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Wentrup C. The Transition from Alchemical to Modern Chemical Symbolism: from Bergman and Guiton de Morveau to Hassenfratz and Adet, Higgins, Richter, Dalton, and Berzelius. Chempluschem 2024:e202400033. [PMID: 38639837 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202400033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
The alchemical concepts of chemical symbolism, nomenclature, and affinity underwent fundamental changes between the 1770s and the 1820s, roughly simultaneously with the Chemical Revolution (ca. 1772-89), i. e. the replacement of the phlogiston theory with Lavoisier's New Chemistry. Using the old, alchemical symbols, Bergman devised a system of formulas to describe virtually all known inorganic chemistry, and he influenced Guiton de Morveau's Mémoire sur les Dénominations Chimiques, and the subsequent Méthode de nomenclature. Hassenfratz and Adet devised a new artificial sign language which, however, was too complicated and unintuitive to gain widespread acceptance. Bergman refined the concept of affinity, but his belief in phlogiston rapidly made the system obsolete. Wenzel realized that the dissolution of metals in acids is not just a question of affinity but rather of concentration, and he and Berthollet separately formulated early versions of the Law of Mass Action thereby making attempts to quantify affinity redundant. Richter formulated a principle that became known as the Law of Equivalent Proportions, describing acid-base reactions and double decompositions of salts, but continuing to use Bergman-style alchemical formulas. Only John Dalton's atomic theory with little globules denoting atoms and their combination into molecules made a definite break with the alchemical symbols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Curt Wentrup
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia
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di Michele F, Rinaldi F. The Symbolism in a Case of Hysterical Psychosis. Actas Esp Psiquiatr 2024; 52:66-69. [PMID: 38454892 PMCID: PMC10926011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
The authors take inspiration from a case of hysterical psychosis to illustrate a typical condition of this evocative disease: the symbolic language of hysteria, conjurer of archetypical images. The authors encourage the clinician not to decode such aspects in rational analytical terms, rather to have a more wide-open approach that promotes the emergence of the individual unconscious, reconnecting with the collective imagination. This approach could help psychiatrists better understand a subject's inner experiences and interpersonal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia di Michele
- Dept Psychiatry, Policlinico Tor Vergata Foundation, 00133 Rome, Italy
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Gutiérrez-Gómez E, Huanca-Arohuanca JW, Quispe-Arroyo A, González-Ríos RC, Huari-Salazar YC. Woman Varayoc of Peruvian Andes. Front Sociol 2023; 8:1232615. [PMID: 38033351 PMCID: PMC10687450 DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1232615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
This study focuses on the importance of the symbolism of social control by the woman as the Varayoc (an office of authority of Incan origin) in a community in the Peruvian Andes. The objective is to explain the survival of the office of the Varayoc-traditionally held exclusively by men-and the acceptance of Andean women to it as a recognition of gender equality. In this field investigation, we interviewed and observed the most important activities of a woman Varayoc administering justice and present in all communal tasks. We conclude that women in the Peruvian Andes are approaching a status of equality with men in their position as the Varayoc, while maintaining the Incan tradition of local governance through the symbolism of the rod of command, which is also called Varayoc. It is evident that more women in the Andean community are interested in assuming political leadership with the symbolism of the ancestral Varayoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar Gutiérrez-Gómez
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Gestión, Escuela de Administración de Turismo Sostenible y Hotelería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Ayacucho, Peru
| | | | - Adolfo Quispe-Arroyo
- Departamento de Académico de Educación y Ciencias Humanas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga, Ayacucho, Peru
| | - Rosa Cecilia González-Ríos
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Gestión, Escuela de Administración de Turismo Sostenible y Hotelería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Ayacucho, Peru
| | - Yodel Cheldo Huari-Salazar
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Gestión, Escuela de Administración de Turismo Sostenible y Hotelería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Ayacucho, Peru
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Kazaryan OV, Mishina EY, Soboleva OS, Umanskaya MB. [ Symbolism of the white coat in the medical profession]. Probl Sotsialnoi Gig Zdravookhranenniiai Istor Med 2023; 31:725-727. [PMID: 37742240 DOI: 10.32687/0869-866x-2023-31-s1-725-727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
It has long been a tradition for doctors to dress professionally in white coats - a universal symbol of belonging to the medical profession. This tradition dates back to the time of Hippocrates, but during the XIX-XXI centuries, the symbolism of the white coat was criticized in connection with research on the spread of infections through tissue. Currently, many doctors refuse to use the oldest symbol of the profession, and the practice of medical activity is replete with new variants of the uniform of a medical worker (both in style and in color palette. However, it should be noted that the white coat symbolizes another important part of the medical education of students, the standard of professionalism and care, as well as a symbol of the trust they must earn from patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- O V Kazaryan
