Looted artifacts and museums' perpetuation of imperialism and racism: Implications for the importance of preserving cultural heritage

In the midst of recent protests and antiracism movements following the death of George Floyd in May of 2020 and other Black, Indigenous, and people of Color (BIPOC) murdered in the United States by police violence, protestors and advocates around the world recognized the need for Western governments and other institutions to reckon with their own imperial history-to acknowledge the linkage between the slave trade, colonialism, and racism in their countries. This recognition led to the tearing down of statues depicting racist colonial leaders and calling for museums who have perpetuated imperialism and racism through their acceptance and display of looted artifacts to return them. This article sought to answer the question posed in the call for papers, can the many manifestations of racism be effectively dealt with in our society if the status quo is unwilling to engage with the issues, address them, and relinquish power. Further the author argues that cultural looting has its roots in colonialism and racism and discusses implications of the linkage between one's stolen cultural heritage and individual and community well-being. Answers to the question include both yes, manifestations of racism can be addressed, and no, they cannot be addressed when institutions and governments refuse to engage, address the issue and do not relinquish power. The article also includes the author's thoughts on using a living heritage approach to preserve cultural heritage and offers suggestions that community psychologists, advocates and activists can help to decolonize museums as part of the broader social and racial justice movement.

Medical fears of the malingering soldier: 'phony cronies' and the Repat in 1960s Australia

The fear of the malingering soldier or veteran has existed in Australia since its first nationwide military venture in South Africa. The establishment of the Repatriation Department in 1917 saw the medical, military and political fields work collectively, to some extent, to support hundreds of thousands of men who returned from their military service wounded or ill. Over the next decades the medical profession occasionally criticised the Repatriation Department's alleged laxness towards soldier recipients of military pensions, particularly those with less visible war-related psychiatric conditions. In 1963 this reached a crescendo when a group of Australian doctors drew battle lines in the correspondence pages of the Medical Journal of Australia, accusing the Repatriation Department of directing a 'national scandal', and provoking responses by both the Minister for Repatriation and the Chairman of the War Pensions Assessment Appeal Tribunal. Although this controversy and its aftermath does allow for closer investigation of the inner workings of the Repatriation Department, the words of the doctors themselves about 'phony cronies', 'deadbeats' and 'drongoes' also reveal how the medical fear of the malingering soldier, and particularly the traumatised soldier-malingerer, lingered into the early 1960s and beyond. This paper will analyse the medical conceptualisation of the traumatised soldier in the 1960s in relation to historical conceptions of malingering, the increasingly tenuous position of psychiatry, as well as the socio-medical 'sick role', and will explore possible links with the current soldier and veteran suicide crisis in Australia.

A systematic review of snake translocations to identify potential tactics for reducing postrelease effects

Advancements in the field of reintroduction biology are needed, but understanding of how to effectively conduct translocations, particularly with snakes, is lacking. We conducted a systematic review of snake translocation studies to identify potential tactics for reducing postrelease effects. We included studies on intentional, human-mediated, wild-wild, or captive-wild translocations to any location, regardless of motive or number of snakes translocated. Only studies that presented results for at least 1 of 4 outcomes (movement behavior, site fidelity, survival, or population establishment) were included. We systematically searched 4 databases for published studies and used 5 methods to search the gray literature. Our search and screening criteria yielded 121 data sources, representing 130 translocation cases. We quantified the association between 15 translocation tactics and short-term translocation outcomes by calculating odds ratios and used forest plots to display results. Snake translocations involved 47 species (from mainly 2 families), and most were motivated by research, were monitored for at least 6 months, occurred in North America, and took place from the 1990s onward. The odds of a positive snake translocation outcome were highest with release of captive reared or juvenile snakes, release of social groups together, delayed release, provision of environmental enrichment or social housing before release, or minimization of distance translocated. The odds of a positive outcome were lowest when snakes were released early in their active season. Our results do not demonstrate causation, but outcomes of snake translocation were associated with 8 tactics (4 of which were strongly correlated). In addition to targeted comparative studies, we recommend practitioners consider the possible influence of these tactics when planning snake translocations.

