that, generally for microcyclic rust fungi, establishment and potential for spread are based on several favorable features of both the host (e.g., synanthropic occurence and dispersal, genetic stability, regeneration of vegetative plant parts) and the rust fungus (asexual reproduction/genetic stability, homothallism, propagation with host plant, formation of both leptospores and thick-walled teliospores).     

Collections of 18th Century Vilna Botanists in the Józef Jundziłł Herbarium

Summary

The herbarium of Jσzef Jundzi?tl (1794–1877), a professor of botany at Vilna University, contains plants of the 18th century Vilna botanists: Jean Emmanuel Gilibert (1741–1814)and Johann Georg Forster (1754–1794). The collection of J. G. Forster consists of 51 sheets, and there are 29 sheets of J. E. Gilibert. J. G. Forster's plants are South African species, which could have been collected during James Cook's second voyage (1772–1775). There are no data connected with the J. E. Gilibert collection.     

The Friesner Herbarium (BUT) of Butler University

The Friesner Herbarium (BUT) of Butler University is a collection of over 100,000 specimens built from the personal herbarium of Ray C. Friesner. He and other botanists at Butler amassed one of the largest and most complete collections of Indiana plants. Active exchange from the 1920’s through the 1940’s increased the holdings of plants from other states. Although the collection does not contain many type specimens, it is rich in vouchers from floristic and ecological studies conducted in the first half of the 20th century and published in the scientific journal,Butler University Botanical Studies.     

Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is not invasive through Asia: It's been there all along

Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), is a highly polyphagous fruit fly which, in the last 15 years, has invaded (with or without establishment) Africa, Europe and North America. As a direct result of these invasions, there is increasing research interest in the invasion history and spread patterns of this fly. A statement being repeatedly used in the B. dorsalis invasion literature is that the species was first identified from Taiwan in 1912 and that it subsequently spread through South‐East and South Asia during the 20th century. This assumption is incorrect and stems from: (a) an incomplete knowledge of B. dorsalis taxonomic history; and (b) a confounding of first taxonomic record with first invasion record. Rather than being first detected in Taiwan in 1912, the first record of oriental fruit fly was from “East India” (India orientali) under the synonymous name of Musca ferruginea by Fabricius in 1794, and in the 1910s, it was known not only from Taiwan, but widely across tropical Asia with records from India, Burma, Bengal, Sri Lanka (as Ceylon), Singapore and Indonesia (multiple islands). The taxonomic literature is very clear that oriental fruit fly has not invaded the rest of Asia from Taiwan since 1912, and this error should not continue to be repeated in the literature.     

The effect of simulated acid rain on performance of the aphid Euceraphis betulae (Koch) on silver birch

Summary The effect of artificial acid rain on the reproduction and survival of the aphid Euceraphis betulae on silver birch was studied in Turku, southern Finland. Eight bioassays were done during 1984–1986. In four of the bioassays the aphids produced 40% to over 100% more progeny on birches watered with dilute sulphuric acid (pH 3.5) than on control trees. In four other cases the performance of aphids did not differ between the treatments. An index of aphid reproduction pooled over the whole study was significantly higher on acid-treated than on control birches. The reproduction of aphids on acid-treated birches was enhanced when precipitation was below long term average, suggesting an interaction between the stress caused by acid treatment and dry periods.     

Improvement of health care for the poor in Split (southern Croatia) during the first half of the 19th century

The aim of this study was to investigate the health care available for the poor citizens of Split during the first half of the 19th century. Soon after being constructed in 1797, the Civic Hospital in Split founded by the Ergovac brothers for the needs of the poor was transformed into a military hospital. Consequently, caring for this social stratum was taken over by two inadequate shelters and later by a small civic hospital situated in the Split suburb of Dobri. The year of the application of Petar Ergovac to the supreme ruler for the transformation of the hospital building established by his family from a military to a civil institution was found, as well as the correct data regarding its return to initial idea in 1821. On the basis of the archival documents kept in the Archaeological Museum in Split and in the State Archives in Zadar, the work organization of the Civic Hospital in Split and the first stage of its change from a charitable to a public health hospital institution were presented. This study revealed the aspiration of the authorities in the first half of the 19th century to improve the health system of the city of Split.