- A. N. Kosygin Russian State University, 119071 Moscow, Russia,
| | - E Yu Mishina
- A. N. Kosygin Russian State University, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - O S Soboleva
- A. N. Kosygin Russian State University, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - M B Umanskaya
- A. N. Kosygin Russian State University, 119071 Moscow, Russia
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Clary K, Goffnett J, King M, Hubbard T, Kitchen R. "It's the Environment, Not Me": Experiences shared by transgender and gender diverse adults living in Texas. J Community Psychol 2023; 51:906-923. [PMID: 36206522 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Transgender and gender diverse people (TGD) experience elevated rates of behavioral health problems, including depression, anxiety, substance misuse, and suicidality. Minority stressors (e.g., discrimination and victimization) contribute to these poor health outcomes. A salient form of discrimination is the use of gender nonaffirming language, such as using incorrect pronouns or names, yet less is known about other environmental stimuli that may be reined as affirming or nonaffirming. A recent study uncovered the impact symbols (e.g., flags, stickers) may have on invoking positive or negative feelings among TGD youth in the Midwest. Our study further investigates this phenomenon with TGD adults in Texas. During Summer 2021, 3 researchers conducted audio-recorded semistructured focus groups and interviews with 11 participants who identified as transgender, gender nonconforming, or nonbinary. Interview topics included gender-affirming and nonaffirming language, positive and negative experiences, nonsupportive and supportive symbolism, and coping mechanisms. In this manuscript, we present findings regarding symbolism. Within our two primary themes, supportive and nonsupportive symbolism, subthemes emerged. Supportive symbolism includes flags and signage, written and oral language and communication, and representation of diversity. Nonsupportive symbolism includes extreme patriotism and religious symbols and highly gendered settings. Further, Texas-specific culture and a meter of safety were identified as being related to interacting with and observing an array of symbols. Symbolism can have a profound impact on someone's identity development, expression, emotions, coping mechanisms, and access to and engagement with social environments, exemplifying the importance of understanding geographic and cultural-specific mechanisms within environments TGD people occupy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Clary
- School of Social Work, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA
| | - Jacob Goffnett
- School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Marley King
- School of Social Work, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA
| | - Taylor Hubbard
- School of Social Work, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - Rylee Kitchen
- School of Social Work, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA
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Ferguson BK. Symbolic meanings of ordinary city streets and their trees. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1080025. [PMID: 36710776 PMCID: PMC9875087 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1080025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Symbolic meaning is one of a number of modes of humans' relationships with physical settings. Although symbolic meaning is qualitative and ambiguous, it is an encompassing mode of interaction: symbolic meanings assemble feelings, urges, and abstract concepts; they shape people's understanding of the world and motivate their purposes, attitudes, and actions. Early literature in environmental psychology acknowledged symbolic meaning's promise, but in recent decades it has been inadequately studied; theoretical and methodological research has been needed. This paper advances the understanding and use of symbolic meaning by, first, presenting a theory which posits that in ordinary environmental settings symbolic meanings emerge from interaction between the perceptible qualities of environmental features and people's psychological predisposition to respond to them. The paper then demonstrates methods which use the theory to objectively guide the identification of symbolic meanings in the case of ordinary urban streets and their trees. Although symbolic interpretation is intuitive and subjective, in this study it is guided by objective empirical knowledge and theoretical frameworks from human sciences. A combination of methods is applied, making conclusions answerable to diverse types of underlying data. One method was in firsthand observation of present-day streets; interpretations were accepted which linked objects' perceptible qualities with people's known dispositions to respond to them. A second method was interpretation in conventional street features' documented historical evolution. Interpretations were accepted which linked objects' perceptible qualities with people's known disposition to respond, and with symbols' known cultural tendency over time to specialize, differentiate, and evolve into coherent systems consistent with social norms. The results confirm that ordinary streets and their trees form a coherent system of symbols. Their meanings are social and sociomoral; they are guides to and affirmations of humane social life; they deserve to be prioritized in design agendas alongside tangible performance measures. It is concluded that symbolic meanings are present in ordinary urban settings, that their presence can be explained theoretically, and that their interpretation can be objectively guided.
