A. L. Kroeber and the New Kinship Studies

In his classic 1909 article, ‘Classificatory systems of relationship’, A. L. Kroeber argued for a universal procreative or genealogical grid that is largely independent of external causation and therefore directly revelatory of the structure of the human mind. Kroeber's argument is brought to bear upon the so-called ‘new kinship studies', particularly upon the lack of such a grid posited in these studies, and is shown to be ethnographically more sensitive. It is, moreover, philosophically more liberating, precisely because it posits the mind's independent activity.     

Bayesian modeling of the evolution of male height in 18th century Finland from incomplete data

Data on army recruits’ height are frequently available and can be used to analyze the economics and welfare of the population in different periods of history. However, such data are not a random sample from the whole population at the time of interest, but instead is skewed since the short men were less likely to be recruited. In statistical terms this means that the data are left-truncated. Although truncation is well-understood in statistics a further complication is that the truncation threshold is not known, may vary from time to time, and auxiliary information on the threshold is not at our disposal.The advantage of the fully Bayesian approach presented here is that both the population height distribution and the truncation are modeled simultaneously. The truncation threshold is allowed to be random and time-specific whilst the height distribution is assumed to change smoothly in time. Thus, in addition to the population height characteristics, we obtain also insight into recruiting criteria over time.Analysis of historical data from Swedish army recruitment in eight time events between 1768 and 1804 has found a declining trend in the mean population height during the inspected time period and also dramatic systematic changes in the recruiting.     

Physical anthropology in 1918 and the founding of the U.S. journal

In 1918, the first issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology was prepared and distributed by Aleš Hrdlička, the Curator of Physical Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution. This was a singular act, both in the general and specific sense. It was the first journal of physical anthropology published in the United States, and it was a sole effort by Hrdlička, who was committed to promoting and recognizing physical anthropology as a new science in America. On this 100th anniversary of the founding of the journal, Hrdlička's efforts were successful: physical/biological anthropology is a strong and timely discipline that represents a major area of scientific research today.     

The origins of medical physics

The historical origins of medical physics are traced from the first use of weighing as a means of monitoring health by Sanctorius in the early seventeenth century to the emergence of radiology, phototherapy and electrotherapy at the end of the nineteenth century. The origins of biomechanics, due to Borelli, and of medical electricity following Musschenbroek's report of the Leyden Jar, are included. Medical physics emerged as a separate academic discipline in France at the time of the Revolution, with Jean Hallé as its first professor. Physiological physics flowered in Germany during the mid-nineteenth century, led by the work of Adolf Fick. The introduction of the term medical physics into English by Neil Arnott failed to accelerate its acceptance in Britain or the USA. Contributions from Newton, Euler, Bernoulli, Nollet, Matteucci, Pelletan, Gavarret, d'Arsonval, Finsen, Röntgen and others are noted. There are many origins of medical physics, stemming from the many intersections between physics and medicine. Overall, the early nineteenth-century definition of medical physics still holds today: ‘Physics applied to the knowledge of the human body, to its preservation and to the cure of its illnesses’.     

Some highlights in the history of fungi in medicine – A personal journey

The history of the role of fungi in the development of medicine has largely been neglected. Here the early recognition of the germ theory will be discussed in relation to surface infections, the “cholera fungus theory” and recognition of the phenomenon of microbial antagonism. This leads to a short review of the history of those antibiotics produced by fungi, notably penicillin. Finally, the history of the recognition of the potential role fungi play as casual agents of cancer will be discussed; although currently neglected, this work may prove to be of future significance. This history of medical mycology is discussed from the standpoint of my own interest and research into this fascinating, and often overlooked area of medical history.     

The “proletarian disease” on stage. Theatrical anti-tuberculosis propaganda in the early Soviet Union

The present contribution analyses sanitary theatrical performances as a means of anti-tuberculosis propaganda in the early Soviet Union. Starting in the 1920s, sanitary theatrical performances were demonstrated in open-air theatres and clubhouses for workers and farmers. Since 1925, the newly founded Moscow Theatre for Sanitary Culture centrally managed the theatrical hygiene propaganda. It became a role model for other theatres of hygienic enlightenment and numerous sanitary amateur stages. Their anti-tuberculosis repertoire ranged from the so-called “mock trials” where a person or even Koch's bacillus must stand trial for the spreading of tuberculosis, to “living newspapers” which used entertainment elements such as music or acrobatics to provide a mass audience with the hygiene knowledge. The contribution describes in which images, figures and actions knowledge about tuberculosis was presented on stage, which genre traditions and communicative instruments were used and which changing political implications those performances were based on. To achieve this goal, the archive sources, selected texts of theatrical performances, reports and reviews in daily press have been evaluated.     

Erinnerungen an Ornithologen, die ich kannte (2. Teil)

Zusammenfassung Der Aufsatz stellt eine Fortsetzung der Niederschrift eines Vortrages des Autors dar, die im Heft 3/1998 des Journals veröffentlicht wurde. Die hier wiedergegebenen Informationen wurden am 23. September 1999 vor der 132. Jahresversammlung der DO-G in Bayreuth vorgetragen. Erneut berichtete der Autor aus Biographien mehrerer ornithologisch interessierter Naturkundler und schenkt der Untersuchung des Einflusses politisch-gesell-schaftlicher Verhältnisse auf deren wissenschaftliche Tätigkeit und persönliche Schicksale besonderes Interesse. Auch wirkliche und potentielle Nobelpreisträger sind unter den geschilderten Persönlichkeiten. Der Autor geht auch zurück in die Geschichte des vorigen Jahrhunderts, um zu belegen, dass die Verhältnisse in den Diktaturen der jüngeren Zeit kein Einzelphänomen waren. Auch diesmal basiert die Schilderung auf persönlichen Erfahrungen, die oft durch Informationen aus Archiven, diversen Publikationen und Berichten noch lebender Zeitzeugen überprüft und ergänzt wurden.

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Reflections on ornithologists I have known (part 2)

Summary The content of this paper was presented at the 1999 Annual General Meeting of the German Ornithologists Society held in Bayreuth as a sequel of the presentation given in 1997, which has been published (J. Ornithol. 139: 325–348, 1998). Basing his work on some further 15 personal histories of naturalists, the author is again investigating the impact of socio-political relationships on their scientific activities and the involvement ofsome of the scientists in politics. In addition to famous personalities from the middle of the 20th century, such as the Nobel Prize winner Konrad Lorenz, analyses were also made in respect of some nineteenth century personalities and some from the last decade of the twentieth. The author is of the opinion that a knowledge of history is important not only for future development in general, but also for science, i. a. for ornithology.