[The inopportune repatriation of ship crew members as a threat to mental health disorders]

In case of illness or injury of ship crew member during entire stay on board of the ship and until the end of repatriation, the shipowner is responsible for paying wages in full size and pays all expenses on medical care and arrival at final destination. Due to effect of external and internal factors, mental health of crew members became one of actual modern problems. The article considers main provisions of labor and collective agreement of crew member, determines responsibilities of shipowner for organizing repatriation and appropriate actions when its terms are increased, identifies problematic aspects of disorders of mental health of seaman on board the ship and substantiates possible solutions of modern problems.

Infection, temporality and inequality: Sanitizing foreign bodies and protecting public health in Taiwan

This paper probes how temporality is integral to the health examination regime that aims to protect citizens from infectious diseases in Taiwan. The paper finds that migrant workers in less-skilled occupations are examined more frequently than foreign professionals. Analyzing such differentiation, this paper argues that a hierarchy of sanitization is built on and increases the inequality between them and perpetuates instability in migrant workers' circumstances. Applying a temporal approach to the study of health examination opens new inroads into our understanding of how a "migration state" achieves the exclusion of migrant workers by making them outsiders subject to permanent intrusion into their bodies.

Relaying station for empires' outcasts: managing 'lunatics' in pre-World War II Hong Kong

This article explores how 'lunatics' emerged and how they were managed beyond the capacity of institutionalization in colonial Hong Kong in the second half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. The story contests the conventional historiography about madmen that focuses on institutions. Unlike in Britain or in other East Asian colonial cities, inpatients stayed at the asylum only for very short periods. Instead of psychiatric admission, they were then transported by ship, either to Canton in China or to London for further care until after World War II. This article analyses how this was done to maintain a 'clean' cityscape, as well as an instrument to ensure the smooth operation of the port city.

Distress return migration amid COVID-19: Kerala's response

Emigrants from Kerala, India, were among the international migrants affected by the displacing consequences of COVID-19 — job losses, decreasing wages, inadequate social protection systems, xenophobia and overall uncertainty — which led to large-scale return migration to India. Returning home due to exogenous shocks calls into question the voluntary nature of return, the ability of returnees to reintegrate and the sustainability of re-embedding in the home country. The role of return migrants in the development of their societies of origin is also unclear. In this commentary, we explore the circumstances of return migration since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on a case study of Kerala and provide insights on the future of emigration from this corridor along with policy suggestions. The role of return migrants in the development of their societies of origin requires further research and policy interventions.

COVID-19 Case Investigations Among Federally Quarantined Evacuees From Wuhan, China, and Exposed Personnel at a US Military Base, United States, February 5-21, 2020

In February 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, 232 evacuees from Wuhan, China, were placed under federal 14-day quarantine upon arrival at a US military base in San Diego, California. We describe the monitoring of evacuees and responders for symptoms of COVID-19, case and contact investigations, infection control procedures, and lessons learned to inform future quarantine protocols for evacuated people from a hot spot resulting from a novel pathogen. Thirteen (5.6%) evacuees had COVID-19-compatible symptoms and 2 (0.9%) had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2. Two case investigations identified 43 contacts; 3 (7.0%) contacts had symptoms but tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Daily symptom and temperature screening of evacuees and enacted infection control procedures resulted in rapid case identification and isolation and no detected secondary transmission among evacuees or responders. Lessons learned highlight the challenges associated with public health response to a novel pathogen and the evolution of mitigation strategies as knowledge of the pathogen evolves.

Repatriation of Bhutanese During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Unspoken Economic Burden of COVID-19 on the Bhutanese Government

Protecting the citizens who are living abroad has been a challenge for many countries during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In Bhutan, since the start of the pandemic, it has repatriated its citizens living and working abroad and putting them into a 21-day state-sponsored quarantine. They were also tested for COVID-19 on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that was funded by the government. While this measure is a blessing for its people, for the government it is a huge economic challenge.