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Dundes L. Symbolism of the US battlefield cross: how boots, rifles, and helmets reinforce masculinity. Front Sociol 2023; 8:1148204. [PMID: 37207022 PMCID: PMC10188940 DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1148204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
This paper explores the unconscious symbolism of the battlefield cross memorial, which is comprised of combat boots and a rifle, often with dog tags attached, topped by a helmet. While the memorial's manifest function is to provide solace, build solidarity, and convey respect for patriotic sacrifice in response to grief, the battlefield cross also exalts masculinity at a subliminal level. Because of the latent ways in which the components of the battlefield cross reinforce fallen soldiers' masculinity, the memorial provides an outlet for bereavement according to a masculine script that treats virility as sacrosanct. The resonance of the battlefield cross and its synergism with unrecognized gender coding in broader society illustrate how a powerful symbol intended to honor members of the military also valorizes machismo. This qualitative interpretation could help explain impediments to women achieving parity with men in the military.
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Bosley H, Henshall C, Appleton JV, Jackson D. Understanding antibiotic-seeking behaviour: A qualitative case study of mothers of children aged 5 and under. J Adv Nurs 2022; 78:3772-3781. [PMID: 35864378 PMCID: PMC9796455 DOI: 10.1111/jan.15356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibiotics savelives and have been effectively and reliably used for decades to treat infections and improve health outcomes. This trust in antibiotics has contributed to over prescribing and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Significant amounts of antibiotics are still widely prescribed and taken, especially in young children. However, there is a paucity of existing literature relating to how mothers, who are the main carers of young children, may be influenced by their trust in antibiotics. AIMS To explore what factors influence mothers' decisions to seek antibiotics for their young children. DESIGN Qualitative case study using postcode boundaries. METHODS Thematic analysis of qualitative data from mothers of children under 5, recruited via community playgroups within the case. Data were collected between October 2018 and May 2019, from six focus groups (n = 19) and one-to-one interviews (n = 14). Thematic analysis of the data consisted of six phases: data familiarization; generating initial codes; searching for themes; reviewing themes; defining and naming themes; and producing the report. RESULTS Mothers were influenced by their belief and trust in antibiotics. Antibiotics were identified as symbolic of recovery, healing and of providing protection and safety. CONCLUSION By understanding the symbolic power of antibiotics on maternal decision making, all antibiotic prescribers may be able to offer and provide reassuring alternative and acceptable treatment options to mothers, rather than using antibiotics. IMPACT This paper introduces the concept of antibiotics as powerful symbols which influence antibiotic seeking behaviour. This in turn may result in inappropriate use of antibiotics which contributes to the risk of antimicrobial resistance developing. Although the majority of antibiotics are still prescribed by doctors, the number of nurse prescribers has been increasing. Therefore, an increased awareness of antibiotic symbolism, in all prescribing clinicians, is important to enable future local and national strategies to be developed, to support maternal decision making and reduce antibiotic seeking behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Bosley
- Oxford Institute of NursingMidwifery & Allied Health Research (OxINMAHR)OxfordUK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustOxfordUK
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of NursingOxford Brookes UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Catherine Henshall
- Oxford Institute of NursingMidwifery & Allied Health Research (OxINMAHR)OxfordUK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustOxfordUK
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of NursingOxford Brookes UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Jane V. Appleton
- Oxford Institute of NursingMidwifery & Allied Health Research (OxINMAHR)OxfordUK
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of NursingOxford Brookes UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Debra Jackson
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustOxfordUK
- Faculty of Medicine and HealthThe University of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
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Chong M, FitzPatrick B. Exploring Hidden Messages About Pharmacist Roles in Student-Designed Orientation T-Shirts. Am J Pharm Educ 2022; 86:8811. [PMID: 34716137 PMCID: PMC10159441 DOI: 10.5688/ajpe8811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Objective. To develop an understanding of how images and symbols on student-designed orientation t-shirts represent students' beliefs about pharmacists' roles in practice.Methods. An exploratory qualitative study underpinned by perspectives on hidden curriculum and discursive practices was conducted at one Canadian pharmacy school. First-year students wrote responses to prompts about the t-shirts at the start and end of the school year. Concurrently, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were held with faculty, staff, and second- through fourth-year students. Six t-shirts from 2014-2019 were used for discussion. Data were independently coded by the two authors and themes were developed.Results. Students and faculty had mostly similar thoughts about the practice