Providentia

Teaching in Violent Communities

Teachers in violent communities are at risk for breakdowns in global meaning, burnout, and a number of psychiatric consequences. Using a Spanish version of the Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale (ISLES-S), a study published in the International Journal of Stress Management provided a preliminary test of the instrument and examined the role of meaning made of a salient stressor among a sample of 257 teachers from El Salvador who had experienced a variety of possible traumas and stressful life events. Study participants completed a one-time questionnaire with the ISLES-S, history of violence exposure and other background concerns, and a number of related constructs from the positive psychology and spirituality literatures. Psychometric results indicted evidence of concurrent validity and supported a two-factor structure for the ISLES-S with items loading on both a Comprehensibility factor (gauging meaning made via assimilative processes) and a Footing in the World factor (gauging meaning made via accommodative processes). In addition, when controlling for demographic factors, violence exposure, and related constructs, teachers’ ability to make meaning of their identified stressors was uniquely associated with less burnout and psychiatric symptomatology. In summary, study findings provide support for the further implementation of the ISLES-S in research and clinical contexts in Central America and highlight the relevance of meaning making for teachers and other helping professionals who must contend with the threat/effects of violence by virtue of their profession.

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Florida Cannibal Committed Indefinitely

Nearly two years after the bizarre slaying of a vagrant, a 36-year old Connecticut man has been found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to a maximum-security psychiatric hospital indefinitely.   Tyree Lincoln Smith was arrested was arrested  in Florida after the mutilated and partially decomposed body of Angel Gonzalez was found in a vacant house in Bridgeport, Connecticut.   The victim had been killed with an axe and had his one of his eyes and part of his brain removed.

According to testimony presented at his trial, Smith's cousin, Nicole Rabb, stated that he had arrived at her house on December 15, 2011.  He then told her that he "wanted to get blood on his hands" before going to the abandoned house where Gonzalez's body was later found.  He said that he had developed a craving for blood after eating a rare steak.   On the following day, she saw him with blood on his hands, pants, and an axe.    He then told her that he had "gotten his blood" and that he had killed Gonzalez with the ax and then collected the eyes and brain to be eaten in the cemetery.    He reportedly said the eye, "tasted like an oyster"  and that he drank sake after consuming the body parts.    Nicole Rabb  contacted Bridgeport police and reported her cousin though police were only able to find the bloody axe and an empty bottle of sake. 

Several weeks later, Smith was found in a pharmacy bleeding from his wrist after he had cut himself with a box cutter.   He was treated and released from a mental health facility in Westport, Connecticut  before returning to Florida  on a Greyhound bus.   Federal and state law enforcement officers located Smith in a woman's apartment and he was arrested on January 23, 2012 after the body was found.     Public defender Joseph Bruckman based Smith's defense on the testimony of Yale University psychiatrist  Dr. Reena Kapoor.    In her testimony, Dr. Kapoor stated that Smith had suffered from psychotic episodes since childhood including hearing voices telling him to kill people.   She also stated that the voices ordered him to eat the victim's brain to get a better understanding of human nature and the eyes so that he could "see into the spirit realm."   His preoccupation with eating human flesh remained strong even after his arrest and he even offered to eat Dr. Kapoor.  

According to Smith in a videotaped statement presented to the court, he had been sleeping on the porch of the abandoned house where he had once lived when he was awakened by Gonzalez who invited him inside.  He then beat Gonzalez on the head and face with the axe.  The force of the blows were so severe that he was able to remove the eye and part of the brain.   He went to the Lakeview cemetery so that he could eat the brain and eye on the grave of a male cousin.   He then went to a Subway restaurant for a sandwich.

After weighing the evidence and deliberating for only an hour, the three-judge panel declared that Smith was a danger to himself and others if released and ordered him detained indefinitely.  Prior to their announcing their decision, Smith surprised the courtroom by apologizing for the murder.   "I'm really sorry for what I did, that I couldn't be myself," Smith told the judges. "It really had nothing to do with the other person."   The victim's sister-in-law, Talitha Frazier, burst into tears upon hearing Smith's apology. "We waited two years to hear Tyree say he was sorry,"  she told reporters.  "What he said today caught me off-guard, but I feel he meant what he said."  