Violence Against North Korean Refugee Women: Doubly Victimized By Repatriation and Premigration Traumatic Experiences

This study investigates the influence of traumatic events on the mental health of North Korean refugee women by examining the prevalence and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety in comparison with their male counterparts (women = 496; men = 131). Our results suggest that women are at greater risk of developing mental health problems than men. In particular, symptoms of PTSD and anxiety were higher among women who experienced forced repatriation to North Korea, which is operationalized as a constellation of gendered traumatic incidents such as sexual abuse, rape, witnessing infanticides, and forced abortion. The policy implications of our results and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Between drift and confinement: What can the study of "lunatics" in Hong Kong contribute to the historiography mental health in East Asia?

In this essay, the author reflects on his past and current research in transnational history psychiatry and the history of lunatics in Hong Kong, attempting to develop an alternative narrative in the unique free port between the East and the West concerning the conventional colonial historiography of psychiatry. He emphasizes that, in Hong Kong, the historiography of psychiatry should broaden its focus and not limited to the role of mental asylums, for modern psychiatry was almost absent in Britain's crown colony until the end of World War II, and custodial care for lunatics was only one temporary measure in a much broader network of patient repatriation. The grand project was designed not for the well-being of the mentally ill but the smooth operation of the international commercial port. In addition, the post-war institutionalization of psychiatry, including the expansion of hospitals and the creation of the psychiatric specialty in Hong Kong, did not improve the mental health of Hong Kong residents. The author argues that this is because the rapid development of modern psychiatry in the former British colony overlooked the social determinants of mental suffering. A historical understanding of psychiatry in Hong Kong is helpful to address such ignorance.

Repatriation operation in South Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: initial planning and preparedness

Abstract

With COVID-19 affecting millions of people around the globe, quarantine of international arrivals is a critical public health measure to prevent further disease transmission in local populations. This measure has also been applied in the repatriation of citizens, undertaken by several countries as an ethical obligation and legal responsibility. This article describes the process of planning and preparing for the repatriation operation in South Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interagency collaboration, development of a COVID-19 testing and quarantining protocol, implementing infection prevention and control, and building a specialised health care delivery model were essential aspects of the repatriation operational planning, with a focus on maintaining dignity and wellbeing of the passengers as well as on effective prevention of COVID-19 transmission. From April 2020 to mid-February 2021, more than 14,000 international arrivals travellers have been repatriated under the South Australian repatriation operations. This paper has implications to inform ongoing repatriation efforts in Australia and overseas in a pandemic situation.

Repatriations of Ill and Injured Travelers and Emigrants to Switzerland: A Retrospective Analysis at a Tertiary Emergency Department from 2013-2018

Background: As more and more people are travelling abroad, there are also increasing numbers who fall ill or have accidents in foreign countries. Some patients must be repatriated. While it has been reported that the number of repatriations is rising steadily, little is known about patients' characteristics, calling for in depth investigations of this patient group. Methods: We have conducted a retrospective study including 447 patients repatriated to the Emergency Department at the University Hospital (Inselspital) in Bern, Switzerland from 2013-2018. Results: Between 2013 and 2018, the number of repatriated patients increased by 42.6%, from 54 to 77 cases. In total, 59% of these patients were male and the median age was 60 years. Overall, 79% of patients were repatriated from European countries, with the top five countries being Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Austria. About half the cases (51.9%) were caused by illness, the other half by accidents. In total, 127 patients had to undergo surgical intervention abroad; another 194 patients underwent surgery after repatriation. The hospitalization rate was 81.4%, with a median length of in-hospital stay of 9 days (IQR 5-14) at the Inselspital. The mortality rate of at the Inselspital hospitalized patients was 4.4%, with 16 patients dying within the first 30 days after repatriation. The median cost per case was 12,005.79 CHF (IQR 4717.66-24,462.79). A multiple regression analysis showed a significant association of total costs with hospitalization (p = 0.001), surgical intervention (p = 0.001), as well as treatment in the intensive care unit (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The number of repatriations has been continuously increasing in recent years and reached a mean value of more than one case per week at the Inselspital (77 cases per year in 2018). The 30 day-mortality rate of 4.4% and the median cost per case are relatively high, demonstrating a neglected Public Health concern. These findings may provide impetus-not only for further research into repatriations but also for Public Health Promotion strategies.