of giving orientation t-shirts and the messages on them. Many pointed to the drug-related aspects of pharmacists' roles and did not question this representation until explicitly prompted. Relatedly, most participants did not suggest that the t-shirts should emphasize the pharmacist-patient relationship and care provision. And while there were mixed thoughts about the business logo on the t-shirts, participants were often unperturbed by sponsorship or its potential effects on students.Conclusion. This study showed that despite national educational outcomes advocating the care provider role, these representations of pharmacy and pharmacists' roles still focus on drug expertise and drug provision. By revealing thoughts about the t-shirt images, the study highlighted how, despite explicit teaching of pharmacists' roles and the expanding scope of pharmacy, discursive practices in pharmacy education exist and form part of the hidden curriculum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike Chong
- Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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Pitarch Martí A, Zilhão J, d'Errico F, Cantalejo-Duarte P, Domínguez-Bella S, Fullola JM, Weniger GC, Ramos-Muñoz J. The symbolic role of the underground world among Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2021495118. [PMID: 34341069 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2021495118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cueva de Ardales in Málaga, Spain, is one of the richest and best-preserved Paleolithic painted caves of southwestern Europe, containing over a thousand graphic representations. Here, we study the red pigment in panel II.A.3 of "Sala de las Estrellas," dated by U-Th to the Middle Paleolithic, to determine its composition, verify its anthropogenic nature, infer the associated behaviors, and discuss their implications. Using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, we analyzed a set of samples from the panel and compared them to natural coloring materials collected from the floor and walls of the cave. The conspicuously different texture and composition of the geological samples indicates that the pigments used in the paintings do not come from the outcrops of colorant material known in the cave. We confirm that the paintings are not the result of natural processes and show that the composition of the paint is consistent with the artistic activity being recurrent. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that Neanderthals symbolically used these paintings and the large stalagmitic dome harboring them over an extended time span.
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von Brück M. Aesthetic principles, the arts, and the interpretation of culture. Psych J 2021; 10:200-209. [PMID: 33442963 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Culture is symbolism. Symbols allow a distance between perception and interpretation and create space for intentional action. Science, the arts, and religions are different cultural strategies to transcend sensual perception and open up the search and representation of structures and relations in and yet beyond sensual experience. The arts demonstrate, interpret, and invent such connectivities. Knowing, feeling, and representing hidden structures influence the very ways of perception, which are categorized in theories of perception called aesthetics. The processual and non-dual character of perception can be modeled not only on the basis of the well-known distinctions in European epistemologies (based on Platonic and Aristotelian modes of thinking) but on the Buddhist theory of skandhas, which might be able to transcend the dualism of matter and mind. The dynamics of perception will be explained on this basis using the categories of beauty and sublime and veiling and revealing (unveiling). The central category of aesthetic processes is similarity or variation, being expressed in fractal proportions and relationships in the processes of knowing and feeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael von Brück
- Human Science Center, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Catholic University of Linz, Linz, Austria
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Abstract
Psychoanalytic treatment is often indicated when trauma and its psyche/soma companion, dissociation, severely disrupt symbolic functioning and associative linking. After Freud's initial thinking on these matters, repression replaced rather than supplemented dissociation (which occasions segregating units of experience) as the primary defensive response to severe trauma. Because psychoanalysis had "repressed" the salience of dissociation as actively motivated (though passively experienced), an unnecessary schism has occurred between trauma theories and mainstream North American psychoanalysis, and within psychoanalysis itself. To fully restore dissociation's role in primitive mental states and provide a more integrated approach to technique, it is necessary to comprehend the triadic nature of trauma, which entails economic/drive, structural conflict and deficit, and object-relational factors. For a treatment model that addresses defensive dissociation in the here and now, primary and secondary dissociation must be distinguished, with each differentiated from splitting and repression. Technique requires addressing unconscious, repressed fantasies associated with the "trauma," object-relational patterns that interfere with linking, and psycho-economic issues that have disrupted ego functioning. A clinical example illustrates both the analyst's persistence in suffering the dead, eerie space of dissociated trauma and efforts to find language that helps structure the patient's somatic and enacted expressions (and accompanying dissociative and repressive processes) by which traumatic experiences are registered and conveyed.