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Setting a Bad Example

A research study published in Health Psychology.  examines how access to information on peer health behaviors affects one’s own health behavior.  The study shows the results of a randomized field experiment in a large corporation in which we introduced walkstations (treadmills attached to desks that enable employees to walk while working), provided employees with feedback on their own and their coworkers’ usage, and assessed usage over 6 months.  Results showed that walkstation usage declined most when participants were given information on coworkers’ usage levels, due to a tendency to converge to the lowest common denominator—their least-active coworkers.  This research demonstrates the impact of the lowest common denominator in physical activity: people’s activity levels tend to converge to the lowest-performing members of their groups. This research adds to our understanding of the factors that determine when the behavior of others impacts our own behavior for the better—and the worse.

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"No Easy Answers" Regarding BC Woman Convicted for Killing Animals

After pleading guilty in 2012 to killing and disemboweling the family dog and cat, 23-year-old Kayla Bourque was placed on stringent conditions due to public safety fears.   A former psychology and criminology student at Vancouver's Simon Fraser University, Bourque was arrested after a teaching assistant informed campus security about her violent fantasies.   These included her reportedly tellling a fellow student that she wished to learn to "get away with murder."   A search of her room turned up a mask, a knife, a syringe, and a video of her torturing and killing the dog and cat belonging to her family in Prince George, British Columbia. 

A subsequent investigation found that Bourque had posted profiles on several goth sites listing her fascination with necrophilia and erotophonophilia (erotic preference for killing).     Despite public safety concerns, she only received nine months in prison and three years of probation.    Following her release in early 2013, police issued a rare public alert due to concerns over a potential escalation of her violent history.   The public notice issued by the B.C. Ministry of Justice stated that Bourque "has an escalating criminal history. She has offended violently against both people and animals and is considered high risk to reoffend."    Following her release, she was required to abide by the fortyy-six probation conditions  laid down at the time of her convictions.   The conditions include no proximity to animals or children,  staying off the Internet, and informing her probation officer of any new employment or education enrolment.  She is also banned from owning a computer or cell phone, and is even banned from owning duct tape.    She must also inform any potential new friend of her criminal history.   Though most of her probation conditions only run for three years, she is also under a lifetime ban against owning any animals.

After appealing many of her probation conditions, which she and her lawyer insisted were too restrictive, a three-judge B.C. appeal court dismissed her appeal with only minor changes to her conditions.   In announcing the unanimous appeal court decision, Judge Elizabeth Bennett stated that "Ms. Bourque has a history of killing and torturing animals.  She takes pleasure from this conduct, and has no insight into the harm and suffering she causes these creatures. Her condition is life-long, and is not situational. In my view, there is nothing to support a request for leniency on this prohibition. Ms. Bourque has lost the privilege of having the companionship of animals by betraying their trust in her."

Depicted as a "future serial killer" by the media, Bourque is now living in Vancouver.     Her parents, who adopted her out of a Romanian orphanage when she was nine months old, have essentially ostracized her stating that she is not welcome to return to her Prince George homeWhile she has indicated interest in getting psychological help, mental health professionals who have examined her report that she showed no remorse or insight into her crimes and one even went so far as to describe her as an "affectionless psychopath".  

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Staying in Control

What is perceived control?

Defined as “the belief that one has the ability to make a difference in the course or the consequences of some event or experience; often helpful in dealing with stressors”, perceived control can be a key factor in living longer.    Also known as locus of control, the confidence we have in our ability to control our own lives plays an important role in maintaing a healthy lifestyle and avoiding high-risk activities that can cause medical problems later in life. 

Beginning in adolescence, perceived control shapes our abiity to develop good health habits that can prevent future problems.   Research has shown that higher perceived control in adolescents is linked to lower psychological stress, better cardiovascular health, lower inflammation, and reduced obesity by the time those adolescents reach young adulthood.   The healthy decisions that come from perceived control can lead to favourable outcomes much later in life as well.  

Researchers have already demonstrated a link between perceived control and reduced cardiovascular disease and even delaying death in older adults.  Studies of patients with diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and kidney disease have also shown increased rates of survival linked to how much confidence people have in their ability to control their disease.

To read more, check out my new Psychology Today blog post. 