COVID-19 and seafarers' rights to shore leave, repatriation and medical assistance: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

The well-being of the world's 1.65 million seafarers is expected to be secured by the rights established under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 with active monitoring of its implementation by the flag administrations through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO). However, the substantial gains achieved since entry into force of MLC in August 2013 appear to have been severely dented by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The aim of the study was to examine, on a pilot basis, the disruptions and challenges to the observance of seafarers' rights to shore leave, repatriation and medical assistance as an immediate consequence of COVID-19.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The impact of COVID-19 on seafarers' rights was examined in three dimensions - shore leave, repatriation and medical assistance. Questionnaires were administered online from June to August 2020 to 450 seafarers, top 10 ship-management companies, 35 shipping companies and maritime administrations of top 5 seafarer supplying countries. The paper discusses the results of the survey.

RESULTS

The research revealed a previously unknown majority preference for shore leave, that diminished sharply during COVID-19. Impact on work-performance and well-being of seafarers was revealed with only a fifth of the seafarers having willingly agreed to an extension of contract. This study revealed incidence rates at 6 months into the pandemic of several parameters - delayed repatriations (21.44%) that includes crew with contract extensions (12.48%), crew with completed contract awaiting repatriation (8.96%) and crew that had exceeded 12-month continuous service (0.82%). Compensation, if provided, is meagre and was affecting ratings the most. Deprivation of medical assistance was also revealed.

CONCLUSIONS

The well being of seafarers would likely remain vulnerable to breaches, unless measures are put in place to safeguard the rights assured under MLC in the face of uncertainties caused by a pandemic such as COVID-19.

Ethical medical repatriation of guest workers: Criteria and challenges

Healthcare facilities in receiving countries regularly encounter guest workers whose need for acute or subacute care triggers the prospect of termination of employment and repatriation. In these scenarios, country-specific migration and employment policies and norms of medical professionalism and ethics offer some guidance, but also create tensions. It is not clear under what conditions such medical repatriation is ethically permissible. This paper analyses the application of a previously articulated criteria for the ethical medical repatriation of undocumented immigrants, to the situation of documented guest workers, with focus on the context of Singapore. We examine how these standards could be adapted and applied to the provision of care for guest workers, and argue that healthcare institutions and medical professionals have a duty to intervene in employers' decisions to repatriate guest workers for medico-economic reasons when repatriation essentially amounts to 'patient dumping'. Barriers and challenges in implementing the criteria, and their possible solutions will be discussed.

Shipping and COVID-19: protecting seafarers as frontline workers

The article provides an overview of the impact on and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic on the maritime industry—merchant shipping, the cruise industry and ports as at the end of July 2020. With shipping being responsible for 80% of global trade, the article addresses issues relating to the response of the maritime industry, governments and international organizations to the pandemic. It also addresses the impact of the pandemic on the world’s almost 2 million seafarers who as key workers enable global trade. The article examines the serious challenges seafarers have faced relating to quarantine requirements, restrictions on border crossings with border closures, repatriation and crew changeovers, abandonment, renewals of certificates and licencing of seafarers, resupply and ship surveys. The article includes the response of governments and that of United Nations agencies and in particular the World Health Organization, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labour Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The significant role played by the maritime industry in providing substantive guidance is commended. The article concludes that COVID-19 will continue to have a huge impact on the maritime industry and on world trade for the foreseeable future. The expectation is that the industry will hopefully emerge stronger and become more robust to enable world trade to be efficient and sustainable. It is also expected that the pandemic will enable a greater recognition of the world’s seafarers who facilitate world trade, while ensuring a better future for humanity.