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Abstract
The potential for rituals in non-human great apes (apes) is an understudied topic. We derive a minimal definition of ritual and then examine the currently available evidence for it in untrained and non-enculturated apes. First, we examine whether such apes show evidence for the two main components of our minimal definition of ritual: symbolism and copying. Second, we examine if there are actual cases already identifiable today that may fit all aspects of our minimal definition of ritual-or whether there are at least cases that fit some aspects (proto-ritual). We find that apes are not likely to spontaneously practise minimal ritual, but we claim that the highest expected likelihood of occurrence is in the results-copying domain. Yet, we did not find actual cases of minimal ritual in apes-including those involving environmental results. We did, however, find some cases that may match at least part of our minimal ritual definition-which we termed proto-ritual. At least two out of three potential cases of such proto-rituals that we identified (rain dance, object-in-ear and surplus nest-making procedures) do revolve around results. Overall, apes do not show much, or very clear, evidence for even minimal ritual, but may sometimes show proto-ritual. However, dedicated ape ritual studies are currently lacking, and future work may identify ape ritual (or clearer cases of proto-ritual). We discuss the implications of our preliminary finding for inferences of ritual in the last common ancestor of humans and apes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Tennie
- Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
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Nielsen M, Langley MC, Shipton C, Kapitány R. Homo neanderthalensis and the evolutionary origins of ritual in Homo sapiens. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190424. [PMID: 32594872 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a large, if disparate, body of archaeological literature discussing specific instantiations of symbolic material culture and the possibility of ritual practices in Neanderthal populations. Despite this attention, however, no single synthesis exists that draws upon cognitive, psychological and cultural evolutionary theories of ritual. Here, we review the evidence for ritual-practice among now-extinct Homo neanderthalensis, as well as the necessary cognitive pre-conditions for such behaviour, in order to explore the evolution of ritual in Homo sapiens. We suggest that the currently available archaeological evidence indicates that Neanderthals may have used 'ritualization' to increase the successful transmission of technical knowledge across generations-providing an explanation for the technological stability of the Middle Palaeolithic and attesting to a survival strategy differing from near-contemporary H. sapiens. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Nielsen
- Early Cognitive Development Centre, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - Michelle C Langley
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt, Australia
| | - Ceri Shipton
- Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Rohan Kapitány
- School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, UK.,School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Robins A. The Alpha Hypothesis: Did Lateralized Cattle-Human Interactions Change the Script for Western Culture? Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E638. [PMID: 31480488 PMCID: PMC6769460 DOI: 10.3390/ani9090638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Domestic cattle possess lateralized cognitive processing of human handlers. This has been recently demonstrated in the preference for large groups of cattle to view a human closely within the predominantly left visual field. By contrast, the same stimulus viewed predominantly within the right visual field promotes a significantly greater frequency of dispersal from a standing position, including flight responses. The respective sets of behaviours correspond with the traditional terms of "near side" for the left side of cattle and horses, and the "off" or "far side" for the right side. These traditional terms of over 300 years usage in the literature communicate functional practicalities for handling livestock and the recognition of lateralized cognitive processing. In this review, the possibility of even earlier recognition and the significance of laterality in cattle-human interaction was argued, from the earliest representations of the letter "A", originally illustrated from nearly 4000 years before the present time as the head of an ox as viewed not from the front or from the right, but from the left (near) side. By extension, this knowledge of lateralization in cattle may represent the earliest written example of applied ethology-the study of the behaviour of animals under human management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Robins
- Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia.