 

Killing the Changeling (Part 3 of 3)

Continued from Part Two    

Though the priest would deny it,  Joanna Burke and others would swear that Bridget spat out the wafer which proved that she was a changeling.   After the priest left and the men who had conducted the fairy trial continued to argue whether Bridget was a changeling.    Micheal Cleary grew increasingly desperate since the nine days were almost up.   As midnight approached on March 15, he decided to resume the fairy trial and, when she failed to respond as he believed his real wife would, became physically abusive.   After throwing her to the ground, he tried to force bread down Bridget's throat.   That there were three grown men watching this ordeal along with Joanna Burke who did nothing to defend Bridget Cleary would be used against them in the later trial.  

Realizing that she was unresponsive, and likely dead by that time, Michael Cleary then grabbed a can of oil and poured its contents on Bridget's body before setting it on fire.  Despite efforts by Joanna Burke to stop the burning, she was pushed aside.   None of the others made any effort to stop Michael and Bridget was apparently already dead given that she failed to react to the burning.    Though several of the others tried to leave, Michael had locked the cottage to prevent the fairy from escaping.    He insisted that the body he was burning was not his wife and nobody tried to overpower him despite the body burning for more than thirty minutes.   After the flames died down, Michael had the men help him lift Bridget's body onto the fireplace.   

After thirty more minutes, the people present watched Bridget's body burn and nobody attempted to leave despite the smoke.   As the body burned, Michael Cleary kept up the ritual to drive the changeling away.    After the body cooled, the men wrapped the charred body in a bedsheet to be buried by Michael Cleary and one of the other men.   They then established the cover story that Bridget had "run off" and all the ones present, including Joanna Burke and Bridget's father, were made to swear oaths not to reveal what had happened.

Afterward, John Dunne (who had not been present at the burning) convinced Michael to go to the priests and request their help.   When the priests refused, Michael and a large group of Bridget's friends and family went to the ringfort in an attempt to get the "real" Bridget back.   Michael refused to admit that he had killed his wife (who he still insisted was a changeling) and insisted that Bridget would be there according to fairy lore.  Despite several long vigils, no sign of Bridget or the fairies were ever found.   All that was left to them was a body that the police would later find and the later arrest of ten men for Bridget's brutal death.

The arraignment of the ten men involved in the "Tipperary Witchcraft case" became major news across the United Kingdom, both for the lurid details of Bridget's murder and as an indictment of Irish fairy lore.    Autopsy results showed that Bridget Cleary had been burned to death and doctors ruled out the possibility that the fairy herbs she had been forced to consume might have played a role.   That exonerated Denis Ganey who had supplied the remedy that Michael had given Bridget.   The others were not so fortunate.   After less than an hour of deliberation, the magistrates ruled that all nine men were liable in Bridget Cleary's death and bound all of them over for a later trial.

Awaiting trial, the nine men were held at the Clonmel gaol where they faced an odd predicament.   Despite their numerous ties to the community, they were also regarded with some contempt for the disgrace they had brought to the entire area.  Held over until July 1895, the men finally went on trial for Bridget Cleary's murder.  As expected, the British government used the trial as an opportunity to not only prosecute the men but to serve as a general indictment of Irish superstition and the Catholic Church as well.   Michael Cleary refused to plead guilty for his wife' murder and the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter in his case.   As for the others,  eight were found guilty as charged (one was acquitted because of his youth).    They were given varied sentences ranging from five years to six months hard labour.  Mary Kennedy, the only woman among the defendants and the mother of Joanna Burke, was allowed to go free.

As for Michael Cleary, who was judged to have the primary reponsibility for his wife's murder, he was sentenced to twenty years in prison.  The community reaction to the sentencing was muted but someone obviously felt outraged.   Not long afterward,  Mary Kennedy's cottage was burned although the Cleary cottage was left untouched.   Media reaction to the sentencing fell along predictable political lines with defenders insisting that Michael Cleary's sentence was too harsh (since he genuinely believed his wife had been replaced by a changeling) to others insisting that Michael Cleary's sentence needed to stand as an example for other people contemplating "witch burning."     William Simpson was reprimanded for operating paid tours of the Cleary cottage (he had been entrusted with a key which was promptly taken away from him).   Rumours that the Madame Tussaud Museum in London was planning to buy the cottage never panned out either.  For the most part, the people of Clonmel hoped that the entire matter would be forgotten and they largely got their wish.

