Agarwood is the infected wood of the Aquilaria tree. Called 'the wood of the Gods', its uses range from incense for religious ceremonies, perfume for the Arabic world, medicinal wine in Korea and... Show moreAgarwood is the infected wood of the Aquilaria tree. Called 'the wood of the Gods', its uses range from incense for religious ceremonies, perfume for the Arabic world, medicinal wine in Korea and ornamental functions in China. As a healthy tree the Aquilaria is worth next to nothing, but wounded its defence mechanisms produce agarwood and the tree becomes a valuable commodity. Gerard Persoon goes in search of the natural and social life of a wounded tree. Show less
CO2-lasertonsillotomy under local anesthesia is an interesting alternative treatment method for tonsillectomy under general anesthesia for tonsil-related complaints in adults. This report presents... Show moreCO2-lasertonsillotomy under local anesthesia is an interesting alternative treatment method for tonsillectomy under general anesthesia for tonsil-related complaints in adults. This report presents a step-by-step protocol detailing the execution of CO2-lasertonsillotomy under local anesthesia.Tonsil-related complaints are very common among the adult population. Tonsillectomy under general anesthesia is currently the most performed surgical treatment in adults for such complaints. Unfortunately, tonsillectomy is an invasive treatment associated with a high complication rate and a long recovery time. Complications and a long recovery time are mostly related to removing the vascular and densely innervated capsule of the tonsils. Recently, CO2-lasertonsillotomy under local anesthesia has been demonstrated to be a viable alternative treatment for tonsil-related disease with a significantly shorter and less painful recovery period. The milder side-effect profile of CO2-lasertonsillotomy is likely related to leaving the tonsil capsule intact. The aim of the current report is to present a concise protocol detailing the execution of CO2-lasertonsillotomy under local anesthesia. This intervention has been performed successfully in our hospital in more than 1,000 patients and has been found to be safe and to be associated with a steep learning curve. Show less
In recent decades, historians have made significant contributions to the understanding of the production and circulation of knowledge in the early modern period. This article aims to go further, by... Show moreIn recent decades, historians have made significant contributions to the understanding of the production and circulation of knowledge in the early modern period. This article aims to go further, by demonstrating how a non-medical expert acquired and applied new medical knowledge, and how chronicles can be used as a source to study the reception of (medical) knowledge in the early modern period. To do this, I have used the corpus of the research project Chronicling Novelty which contains 311 early modern chronicles from the Low Countries, written by a heterogenous group of authors from the ‘middling’ ranks of society. The farmer and alderman Lambert Rijckxz Lustigh (1656–1727) tried to make sense of the rinderpest outbreak that spread across the Low Countries in 1713. In contrast to most of his contemporaries, he combined a corpuscular theory of medicine with other forms of knowledge to demonstrate how God’s ‘invisible particles’ caused an epidemic. This paper presents how expert knowledge became part of a complex chain of cultural translation and retranslation in society. Moreover, by examining Lustigh’s explanations in relation to his contemporaries and other chroniclers, this paper offers an additional perspective on the preconditions for the acceptance of new knowledge and change among the middling ranks of society. Show less
The subject of the dissertation is the investigation and mapping of Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov, the founder of “modern medicine” in Imperial Russia in the 19th century, Soviet Union and the Russian... Show moreThe subject of the dissertation is the investigation and mapping of Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov, the founder of “modern medicine” in Imperial Russia in the 19th century, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. Pirogov lived from 1810-1881 and is briefly and incorrectly only known in the world history of medicine as a military surgeon. He was a professor of applied anatomy and surgery from an early age, being the first to administer anaesthesia (ether) on the battlefield in the Caucasus during the summer of 1847. He was above all a scientist and teacher. He was also a member and correspondent of the Imperial Russian Academy of Sciences, and forerunner of the International Red Cross. He wrote many (text)books with different disciplines as subject. Research shows that he is a late student of the Leiden Medical School from the 18th century.The question is: why is Herman Boerhaave, who lived in the late 17th – early 18th century, more famous than Nikolay I. Pirogov, who lived in the 19th century from 1810-1881. Show less
Leuning, D.G.; Lievers, E.; Reinders, M.E.J.; Kooten, C. van; Engelse, M.A.; Rabelink, T.J. 2017