Quantification of anatomical variation at the atlanto-occipital articulation: morphometric resolution of commingled human remains within the repatriation documentation process

Within many institutional collections are skeletal and mummified human remains representing a part of our species' adaptation and evolution to various biocultural environments. Archaeologically recovered individuals come from deep into our past, and possess information that provides insight into population history, genetics, diet, health and other questions relevant to all living peoples. Academic concerns have been raised regarding the reinterment of these collections due to the rise of the international repatriation movement, the passage of various laws and implementation of institutional policies. While all potential research questions cannot be anticipated, the proactive documentation of collections is one way to ensure primary data are maintained for future study. This paper explores developments in digitization technology that allow the archive of virtual copies of human remains, and an example of how anatomical and archaeological collections can be digitized towards pragmatic research goals. The anatomical variability of the human atlanto-occipital (AO) articular surfaces was studied using non-metric categorical shape, 2D measurement and 3D morphometric analyses to provide reference standards for the reassociation of individuals from commingled skeletal remains, such as found in some archaeological sites or forensic investigations including mass grave or mass disaster recovery scenes. Results suggest that qualitative shape observations and caliper-derived measurements of the articulating AO condyles tend to display significant sexual dimorphism and biological ancestry-related size and shape differences. Variables derived from a scanned 3D mesh, such as condylar angle and articular surface curvature, quantify biomechanical variation and display a stronger congruency within individuals. It is recommended that a two-stage approach involving initial screening and identification of possible reassociation candidates is accomplished with a linear osteometric approach, followed by 3D laser scanning of the candidate joint surfaces for morphometric analyses to confirm reassociations when destructive DNA typing is not allowed or otherwise impractical due to cost or other resource restrictions.

Patients with mental problems - the most defenseless travellers

BACKGROUND

Severe mental illness occurring abroad is a difficult situation for patients, their families, and for the local medical community. Patients with mental problem are doublely stigmatized due to their mental illness and because they are foreigners in an unfamiliar country. The appropriate treatment is often delayed, while patients are often dealt with in a manner that violates their human rights. Moreover, repatriation - which is vital in this case - is often delayed due to the lack of international protocols for the transportation and treatment of mentally ill travelers.

METHODS

Authors analyzed several factors related to acute mental health problems during travel: the etiology of symptoms, the appropriate treatment possibilities abroad, and medical evacuation and repatriation of the psychotic patient. The article presents a brief review of travel-related mental disorders, the epidemiology of mental health issues faced by travelers, and the significance of pre-travel advice for these patients. The first problem is to recognize (and redress) the particular challenges faced by a psychotic patient in a strange country. The second challenge is to prepare the patients, often in a poor psychiatric state, for medical evacuation by commercial aircraft. Another important question is the best way to take the patient through customs and security control. All of these, as yet unresolved, issues can make the mental patient virtually defenseless.

CONCLUSIONS

Although timely repatriation of a mentally ill patient is vital and urgent, most travel insurance policies exclude treatment and repatriation costs incurred due to acute mental illness. The high cost of treatment and repatriation must be paid by the patient or their family, which could lead to severe financial strain or insolvency. Changing the approaches taken by the local mental health care community, police, airport security, and insurance companies remain a challenge for psychiatrists.

Medical evacuations in the oil and gas industry: a retrospective review with implications for future evacuation and preventative strategies

BACKGROUND

Businesses increasingly conduct operations in remote areas where medical evacuation [Medevac(s)] carries more risk. Royal Dutch Shell developed a remote healthcare strategy whereby enhanced remote healthcare is made available to the patient through use of telemedicine and telemetry. To evaluate that strategy, a review of Medevacs of Shell International employees [i.e. expatriate employees (EEs) and frequent business travellers (FBTs)] was undertaken.