Michael Cleary served fifteen years of his twenty-year sentence in three different prisons before being released on parole in 1910.   Part of the basis for that parole was his admitting that he had changed his mind about fairies and changelings.   In his repeated parole applications, he placed most of the blame on his relatives for convincing him that his wife was a changeling and that he was a victim of their "superstition of sorcery."   He also blamed the murder on his poor mental state stemming from his lack of sleep while caring for his ailing wife.    After his release, he never returned to Ireland but instead emigrated to Montreal, Quebec.   What happened to him afterward appears lost to history.   As for the others prosecuted for Bridget Cleary's murder, they all served their full sentence but many of them were left homeless following their release from prison.   Even Joanna Burke suffered considerably in the years following the trial since many family members condemned her for testifying for the prosecution. 

While the murder of Bridget Cleary was prime political fodder at the time, there seems to be little evidence that it had much of an effect on delaying Home Rule in Ireland.    It was the only "fairy killing" of its kind to gain international publicity but, ironically enough, a similar case occurred only a year after Bridget Cleary's death.     In a town in western Ireland,  a shoemaker named James Cunningham was bludgeoned to death by family members after he reportedly attacked his father claiming that there were "fairies at his throat."   According to the subsequent police investigation, James had also been in the habit of visiting a nearby fairy fort and developed "evidence of mental affliction."   Though his family attempted to have the priests provide last rites due to James' illness, the priest refused and the family believed that he had been touched by evil spirits.   After James' bloody death, a number of people were taken into custody including James' father, three brothers, a sister, and several neighbours (who had burst into the house during James rampage and had helped subdue him). 

While the family members were held in the local jail, they became convinced that evil spirits had followed them and that another Cunningham brother, Patrick, had also become possessed.   The five men in the cell broke out and attacked the six policemen on duty before being restrained.  But that wasn't all.   While held in another jail awaiting trial, the entire family became involved in a violent brawl.  That included James' sister, Lizzie, who attacked her father trying to "draw the fairies out of his throat."  While Patrick Cunningham was acquitted, two other Cunningham brothers and Lizzie were committed to asylums.   From that point on, cases of "fairy possession" were treated as signs of mental illness.

Though that was the last real "fairy" trial in Ireland,  fairy lore continued to be part of Irish culture but pagan practices larely faded as the Catholic Church's hold became stronger and people turned to more political matters.   Despite occasional lip service to the old fairy practices, hardly anyone in Ireland would publicly admit to believing in them by the dawn of the 20th century.    The only surviving physical evidence of Bridget Cleary's life and death are the parish records, her unmarked grave, and the abandoned cottage where she had lived with her husband.    While reports indicate that is was still standing as recently as 2000, I could find no further mention after that. 

Whatever fascination Bridget Cleary had for the long abandoned ring fort near her home, she eventually paid for it with her life.   That her murder trial would generate international news would likely not have given her much comfort.

 

Suicide and Homelessness

Homelessness is associated with an increased incidence of mental illness and risk of self-harm, including suicide.  A research study published in Crisis assessed the prevalence of self-harm (including nonsuicidal self-injury and attempted suicide) among a UK sample of homeless adults and to compare demographic, clinical, and homeless-related variables to determine which are linked to self-harm in this population. A sample of 80 homeless adults were interviewed regarding history of self-harm, mental health history, demographic, and homeless-related information. Results showed that sixty-eight percent of the sample reported past acts of self-harm. Those with histories of self-harm started using significantly more substances since becoming homeless and were younger when they first became homeless. They were also significantly more likely to have a past psychiatric admission and thoughts of self-harm in the past year. The authors conclude that self-harm is common among homeless adults and linked to long-term and enduring social and mental health concerns.

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Giant's Shoulders #64: The Lexicon Edition

Welcome to the 64th edition of the Giant's Shoulders, the monthly blog carnival devoted to the history of science.   To mark this latest foray, I thought it seemed fitting to commemorate arch-lexicographer and all-around logomaniac, Noah Webster, who was born on this day in 1758.   As the author of the first English dictionary to be published in the United States, Webster is still regarded as the "Father of American Scholarship and Education."  

With that mind, let's turn to the numerous and diverse contributions that have been made to this latest edition.  Along with the different and nifty new words associated with them, we have (broken down by discipline.