This dissertation investigates the changing healing practice of Zulu sangomas in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Indigenous healing in South Africa is currently at a crossroads. While the latest... Show moreThis dissertation investigates the changing healing practice of Zulu sangomas in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Indigenous healing in South Africa is currently at a crossroads. While the latest healthcare legislation accepts the traditional healthcare system as equal to cosmopolitan healthcare, the accompanying institutional developments present obligations and challenges for indigenous healers. While the legalisation is important for sangomas, certain valued characteristics of their much-frequented healing practices are now under pressure. This research seeks to detect where transformations in indigenous healing practices originate and it seeks to understand to what purpose adaptations in healing processes serve. Show less
In onze moderne tijd wordt aan het goed functioneren van infrastructuur grote aandacht besteed. In het hier gepresenteerde onderzoek heb ik getracht aan te tonen dat ook in de Grieks-Romeinse... Show moreIn onze moderne tijd wordt aan het goed functioneren van infrastructuur grote aandacht besteed. In het hier gepresenteerde onderzoek heb ik getracht aan te tonen dat ook in de Grieks-Romeinse wereld de doorstroming als een cruciaal punt werd beschouwd. Niet alleen de infrastructuur zelf, ook datgene wat via de infrastructuur wordt getransporteerd moet aan hoge kwaliteitseisen voldoen om de (Grieks-Romeinse) stad leefbaar te houden. Evenals tegenwoordig werd ook in de Grieks-Romeinse wereld het functioneren van een stad of gebied soms vergeleken met een menselijk lichaam. In beide gevallen is sprake van voedsel- en drinkwatervoorziening, uitscheiding van afvalproducten en een interne infrastructuur die de producten naar en van hun plaats moet brengen en als zodanig de stad c.q. het lichaam in stand moet houden. Wanneer de infrastructuur echter niet meer kan functioneren __ te weinig capaciteit, een onderbreking of een verkeerde inhoud __ komt de doorstroming in gevaar en lopen lichaam en stad de kans ziek te worden met uiteindelijk de dood als gevolg. De infrastructuur m__t in bedrijf zijn en blijven. Stadsbesturen zagen in dat iedereen baat had bij een goed functionerende stad en troffen voorzieningen om de leefbaarheid van een stad te optimaliseren. Show less
The English Presbyterian minister, medical practioner, and later deist, Thomas Morgan, lived from 1671/2 till 1743. He participated in the pamphlet war around the Salters' Hall conference, was... Show moreThe English Presbyterian minister, medical practioner, and later deist, Thomas Morgan, lived from 1671/2 till 1743. He participated in the pamphlet war around the Salters' Hall conference, was dismissed by his congregation in Marlborough in 1724, and turned fully to medicine in Bristol from 1727. He published two medical works, which had a ready national and international sale. In London he published in 1737 his principal work: The Moral Philosopher, in which he called himself a Christian Deist, critizising the Bible and especially the Old Testament. He received many criticisms for this work. Morgan stands in a line of Christian theology, which disparages the Jewish part of Scripture, and which is of present interest until to-day. Show less
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder characterized by high levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and increasing the risk of cardio vascular diseases. FH and many... Show moreFamilial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder characterized by high levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and increasing the risk of cardio vascular diseases. FH and many other liver diseases can possibly be treated with RNA interference (RNAi). RNAi is a natural process of regulation of gene expression by binding of small RNA molecules to complementary sequences in the mRNA of a gene and hence inducing its degradation or translational repression. In this thesis, we aimed at developing a safe and robust RNAi-based therapy for FH by inhibiting Apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB). ApoB is a primary component of the low density lipoprotein (LDL), a lipoprotein that transports __bad__ cholesterol LDL-C. We have shown that RNAi therapy using AAV-delivered artificial miRNA is a promising approach for treatment of FH and possibly other liver diseases. Our mechanistic studies revealed differences in shRNA and miRNA processing and functioning in vivo. Finally, our findings have significant impact on understanding and overcoming toxicity and off-targeting related problems of RNAi based gene therapy in the liver using AAV vectors. Show less
“Xbalanque’s Marriage” examines the Sun and Moon myth of the Q’eqchi’ Mayas from the perspective of marriage alliance and hunting ideology. On the negative side, the relationship between a tapir... Show more“Xbalanque’s Marriage” examines the Sun and Moon myth of the Q’eqchi’ Mayas from the perspective of marriage alliance and hunting ideology. On the negative side, the relationship between a tapir and the old adoptive mother of Xbalanque and his older brother can be read as the denial of alliance, with the tapir symbolizing antisocial behavior and the old woman incestuous reproduction and paedophiliac cannibalism. The older brother’s abjuration of women has the effect of substituting the transient male brotherhood of hunting bands for a lasting marriage alliance. By contrast, the narrative’s core consists of a tale in which the war chief Xbalanque becomes a hummingbird lover to abduct and marry the daughter of the paramount mountain deity. A central concern of this ‘Hummingbird tale’, and of its many versions elsewhere in Guatemala and Belize, is the ritual alliance to the earth and the acquisition of its products, as personified by the mountain’s daughter. The Q’eqchi’ narrative shows how the dissolution of this alliance sets free the forces of destruction, whereas its reestablishment asserts alliance as a life-giving, cosmic force. Show less