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Suk I, Tamargo RJ. Neoplatonic Symbolism by Michelangelo in Sistine Chapel's Separation of Light from Darkness. J Biocommun 2018; 42:e2. [PMID: 36406757 PMCID: PMC9138627 DOI: 10.5210/jbc.v42i1.9331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Upon discovery of Michelangelo's concealed neuroanatomical images in "Separation of Light from Darkness," by Suk and Tamargo in 2010, there remained a compelling need to investigate in greater detail the reasoning behind Michelangelo's depiction of imagery of the brain, brainstem, spinal cord, eyeballs and optic nerves in the Sistine Chapel. At cursory glance, "Separation of Light from Darkness" depicts God's first act of Genesis 1:3-5 (King James Bible), in which he creates light and separates it from the darkness, enveloping the world he has just created. It is a seemingly simple, conspicuous act, but careful analysis reveals that Michelangelo used his artistic, academic, and poetic genius to embed layers of symbolic meanings. The authors believe that the great artist infused a visual metaphor of a scene from Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" in Book VII of The Republik (~380BC) to represent his key ideologies in Neoplatonism and pious convictions Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel during the flourishing period of High Renaissance (~1475-1527). High Renaissance art followed and reflected the period of 'rebirth' in which philosophy, literature, art, and sciences drew on ancient knowledge from Classical Antiquity, principally the ancient Greeks. The Renaissance was a period of rapid growth where people applied new found knowledge to the Classical Greek studies of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle (from about the 4th to 3rd century BC). One of the most influential ancient philosophers was Plato (~428-348 BC) whose teachings propagated throughout Athens for about two centuries around his lifetime, through his established school, the Academy. His philosophy of Neoplatonism was resurrected by an Italian baron, Cosimo I de Medici who employed Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) to lead the Florentine Platonic Academy (of which Michelangelo was a student) and translate all of Plato's writings into Latin Through analysis of Michelangelo's paintings, his preliminary sketches, poems, written letters, and the political and religious context of his time, the authors attempt to provide key evidence to reveal the meaning and symbolism behind Michelangelo's concealed anatomic representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Suk
- Johns Hopkins Department of Neurosurgery
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Vallejo JR, Aparicio Mena AJ, González JA. Human urine-based therapeutics in Spain from the early 20th century to the present: a historical literature overview and a present-day case study. Acta Med Hist Adriat 2017; 15:73-108. [PMID: 28767264 DOI: 10.31952/amha.15.1.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Human urine is currently the subject of biomedical investigations as a potential therapeutic resource and it continues to be used in remedies in different cultures and societies, including the Spanish culture. In this study we gather etnomedical knowledge about urotherapy and determine their associated symbolisms in Spain. A literature overview and a case study were carried out to compile urine-based remedies and as a direct analysis of symbolic systems. Urotherapy is widespread in Spanish folk medicine. Among the 204 collected remedies, those related to treatment of diseases or skin conditions predominate (63%). Remedies have been reported for the treatment of skin diseases such as eczema, chloasma, alopecia, etc. to treat or alleviate burns, chilblains, wounds or skin chapping, and as a treatment of venomous bites. Most of the collected remedies have an associated naturalist symbolism, based on local traditions and the transmission of empirical initial knowledge. The use of urine in Spain is a result of the interaction of two types of practice: a local and traditional urotherapy, rural and with a utilitarian purpose, and a technical urotherapy, limited to an urban environment and a naturopathic medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Ramón Vallejo
- Departamento de Terapéutica Médico-Quirúrgica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain.
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Abstract
This paper is the third in a series of investigations into (1) the nature and development of unconscious fantasy, (2) its place in a contemporary model of mind that, parenthetically, suggests a possible solution to the problem of theoretical pluralism, and (3) its mode of operation in the mind. The aim of these investigations is to update the notion of unconscious fantasy, an indispensable construct in psychoanalytic theories that assume out-of-awareness mentation, and to situate that construct within contemporary views of mental functioning in disciplines such as philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and developmental psychology. At the same time, data accessible only through psychoanalytic work challenge these fields with findings that indicate the need for further investigation. This paper argues that experimental evidence on the phenomenon of "priming" lends support to one of the seminal claims in our field, one frequently attacked as an outmoded shibboleth: that is, that the past matters, whether encoded in declarative or in procedural memory. In common parlance, we are "primed" to respond to some situations in predetermined ways; the past primes us to experience the present in often unique and personal ways. There is evidence too that the priming mechanism and the encoding of subjective experience in declarative and procedural memory operate from very early in life.
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Abstract
There is a fascinating tradition of depicting solar eclipses in Western art, although these representations have changed over time. Eclipses have often been an important feature of Christian iconography, but valued as much for their biblical significance as for the splendour of the physical event. However, as Western culture passed through the Renaissance and Enlightenment the depictions of eclipses came to reflect new astronomical knowledge and a thirst for rational learning well beyond the confines of the church and other elites. Artists also played a surprisingly important role in helping scientists in the nineteenth century understand and record the full phenomena of an eclipse, even as the advent of photography also came to solve a number of scientific puzzles. In the most recent century, artists have responded to eclipses with symbolism, abstraction and playfulness.This article is part of the themed issue 'Atmospheric effects of solar eclipses stimulated by the 2015 UK eclipse'.
