Abstract
This paper discusses the role of ethnocentrism in the book. "Ethnocentrism" is the belief that your culture is "better" or "superior" to other cultures and that cultural standards are universal. It is often the wedge that keeps people from many cultures from blending into a cohesive unit, and in "The Spirit Catches You," it is quite common to see how the Hmong, with their culture of beliefs and superstitions, and American doctors, with their medicines and science, would clash and never see eye to eye.

From the Paper
""The Spirit Catches You" is the story of a Hmong family, the Lees, and their young daughter Lia. Lia is diagnosed with epilepsy, which the Hmong call "the spirit catches you and you fall down" disease. The story graphically illustrates two cultures that meet head on - with each one having absolutely no understanding of the other. The Hmong's entire culture is built on a series of beliefs and superstitions that they use nearly everyday to combat illness and appearance. For example, the author notes early in the book, "Although the Hmong believe that illness can be caused by a variety of sources - [...] by far the most common cause of illness is soul loss" (Fadiman 10). Thus, the Hmong use spiritual and holistic approaches to their daughter's health problems because it is all they know. The American doctors, on the other hand, want the Hmong to use American medicines and treatments, and the Hmong have no idea what these treatments are, or how they will benefit their daughter. What happens as the two cultures collide is a comedy of errors and misunderstanding, except that it is not funny, and Lia pays the price in the end."

Tags:lia, hmong, medicine

Abstract
This paper examines human culture and how intelligence is determined by biological factors. The author discusses the origins of the human brain, and how it evolved into a tool of intelligence more than two million years ago, and how societal cultures are learned and shared.

From the Paper
"According to Wolpoff, ?while a human culture cannot be linked to a particular biology, or vice versa, for humans culture is biology.? Wolpoff, 1999, p.164. This statement means that development of a culture is dependent on biologically determined factors. The most important reason for the development of culture is adaptation for survival under changing environment, which in turn requires, on the one hand, natural selection, and on the other making choices, rather than merely acting on instinct. Intelligence, needed for the purpose of making choices has been the product of biological factors. It should be noted that even though some animals such as wild dogs also live in societies, only humans have developed culture. Culture developed side by side with the evolution of certain physical features in the human species, Homo sapiens that made intelligence possible."

Tags:paleoanthropology, origins, neanderthal, dna, communication, wolpoff

Abstract
This paper discusses the skeletal changes reflected in the change from arboreal to terrestrial locomotion. The author examines the evolution of primates through lemuroides, tarsiers, monkeys, apes to humans. The paper defines the structure that differentiates humans.

From the Paper
"Primates have evolved over a period of millions of years and the ultimate in evolution is the human. Over the course of time, different primates evolved different body structures, which suited their time and their lifestyle and the ecosystem into which they fit. The prosimians and the early primates were arboreal, which over time gradually descended from the trees and developed an upright stance. This was accompanied by skeletal changes to accommodate the postural changes. Primates are distinguished from other mammals by nine general features: A generalized limb ..."

Tags:lemuroids, tariers, monkeys, apes, humans

Abstract
A thorough discussion of the history and pros and cons of cloning in general. This paper supports cloning humans to help humanity so long as the ability is not abused. Topics presented include natural clones and philosophical, physical, medical and various other issues.

From the Paper
"The word "cloning" once brought to mind a vast array of ideas and thoughts often possible only within the context of science fiction, and yet our technology has now reached a stage in which possibility has become reality. In 1996, the first successful mammalian clone was created and named Dolly - a sheep born asexually who had the exact same genetic sequence as her mother (Hawker). Recently, in 2001 a human embryo was cloned and grew to the 6 cell stage before it died (Hill). These two events have raised an enormous amount of questions surrounding the ethics and benefits of cloning. Even though cloning exists in nature (Identical Twins, bacteria, most unicellular organisms, plants not from seeds, some algae and fungi, many Invertebrates are all natural clones), there is a sense of taking evolution and nature into our own hands by cloning most especially in context to cloning human beings (Hawker). There are strong arguments both for and against cloning, but I believe cloning is only feasible to help humanity so long as it is not abused."

Tags:anthropology, clone, clones, cloning, dolly, humanity, humans, infertility, medical, nature, nurture, science, sheep, technology, vitro, vs

From the Paper
"Overpopulation is perhaps the single most pervading force of today's society. Transcending boundaries of political science, economics, sociology or any other field working with issues relevant to contemporary society, the mathematical certainty of exponential population growth is simple; By the time we begin to sense overpopulation, it is only a short time until the problem reaches mammoth and uncontrollable scale. Particularly in the third world, where resources are scarce, the imperative for action for clear. China and India are the two most heavily populated nations of the world, yet have taken radically different approaches to population control. India has maintained a strictly non-coercive population policy, and indeed the population has skyrocketed. China, on the other hand, has succeeded in curbing the population growth rate quite significantly by taking a much more proactive stance. While pragmatically effective, China's policies are so authoritarian and coercive that they lead to consequences considered simply inhuman by many."