METHOD

A retrospective review of Medevac data (period 2008-12) that were similar in operational constraints and population profile was conducted. Employee records and Human Resource data were used as a denominator for the population. Analogous Medevac data from specific locations were used to compare patterns of diagnoses.

RESULTS

A total of 130 Medevacs were conducted during the study period, resulting in a Medevac rate of 4 per 1000 of population with 16 per 1000 for females and 3 per 1000 for males, respectively. The youngest and oldest age-groups required Medevacs in larger proportions. The evacuation rates were highest for countries classified as 'high' or 'extreme risk'. The most frequent diagnostic categories for Medevac were: trauma, digestive, musculoskeletal, cardiac and neurological. In 9% of the total, a strong to moderate link could be made between the pre-existing medical condition and diagnosis leading to Medevac.

CONCLUSION

This study uniquely provides a benchmark Medevac rate (4 per 1000) for EEs and FBTs and demonstrates that Medevac rates are highest from countries identified as 'high risk'; there is an age and gender bias, and pre-existing medical conditions are of notable relevance. It confirms a change in the trend from injury to illness as a reason for Medevac in the oil and gas industry and demonstrates that diagnoses of a digestive and traumatic nature are the most frequent. A holistic approach to health (as opposed to a predominant focus on fitness to work), more attention to female travellers, and the application of modern technology and communication will reduce the need for Medevacs.

The vanishing Black Indian: Revisiting craniometry and historic collections

OBJECTIVES

This article uses craniometric allocation as a platform for discussing the legacy of Samuel G. Morton's collection of crania, the process of racialization, and the value of contextualized biohistoric research perspectives in biological anthropology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Standard craniometric measurements were recorded for seven Seminoles in the Samuel G. Morton Crania Collection and 10 European soldiers from the Fort St. Marks Military Cemetery; all individuals were men and died in Florida during the 19th century. Fordisc 3.1 was used to assess craniometric affinity with respect to three samples: the Forensic Data Bank, Howells data set, and an archival sample that best fits the target populations collected from 19th century Florida. Discriminant function analyses were used to evaluate how allocations change across the three comparative databases, which roughly reflect a temporal sequence.

RESULTS

Most Seminoles allocated as Native American, while most soldiers allocated as Euro-American. Allocation of Seminole crania, however, was unstable across analysis runs with more individuals identifying as African Americans when compared to the Howells and Forensic Data Bank. To the contrary, most of the soldiers produced consistent allocations across analyses. Repeatability for the St. Marks sample was lower when using the archival sample database, contrary to expectations. For the Seminole crania, Cohen's κ indicates significantly lower repeatability. A possible Black Seminole individual was identified in the Morton Collection.

DISCUSSION

Recent articles discussing the merits and weaknesses of comparative craniometry focus on methodological issues. In our biohistoric approach, we use the patterning of craniometric allocations across databases as a platform for discussing social race and its development during the 19th century, a process known as racialization. Here we propose that differences in repeatability for the Seminoles and Euro-American soldiers reflect this process and transformation of racialized identities during 19th century U.S. nation-building. In particular, notions of whiteness were and remain tightly controlled, while other racial categorizations were affected by legal, social, and political contexts that resulted in hybridity in lieu of boundedness.

Insanity, belonging and citizenship: mentally ill people who went to and/or returned from Europe in the Late Ottoman Era

The Ottoman Empire, which encompassed a vast territory, had several facilities for the protection and treatment of the mentally ill. By the late nineteenth century, some wealthy families had begun to send their patients to mental hospitals in Europe for better treatment. During the same period, the process of repatriation of mental patients who were Ottoman subjects also began. These processes, which resulted in complex bureaucratic measures, later found a place in regulations and laws. The Ottoman Empire had an additional incentive to protect mentally-ill patients during the Second Constitutional Era, when discussions about 'citizenship' reappeared. This article examines the practices of sending mentally-ill people to Europe and the repatriation of mentally-ill Ottoman subjects from European countries.