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Rodríguez-Vidal J, d'Errico F, Giles Pacheco F, Blasco R, Rosell J, Jennings RP, Queffelec A, Finlayson G, Fa DA, Gutiérrez López JM, Carrión JS, Negro JJ, Finlayson S, Cáceres LM, Bernal MA, Fernández Jiménez S, Finlayson C. A rock engraving made by Neanderthals in Gibraltar. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:13301-6. [PMID: 25197076 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1411529111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The production of purposely made painted or engraved designs on cave walls--a means of recording and transmitting symbolic codes in a durable manner--is recognized as a major cognitive step in human evolution. Considered exclusive to modern humans, this behavior has been used to argue in favor of significant cognitive differences between our direct ancestors and contemporary archaic hominins, including the Neanderthals. Here we present the first known example of an abstract pattern engraved by Neanderthals, from Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar. It consists of a deeply impressed cross-hatching carved into the bedrock of the cave that has remained covered by an undisturbed archaeological level containing Mousterian artifacts made by Neanderthals and is older than 39 cal kyr BP. Geochemical analysis of the epigenetic coating over the engravings and experimental replication show that the engraving was made before accumulation of the archaeological layers, and that most of the lines composing the design were made by repeatedly and carefully passing a pointed lithic tool into the grooves, excluding the possibility of an unintentional or utilitarian origin (e.g., food or fur processing). This discovery demonstrates the capacity of the Neanderthals for abstract thought and expression through the use of geometric forms.
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Abstract
Born in 1900, Marion Milner started psychoanalytic training in 1940, following a trajectory which took her into territory later developed by Winnicott. She was an independent thinker who drew on a variety of sources to explore her own and her patients' creativity. She linked the creative process to psychic health and to the ability to achieve a level of perception that leads not to the re-creation of lost objects but to the creation of what did not exist before. By linking Milner's theory of perception to works by Y.Z. Kami, I draw parallels between a psychoanalyst's perception of the creative process and that process as described and executed by an artist. Milner's lens and Kami's brush both articulate thoughts and feelings about what it means to be human, the condition of mortality and, after Freud, the illusions that sustain mankind through the creation of the gods. This study looks at how the work of an artist and a psychoanalytic thinker can be mutually reinforcing and inter-animating, thereby broadening and deepening the insights gained from both.
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Gazzinelli MFC, Kloos H, de Cássia Marques R, dos Reis DC, Gazzinelli A. Popular beliefs about the infectivity of water among school children in two hyperendemic schistosomiasis areas of Brazil. Acta Trop 2008; 108:202-8. [PMID: 18599008 PMCID: PMC2629796 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2008.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2007] [Revised: 02/06/2008] [Accepted: 05/16/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This article examines changing common knowledge of elementary school children to scientific knowledge related to the relationship between water characteristics and the transmission of schistosomiasis through health education. A review of the literature and two case studies from rural elementary schools in Brazil show how the prevailing concept of dirty and polluted water, which has operated as an epistemological obstacle for acquiring scientific knowledge, may be related to symbolic thought and cultural parameters. Through an educational intervention not commonly applied to health programs involving elementary school students in two schistosomiasis-endemic rural communities in Brazil this paper describes the difficulties researchers encountered in changing the prevailing perception that very dirty and polluted water provides optimal conditions for schistosome transmission, to the scientifically accepted view that transmission occurs most often in visually clean, although fecally contaminated water. This conceptual difficulty may be largely explained in terms of the symbolism involved in clean and dirty water and the life-giving quality of water. Based on our results, we recommend that knowledge about water-related beliefs and concepts among school children should be considered in school-based health education programs in areas of endemic schistosomiasis and possibly other intestinal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Helmut Kloos
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94143-0560, USA
| | - Rita de Cássia Marques
- Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena 190, Belo Horizonte 30.130-100, MG, Brazil
| | - Dener Carlos dos Reis
- Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena 190, Belo Horizonte 30.130-100, MG, Brazil
| | - Andrea Gazzinelli
- Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena 190, Belo Horizonte 30.130-100, MG, Brazil
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