Tags:China, India, population, third world

Abstract
This paper provides a thorough look at the Bubonic Plague, the deadly pandemic that continuously reappeared all throughout Europe until the Seventeenth century, leaving behind death, devastation, and economic disaster. The author discusses how the plague was transmitted, symptoms, the versions of the plague, the plague's impacted on religion, and how it influenced the culture of the times-literature, art, and superstitious behavior. The paper also looks at the staggering number of dead that the Black Death claimed as it swept across the European continent.

From the Paper
"The Black Death was a time of death and destruction to all of society and its surroundings during the Fourteenth Century and beyond. According to Chester David Rail, "The sudden onset of human plague in southeastern Europe and the Middle East in the winter of 1346-1347 seems to have marked the beginning of the plague", Rail, 11. The Black Plague was a deadly pandemic continuously reappearing all throughout Europe until the Seventeenth century, leaving behind death, devastation, and economic disaster. The Black Death, also known as the Black Plague or the Bubonic Plague, originated in the Thirteenth century. The disease originally was transmitted from rat to rat and from rat to man by the bite of rat-fleas. ?Bubonic plague may be transmitted from place to place by imported fleas, which are carried by people "in their baggage or in merchandise", Wilson , 2. Constant travel and trade by Europeans with other countries exposed Europe to the plague. Its symptoms were exhibited by buboes, which are hard, painful, swellings of lymphatic glands usually affecting the groin area or under the armpits and around the neck."

Tags:bubonic, great, pandemic, plague, pneumonic, septicemic, europe, religious, persecution, superstition, jews, transmission

From the Paper
"In May of 1988, at it's annual meeting, the World Health Organization (WHO), resolved to eradicate polio from the world by the year 2000. This deadline has come and gone and there are still verified cases being reported in various parts of the world. However, since the inception of the eradication program, the number of confirmed, global poliomyelitis cases has fallen by over 95% (Aylward, 2000). The most effective way of determining if the eradication campaign is misguided is to do a cost-benefit analysis. By analyzing the positive aspects of eliminating this disease and weighing them against the costs or negative effects, one can equitably determine whether or not this is a worthwhile cause. When the humanitarian, economic and consequent benefits of this initiative are measured against the costs, a strong argument is made for eradication as a valuable disease control strategy."

Tags:disease, poliomyelitis, vaccine, who

Abstract
This essay explores the methods employed in traditional Sri Lankan ayurvedic medicine, including natural plant remedies and ritualistic behaviour. A comparison between the benefits of these traditional techniques and modern western medicine is drawn, concluding that much reliance can still be placed on ayurveda and ritual healing.

From the Paper
"Sri Lanka is a unique nation in that the gap between old and new is being closed. This gap-bridging is especially evident with regards to health and medical procedures. For centuries, the inhabitants of Sri Lanka have placed their faith in ayurvedic medicine such as homeopathy, home remedies using various plants and minerals, and numerous ritualistic practices. However, in recent years the tiny island-nation has seen the adoption of more modern Western techniques. This does not mean that people are abandoning traditional beliefs. In many instances, individuals will only turn to Western medicine if all other means fail. Particularly in rural areas, it is clear that "Western medicine is kept separate" (Baker 1998:65) in people's minds. The combination of these different practices has led to an interesting and well-rounded health system."

Tags:health, homeopathy, attana

Abstract
This work examines the valuable role that stable isotope analysis plays in the reconstruction of past diets. The methods used to isolate and subsequently analyse stable isotopes obtained from skeletonized remains is explored. An in-depth discussion of carbon and nitrogen demonstrates their usefulness in distinguishing individuals who had a diet high in either plants, land-based animals, or marine food. To further illustrate the benefit of isotopic analysis, a case study regarding the adoption of maize in South and North America is discussed.

From the Paper
"Due to its use in radiocarbon dating, methods of isolating collagen had already been developed before its importance in stable isotope studies was realized (Katzenberg, 2000). There are three common techniques employed in the extraction of collagen from bone. The first method is best utilized on fresh and well-preserved archaeological bone. Initial preparation of the material involves the sample being ground and then soaked in hydrochloric acid (HCl). At this stage, the sample is composed primarily of bone organics and soil contaminants and must be placed in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) (Schwarcz & Schoeninger, 1991). Unfortunately, some collagen is lost when soaked in NaOH but this process is necessary as it has been demonstrated that contaminants may skew 13C values (Katzenberg, 2000). "

Tags:carbon, maize, nitrogen, osteology, skeleton, dating

From the Paper
"Trypanosomiasis, also known as African sleeping sickness, is widely regarded as the disease afflicting the poorest of the poor. Endemic to Eastern and Central Africa, trypanosomiasis is currently experiencing a dramatic resurgence in Sudan, Uganda, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. After running the results of the survey through statistical analysis software, the researchers were able to cross analyze different factors such as proximity to tsetse flies (the vector for this disease), daily farming or fishing activities and involvement in civil war to determine which variables were most responsible for the outbreak (Moore, 1999). The results showed that while, statistically, there was no direct relationship between the spread of trypanosomiasis and the existence of war within a country, civil unrest had been indirectly responsible for helping the disease get out of control once again."

Tags:disease, health, strife, tropical