Haematopoiesis in snakes (Ophidia) in early postnatal development

The occurrence of haematopoiesis has been studied in various parts of the spine and in the ribs in four species of snakes (Boa constrictor L., Elaphe guttata L., Lamprophis fulaginosus Boie., Bothrops jararaca Wied.) from hatching until 150 days of postnatal development. Marrow spaces are formed by chondrolysis with various time frames depending on the studied species. Marrow cells egress to the general circulation in two ways: via migration through the endothelial cells lining the venous sinuses or by the rupture of protrusions. Erythroblasts are present in the lumen of marrow sinuses suggesting their final maturation there. Various relationships of the spleen to the pancreas have been found. No myelopoietic foci occur in the spleen, liver or kidney of any of the studied species. However, erythropoiesis (sparse islets) has been observed in Bothrops jararaca spleen. This study was supported by Polish KBN grant 3P04C 022 24 and Brazilian FAPESP and CNPq grants.     

Baby Stealing

Analysis of 13 cases of baby stealing by women distinguished four groups of cases. (1) Girls of subnormal intelligence, who stole a baby to play with. (2) Schizophrenic patients, whose offence was motivated by delusional ideas. (3) Psychopathic personalities, characterized by a previous history of delinquency, hysterical personality traits, and a preoccupation with their desire to have children. Their baby stealing seemed motivated by an attempt to compensate for their emotional deprivation, and they usually stole children whom they had previously helped to care for. (4) A “manipulative” group with a milder degree of personality disorder, in whom the motive for baby stealing was an attempt to influence a man by whom they had become pregnant and with whom their relationship was insecure. The offence was precipitated by a crisis such as a miscarriage or the threat of desertion. These women presented the stolen baby to their partner pretending that the child was his.Baby stealing seems usually to be an attempt to compensate for emotional deprivation or frustrated maternal feelings, and a real or imaginary miscarriage may be a predisposing or precipitating factor. The offence rarely seems premediated, though there was evidence of previous planning in some cases, particularly in the manipulative group. The stolen babies were well cared for and were usually quickly recovered.     

Haematopoiesis In Mice Heterozygous For the W Trait: Defective Formation of Transient Endogenous Spleen Colonies

It has been determined that W/+ and W^v/+ heterozygous mice, as compared with normal +/+ homozygous littermates, form significantly lower numbers of transient 5-day endogenous spleen colonies in response to X-irradiation. This defect was evident for doses of irradiation between 2–6 Gy (200–600 rad) and was associated with a slightly increased radiosensitivity of the assayed precursor cells (TE-CFU) in W heterozygotic mice. Moreover, the defect was transplantable, i.e., intrinsic to the marrow cells and not to the microenvironment, and was not associated with a similar decrease in cells which form erythropoietic bursts in vitro (BFUe). This study provides a cellular basis for increased radiosensitivity of W/+ and W^v/+ mice and suggests that the ‘W’ mutation is semi-dominant, both with respect to the white spotting and TE-CFU formation.     

A report from America: Baby M

Rachels reviews the social and legal facts of the celebrated "Baby M" case, in which surrogate Mary Beth Whitehead attempted to keep the daughter she had borne under contract to William Stern. The first phase of the legal battle between the parents ended in March 1988, when New Jersey Superior Court Judge Harvey R. Sorkow upheld the validity of the surrogacy contract, terminated Whitehead's parental rights, and awarded custody of the child to Stern. Rachels comments on public reaction to "Baby M," on Sorkow's decision, and on the impact the case may have on legislative attempts to regulate surrogacy. He also uses the example of "Baby M," as well as that of California heart transplant patient "Baby Jesse," to discuss how the media sensationalize controversial issues.     

Baby brain: training executive control in infancy

A recent study shows that a relatively short period of cognitive training can improve infants’ ability to sustain and flexibly deploy attention. Thus, it appears important aspects of cognition can be modified using ‘brain-training’ techniques at an early age.     

Migration in Archeology: The Baby and the Bathwater

Migration has been largely ignored by archeologists for the last two decades. Yet prehistoric demography and population studies are accepted as central concerns, and neither of these can be studied profitably without an understanding of migration. Recent books by Rouse and Renfrew have resurrected migration as a subject of serious analysis. It is proposed here that systems-oriented archeologists, in rejecting migration, have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. Traditional archeological approaches to migration fall short because a methodology for examining prehistoric migration must be dependent upon an understanding of the general structure of migration as a patterned human behavior. Aspects of such a structure are suggested and an application to a particular case in Eastern Europe is described.