Astronomy and Space Science

Pugilism (n), the manly art of self-defense.   Another word for the kind of knock-down fighting we see on Michael Flynn's TOF Spot as he referees The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown!  :  http://tofspot.blogspot.de/2013/08/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown.html

Progenitor (n), an ancestor or parent.  And who better to honour as the progenitor of space travel than the great Konstantin Tsiolkovsky?   The Yovisto blog weighs in with a look at this awesome pioneer:   

http://yovisto.blogspot.it/2013/09/konstantin-tsiolkovsky-founding-father.html

Eponym (n), being named for a person or persons.    Halley's Comet is named for Edmond Halley, whose writing about his explorations are featured in  these two entries from Halley's Log

http://halleyslog.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/a-guiney-man-of-30-gunns/

http://halleyslog.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/halley-under-saile/

Anomalous (adj), deviating from what is normal or expected.  As in, nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition.   Least of all, Tycho Brahe.   The University of Glasgow blog has the details.

http://universityofglasgowlibrary.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/banned-books-week-tycho-brahe-and-the-spanish-inquisition/

Prognostication (n).  Predicting future events.   So why were "gypsy" astrologers all the rage in the 17th century?  Praeludia Microcosmica fills you in.

http://praeludiamicrocosmica.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/egyptian-astrologers-and-the-prognostic-marketplace/

Biology and Medicine

Infectious (adj).   Capable of spreading infection.  Are childhood killers like measles and mumps making a comeback?     Historians are Past Caring.  http://learnearnandreturn.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/the-return-of-the-childhood-killers-measles-mumps-and-the-rest/

Lepidopteran (n),  a common name given to moths and butterflies.  And it's butterflies galore at the Oxford Museum!   BBC News has the details:   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24015880

Competition (n), a race or contest.   What Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin engaged in while they traveled the world unraveling the mystery of fossils.    The Alfred Russel Wallace site provides more details.

http://wallacefund.info/poster-showing-wallace-darwins-travels-available

Pachyderm (n),  an elephant.  Why did friends of eminent botanist Joseph Banks refer to him as a "placid elephant"?   The Public Domain Review solves the mystery.

http://publicdomainreview.org/2013/04/04/joseph-banks-portraits-of-a-placid-elephant/

Morbidity, (n), relating to the rate of incidence of a disease.   How would you have died in 1811?   This article from Slate provides a clue.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science_of_longevity/2013/09/interactive_game_of_death_in_history_how_would_you_have_died_in_the_past.html

Parturition (n), relating to childbirth.    Not as easy as you might think considering the complicated contraptions doctors devised in the past to aid women giving birth.   The Chirugeon's Apprentice has the details of one bizarre innovation.

http://thechirurgeonsapprentice.com/2013/09/19/do-not-sit-a-history-of-the-birthing-chair/

Iatric (adj), pertaining to medicine.   While Greek and Roman medicine may not have been as advanced as what we expect to day, the doctors had a few interesting tricks in their day.   Gender selection, anyone?  The Recipes Project blog has the details.

http://recipes.hypotheses.org/2294

Invidious (adj),   Likely to arouse anger over unjust discrimination.    Do those dreaded "foreigners" give birth to more children?  Early Modern Medicine explores the preoccupation over why other nations were more fertile than those poor English families.

http://earlymodernmedicine.com/the-fertility-of-foreigners/

Contraceptive (n), controlling or limiting fertility.   Can beans be a contraceptive?   The Ancient Recipes site weighs in on why beans were a popular folk remedy for controlling births..

http://ancientrecipes.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/the-wind-of-change/

Gargantuan (adj).   Far greater than average;  enormous.   Like for example, the enormous turnip to be found in this next piece.   Ancient Recipes has the details.

http://ancientrecipes.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/the-enormous-turnip/

Vertigo (n).   Dizziness stemming from motion sickness.   The Medievelists site provides some medieval advice on the treatment of sea sickness.

http://www.medievalists.net/2011/10/11/mediaeval-advice-on-the-avoidance-and-treatment-of-sea-sickness/

Physiognomy (n).   Assessing character from facial features.   Out of Time has some interesting ideas about why people look like their dogs.

http://jenshermanroberts.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/in-the-image-of-dog-he-created-them/

Aesculapian (adj).   Relating to medicine.    Why was Galen considered the most eminent medical authority of the ancient world?   This BBC Radio podcast has the answers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03c4dys

Dernier cri (n.)   The latest fashion.    The the demand for Tyrian purple lead to the death of countless innocent snails?     The Smithsonian has the gory details.