Introduction of highly resistant bacteria into a hospital via patients repatriated or recently hospitalized in a foreign country

We describe the prevalence of carriage and variables associated with introduction of highly drug-resistant microorganisms (HDRMO) into a French hospital via patients repatriated or recently hospitalized in a foreign country. The prevalence of HDRMO was 11% (15/132), with nine carbapenamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, nine carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and six glycopeptide-resistant enterococci. Half of the admitted patients (63/132, 48%) were colonized with extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLPE). Among the four episodes with secondary cases, three involved A. baumannii.

Naming the body (or the bones): Human remains, anthropological/medical collections, religious beliefs, and restitution

Human bones and biological remains conserved in anthropological, medical, and archaeological collections are foci of ethical debate, as recently illustrated by the affair of Charles Byrne's bones. In the near future, curators will have to choose between global conservation of all (or almost all) anthropological collections and systematic restitution to their original communities or families. Various proposals and examples of restitution and nonrestitution are given (with justifications) in order to support the concept that the body (especially the dead body) is not property. We propose that the only element supporting arguments in favor of restitution could be the name of the individual, highlighting the importance of all identification processes for such "artifacts." This is undoubtedly a universal value: naming the dead, identifying and then burying the person, i.e., reversing the progression along the timeline from individual to scientific specimen. Such elements could be of great interest to all universities and medical institutions that keep human remains in their collections for educational or historical purposes when they are confronted with ethical problems and/or repatriation requests.

Willingness of Lebanese physicians in the United States to relocate to Lebanon

BACKGROUND

We recently proposed that Lebanon could become a regional 'academic hub' through the repatriation of emigrated Lebanese physicians who would then provide clinical services in the Arab Gulf region on a locum tenens basis. The objectives of this study were to assess the willingness of Lebanese medical graduates practicing in the United States of America to relocate to Lebanon and the Arab Gulf region and to explore the factors associated with this willingness.

METHODS

In 2009 we surveyed Lebanese medical graduates practicing medicine in the United States. The questionnaire included questions about their willingness to relocate to Lebanon and to the Arab Gulf region and the associated timeframes. The questionnaire also included questions about family factors. We linked responders' answers to their personal, educational, and practice characteristics provided by the American Medical Association Physicians' Dataset. We conducted both descriptive and regression analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 286 physicians participated in the survey (57% response rate). A majority (61%) was willing to relocate to Lebanon (51% possibly, 10% definitely). A third (33%) were willing to relocate to the Arab Gulf region (31% possibly, 2% definitely). About half (54%) were willing to relocate to Lebanon as a base for clinical missions to the Arab Gulf region (49% possibly, 5% definitely). Willingness to relocate to Lebanon was independently associated with Lebanese citizenship and the birthplace of the spouse being Lebanon, and inversely associated with US citizenship. Willingness to relocate to the Arab Gulf region was independently associated with being board certified, and inversely associated with being married, the age of the oldest child, and practicing in direct patient care. Willingness to relocate to Lebanon as a base was not independently associated with any factor.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study support the feasibility of the proposal of Lebanon becoming a regional 'academic hub'. Future research should explore other factors important for the feasibility of the proposal as well as actual relocation.

The Invisible Refugee Camp: Durable Solutions for Boreah 'Residuals' in Guinea

What happens when refugees do not repatriate post-conflict? For those who remain in refugee camps, the remaining, durable solutions of resettlement and local integration may be neither feasible nor desirable. This study of Boreah camp in Guinea illustrates how refugees and refugee camps become invisible from the perspective of the host government and non-governmental organizations once assistance is rescinded and refugees refuse to avail themselves of the durable solutions offered. While refugees may cease to exist at the institutional level, ethnographic research reveals that those who continue to reside in defunct camps and/or continue to claim refugee status have eminently visible challenges. This article examines durable solutions-local integration in particular-from the perspective of refugees as well as the perspective of humanitarian actors.