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/10/in-ancient-rome-purple-dye-was-made-from-snails

Archivist (n).   A keeper of a record.    What will be the final fate of the Oxford Biographical Index?   Early Modern Practitioners tells you more.

http://practitioners.exeter.ac.uk/2013/10/finding-a-good-home-for-practitioners-the-final-fate-of-the-oxford-biographical-index/

Prognostication (n).  Predicting the future.   Did a long-ago prediction made by Charles Darwin finally come to pass?  The Guardian has the details.
 http://www.theguardian.com/science/lost-worlds/2013/oct/02/moth-tongues-orchids-darwin-evolution

Computing and Mathematics

Enigma (n), a mystery like the one explored on the Communications of the ACM blog which tackles that arcane question:   Who begat computing?    http://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2013/1/158780-who-begat-computing/fulltext

Patisserie (n),,  a bakery.   And where else do you find delicious pie?   Oh, wait.  This is the other pi.   Longer but not as tasty.   The Renaissance Mathematicus weighs in on the man who brought pi to the world. 

http://thonyc.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/the-corresponding-accountant-the-man-who-invented-π-and-the-earls-of-macclesfield/

Geology

Glaciology (n), the study of glaciers.   While Louis Agassiz opposed Charles Darwin's theories of evolution, his own discoveries helped pave the way for the acceptance of evolution worldwide.   The Disperal of Darwin presents a review of the latest book on Agassiz' life.

http://thedispersalofdarwin.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/book-review-louis-agassiz-creator-of-american-science/

Misogyny (n).   It was hard being a woman scientist in the bad old days of the 19th century.   Not that women don't still face challenges, but think of what poor Mary Anning had to face and the recognition she was denied simply for being a woman.  Geology in the West Country has the details:

http://geologywestcountry.blogspot.it/2013/09/mary-anning-mother-of-palaeontology.html

Tome (n), a scholarly work,  Want to learn more about the making of geology in Late-Georgian Britain?  Dissertation Reviews has the details of a dissertation that explores this complex topic. http://dissertationreviews.org/archives/5145

Intrepid (adj).   Bold or fearless.    Much like Ernst Stromer was in his search for the lost dinosaurs of Egypt as Letters from Gondwana relates.

http://paleonerdish.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/ernst-stromer-and-the-lost-dinosaurs-of-egypt/

Miraculous (adj.).   Relating to a miracle.  Much like the British sailors felt when they discovered the Hawaiian Islands.    Live Science has more.   http://www.livescience.com/40149-myth-or-magma-hawaiian-stories-reveal-geologic-past.html

Physics

Legendary (n).  A figure of legend.    Such as the great Isaac Newton. London Review of Books discusses the latest biography of this paradoxical scientist.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n19/jonathan-ree/i-tooke-a-bodkine

 Savant (n), a prodigy or genius.   Who better to fit the definition but the redoubtable Paul Dirac?   Illuminations provides us a description of the new addition added to the Paul Dirac papers at Florida State University:

http://fsuspecialcollections.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/new-addition-to-the-paul-a-m-dirac-papers/

Polymath (n).   A prodigy with expertise in many disciplines.   The great Michael Faraday is rightly remembered for his amaing achievements in electricity and electrochemistry.   Here is an amazing timeline of the great man's life:

http://embed.verite.co/timeline/?source=0AtOOvNulKpt9dF9mTkVJcENDZXhmTmYzWlpESldCZ0E&font=Bevan-PotanoSans&maptype=toner&lang=en&height=650

Catalyst (n), a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction.   Did Winston Churchill act as a catalyst in the development of the first atomic bomb?   Here is Graham Farmlo with some of the details (podcast).

http://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2013/sep/20/churchill-atomic-currents-science-writing-podcast

Paradoxical (adj).  Logically contradictory.   Such as how legendary physicist, Otto Frisch, was nearly killed by a runaway reactor named for the most famous horsewoman of all.   Check out i09's contribution for the scoop.

http://io9.com/the-time-a-legendary-physicist-was-nearly-killed-by-lad-1412992899

Mythos (n).  Relating to myth or legend.  Such as when a literary legend pays tribute to a scientific one.   The Nobel Prize site provides a rare video of George Bernard Shaw giving homage to Albert Einstein.

http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=323&view=16

Pomiculture (n).   The cultivation of fruit.    So, did a fateful apple dropping on Isaac Newton's head really lead to the Universal Law of Gravitation?   Probably not but the Guardian has more details.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/13/newtons-universal-law-of-gravitation?CMP=twt_gu

Devastation (n).  Widespread destruction.    Was the United States planning to drop an atomic bomb on Dresden?   Werner Heisenberg seemed to think so.  Restricted Data reveals the secret.

http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2013/10/11/heisenbergs-dresden-story/

And speaking of atomic bombs, here's one about Leo Szilard. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24395740

Controversy (n).   Prolonged public dispute or debate.   Who deserves the Nobel Prize more, the theoretician or the experimenter?  And what does scurvy have to do with it?  The Guardian weighs in.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/the-h-word/2013/oct/12/theory-vs-experiment-higgs-scurvy?CMP=twt_gu

Another one on the Nobel Prize and controversy.   I'm sensing some disquiet.

http://jacobdarwinhamblin.com/2013/10/09/a-nobel-prize-for-higgs-and-englert-another-blow-against-real-science/

Another Nobel controversy.  This time over Linus Pauling's Peace Prize.  

http://paulingblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/paulings-peace-prize/

Geography and Navigation

Cartographer (n), a mapmaker.   Would the age of exploration have been possible without the amazing maps prepared by expert cartographers?  The British Library Maps and Views blog weighs in with an awesome 17th century map that was recently rediscovered.

http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/magnificentmaps/2013/09/wall-maps-are-sometimes-depicted-in-the-background-of-painted-or-printed-portraits-almost-always-they-are-just-a-blur-with.html

Pilotage (n), the ability to direct a ship.    Something that would be rather difficult to do were it not for the 18th century discovery of a reliable means of measuring longitude.  The British Library's Social Science blog has the details. 

http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/socialscience/2013/09/longitude-its-patently-obvious.html

Serendipity (n), a happy accident.   Thony Christie describes how the first attempt at measuring the speed of light arose from researching how to determine longitude. http://thonyc.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/the-speed-of-light-a-spin-off-from-longitude-research/

And speaking of longitude.  Here is another one from the Board of Longitude Project.    http://blogs.rmg.co.uk/longitude/2013/10/07/experimental-exhibitions/

Peripatetic (adj.).   Traveling from place to place.  Much like the early Greeks and Romans did as they explored the ancient world.    The New York Times describes a fascinating new exhibit on  Greco-Roman map making and legacy it left behind.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/science/legacy-of-greco-roman-mapmaking.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0

Amity (n).  Friendship.   However far the explorers traveled. writing to absent friends was always important.   The Sloane Letters provides some details.

http://www.sloaneletters.com/absence-fonder/

Philosophy of Science

Fabulous (adj).   Pertaining to fables.    Sidewayslooksatscience discusses some of the popular stories of Richard Feynman and Carl Sagan and what they mean for science.

http://sidewayslookatscience.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/the-fable-of-feynman-and-the-saga-of-sagan-what-myths-of-scientists-do-to-science/

Transnational (adj.).   Extending beyond national borders.   Such as science in an ideal world.  But is it?   The BBC News site has more.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24477064

Transfiguration (n).   Transformation.   Such as the search by alchemists for a way of changing base metals into gold.   The Times Literary supplement features a review of a new book on alchemists.

http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/public/article1317931.ece

Restoration (n).   The act of restoring.   But can history be a reliable guide for restoring damaged ecologies?   Not according to 3quarksdaily.

http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2013/10/the-uses-and-disadvantages-of-history-for-ecological-restoration.html

Connotation (n).   Though it is said that the winners write the history book, is history more than a PT exercise?  Literacy of the Present weighs in on this troubling question and the need to see science in context http://literacyofthepresent.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/history-as-pr-and-the-need-to-see-science-in-context/

Conundrum (n), a confusing or difficult problem.  Such as trying to distinguish between experimental and speculative philosophy.    The Early Modern Experimental Philosophy site weighs in on Roger Cotes and his preface to Isaac Newton's classic work, the Principia:    https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/emxphi/2013/09/roger-cotes-preface-and-the-esd/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

And for another take:   https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/emxphi/2013/09/cartesianism-experimentalism-and-the-experimental-speculative-distinction/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Ethnocentric (adj.).   Belief in the superiority of a particular ethnic group.   Does Britannia really rule the sciences?  Thony Christie, The Renaissance Mathematicus, isn't so sure... http://thonyc.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/rule-britannia-britannia-rules-the-sciences/

 Technology

Theremin (n), a musical instrument and, according to The Appendix, something that Vladimir Lenin liked to play:   http://theappendix.net/blog/2013/9/when-lenin-played-the-theremin

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With that, we close this edition of the Giant's Shoulders.   The host of the next edition is still to be determined.  If anyone would like to contribute a post or host a future edition, please contact  Thony C at The Renaissance Mathematicus.    Remember the future of the History of Science blog carnival rests on your shoulders.

Dying Doctor's Video Reopens Assisted Suicide Debate

"Why make people suffer for no reason when there is an alternative?” 

That poignant question asked by Dr. Donald Low in a video filmed just days before his death highlights his plea to have the Ontario government allow assisted suicide.   The 68-year old infectious disease expert died on September 18 after a seven-month battle with a malignant brain tumour.   Dr. Low, who rose to prominence over his role in battling Toronto's SARS epidemic ten years ago, was left paralyzed by the tumour and unable to hear or see. 

In the video, Dr. Low described how his condition had robbed him of his essential dignity despite receiving the best palliative care available.    In responding to doctors who oppose assisted suicide, he commented that, "I wish they could live in my body for 24 hours."   While he said that he had no fear of death,  he feared that his death would be protracted and painful.  In the end, he was spared a painful death as he died in the arms of his wife, journalist Maureen Taylor, who has since told reporters that he failed to get the death he wanted. 

Dr. Low's messae has had a powerful influence on politicians and voters alike.   Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews told reporters about the impact that the video had on her.  "“People deserve the best possible death we can provide.  I watched the video. It is an extremely powerful video and it puts a human face on the issue.”    Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has also publicly called for a "national conversation" about the contentious issue of physician assisted suicide.  "This is on the minds of many people across the country,” she said at a recent press conference. “It’s about human beings deciding what kinds of choices they believe they should have.”

Despite pressure from patient rights groups across the country, the federal governent has refused to reopen debate on assisted suicide.  According to Paloma Aguilar, press secretary to federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay,  the Parliamentary vote in 2010 showed that a large majority of parliamentarians opposed changing existing laws.   "Our government recognizes this is an emotional and divisive issue for many Canadians. The laws surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide exist to protect all Canadians, including those who are most vulnerable, such as people who are sick or elderly or people with disabilities,” she said.

The issue of doctor-assisted suicide has polarized Canadian society since Sue Rodriguez unsuccessfully petitioned the federal government to allow her death in 1994.   Rodriguez later took her own life with the assistance of then-MPP Svend Robinson who served a brief prison sentence as a result of his involvement in the assisted suicide.   Since that time, later cases have also unsuccessfully challenged federal legislation including the recent Gloria Taylor case in British Columbia.  

While revising legislation on assisted suicide remains a federal matter, court challenges in British Columbia and Quebec continue to be heard.   Donald Low's video demonstrates that Ontario may well form a new front in that fight and the federal government may find themselves more embattled than ever.

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Is There a "Cheater's High"?

I was heady with happiness. Since I hadn’t yet had my first taste of alcohol, I couldn’t compare the feeling to a champagne high, but it was the most delightful sensation I’d ever experienced.  —Frank Abagnale, Catch Me If You Can

Is there an emotional high that people experience when they get away with doing something underhanded?   In his book, Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale described how successfully pulling off one of his numerous confidence schemes left him “heady with happiness” and even more determined to repeat the experience.   It is tempting to dismiss Abagnale and others like him reporting such a high as being substantially different from law-abiding people with a well-developed moral sense, is that necessarily the case?

Though models of ethical decision-making argue that negative emotions such as guilt, shame, and fear of detection help discourage most people from acting unethically, whether by cheating, stealing, or other moral lapses, research testing this assumption have usually focused on why people obey orders that cause harm to someone else (i..e., the Milgram obedience studies) which appear to provoke strong emotion.  

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But what about relatively victimless crimes such as computer piracy, tax evasion, insurance fraud, or cheating on tests?  Does guilt or shame actually deter people from doing these things?   While no offense is truly victim-free since society as a whole is damaged to some extent by these activities, that distinction is often too subtle for many people to take seriously.   According to available statistics on the real prevalence of consumer crime, the economic consequence of these crimes is astronomical with billions of dollars lost each year to bogus insurance claim, false tax statements, and employee theft.

To read more, check out my new Psychology Today post.