Rainfall, Plagues, and the Prince of Wales: A Chapter in the Conflict of Religion and Science

1974 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank M. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Quantitative Investigation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Royal Institution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Efficacy Of Prayer ◽  
John Tyndall ◽  
Common Prayer

In July, 1872, one of the most curious articles in the history of British journalism appeared in the much respected Contemporary Review. The anonymous essay, entitled “The ‘Prayer for the Sick’ — Hints Towards a Serious Attempt to Estimate Its Value,” challenged the Christians of the nation to conduct an experiment to determine the physical efficacy of prayer. A letter from the physicist John Tyndall, controversial professor at the Royal Institution, introduced the proposal, the author of which was later identified as Henry Thompson, an eminent London surgeon.Thompson admitted that few prayers were actually open to scientific or quantitative investigation. However, the prayers for the sick in the Book of Common Prayer appeared to constitute a set of petitions “from a study of which the absolute calculable value of prayer … can almost certainly be ascertained.” These fell into two categories — general prayers said every Sunday and specific prayers offered for particular individuals. Thompson desired no one to be deprived of the benefits afforded by general prayers.But I ask that one single ward or hospital, under the care of first-rate physicians and surgeons, containing certain numbers of patients afflicted with those diseases which have been best studied, and of which the mortality rates are best known, whether the diseases are those which are treated by medical or by surgical remedies, should be, during a period of not less, say, than three or five years, made the object of special prayer by the whole body of the faithful, and that, at the end of that time, the mortality rates should be compared with the past rates, and also with that of other leading hospitals, similarly well managed, during the same period.

The Royal Institution: an informal history

1986 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-110
Keyword(s):  
The Past ◽  
Royal Institution ◽  
History Of

The Royal Institution: an Informal history , by Gwendy Caroe (pp. xi+ 180). Published by John Murray, London 1985, £13.95. Although it has been unusual in Notes and Records to take any but formal notice of new books that are concerned with the activities of past Fellows, it is as fitting as it is topical for us to welcome the publication, alas posthumous, of Gwendy Caroe’s ‘informal history’ of the Royal Institution. She herself was the daughter of Sir William Bragg, and for part of his time as Director of the Royal Institution she acted as his hostess; and, of course, her brother, Sir Lawrence Bragg, also in his time became Director. Moreover, the latter’s successor has just retired from the R.I. and become our President. Finally, our Fellowship has included every Director of the R.I. in the continuous cavalcade from Humphrey Davy onwards of which Mrs Caroe has written so delightfully. Rumford, who was instrumental in the R.I’s foundation, receives a complete chapter; likewise do Davy, Faraday, Tyndall and Dewar. W. H. Bragg, H. H. Dale, E. K. Rideal, E. N. da C. Andrade and W. L. Bragg are together treated in a single chapter, no doubt because of the author’s family modesty in not wishing to stress the contributions of her father and brother. The treatment would have been even shorter had not her husband, A. D. R. Caroe, undertaken the completion of the book after her death in 1982: happily for the reader he accepted the advice of friends to enhance the chapter by including extracts from a talk that she gave to the Institution’s Library Circle in 1965. It would be misleading, though, for this review to give the impression that the book deals exclusively with the personalities and achievements of the Directors, or with affairs internal to the Institution itself. All these aspects are indeed treated with gracious understanding, but in addition they are set in the broader context of the development and status of science in Britain over the past two centuries. And yet for all its sweep, the book is remarkably concise, thanks both to the effort that must have gone into the gathering of material and to the deftness of its presentation.

Fundamentalism and Folk Science between the Wars

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-248
Author(s):  
Edward B. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Science And Religion ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Complex Situation ◽  
History Of Religion ◽  
The Past ◽  
Real Lesson ◽  
The World ◽  
Death Experience ◽  
History Of ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Reports of the demise of the “warfare” school of writing the history of religion and science may yet be premature, but it seems safe to say that it has had a near-death experience. Much recent historiography has underscored the shallowness, futility, and wrongheadedness of treating controversies involving religion and science simply as skirmishes in an ongoing, inevitable conflict between contradictory ways of viewing the world. We have been urged, as historians, to probe beneath the surface of apparent conflicts in search of the underlying reasons why people with different beliefs have come to disagree so deeply about matters involving science and to accept the realities of an historically complex situation. After showing the inadequacy of the warfare thesis, David C. Lindberg and Ronald L. Numbers note sadly that “we will never find a satisfactory alternative of equal simplicity.” John Hedley Brooke, the author of a recent comprehensive study, concludes that “Serious scholarship in the history of science has revealed so extraordinarily rich and complex a relationship between science and religion in the past that general theses are difficult to sustain. The real lesson turns out to be the complexity.”

scholarly journals Natural History of Invasive Papillary Breast Carcinoma Followed for 10 Years: A Case Report and Literature Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Joon Suh ◽  
Hyukjai Shin ◽  
Tae Jung Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Breast Carcinoma ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Ki 67 ◽  
The Past ◽  
Erbb2 Expression ◽  
Pet Ct ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fdg Pet Ct ◽  
Body Bone

Diachronic research on untreated breast cancer completely depends on past medical records when no more recent, advanced methods are available. Herein, we report a case of invasive papillary breast carcinoma followed for 10 years in a 59-year-old woman who refused any treatment. The diagnosis was based on core needle biopsies. At the patient’s first visit in July 2006, the tumor measured 10.4 × 7.2 × 3.5 cm. It was staged as IIIB (T4bN1). In May 2016, the tumor was staged as IIIC (T4bN3a). In the past 10 years, the tumor has increased to 12.1 × 9.0 × 4.2 cm. However, a whole-body bone scan and18F-FDG PET/CT showed no evidence of distant metastasis. Immunohistochemistry results, corresponding to biopsies taken at subsequent examinations, have remained unaltered since 2006. The tumor was estrogen/progesterone receptor-positive and C-erbB2 expression was not detected. The Ki-67 labeling index was around 10%.

Educating the chartered surveyor: looking back to look forward

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie de Silva
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Past ◽  
Royal Institution ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider perennial issues in the education of chartered surveyors and to use the debates and experiences of the past to inform the present and future, particularly the question of the balance between academic and practical training. Design/methodology/approach – Primary and secondary sources were used to establish a history of the growth of the profession and the development of formal education and assessment from the 19th century and to consider current issues with reference to wider theories of education. Findings – The profession grew from vocational roots and did not enjoy the centuries of status of, say, the law. The 19th century saw an increasing technicalisation and professionalisation of surveying, with developments in various strands of the discipline, from the rural land agents to construction and public housing specialists. The muted reception from the universities in recognising the discipline is instructive. Looking at the relationship between classroom education and apprenticeship and what is needed in the preliminary education and assessment of surveyors holds contemporary lessons as increasing university fees has prompted renewed review of the most economical ways of training, while maintaining rigour. Originality/value – There have been histories of surveying and of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, but this paper relates the past to the present. Its value is in highlighting the tension between the practical and academic, allowing current debates to benefit from earlier discussions and longitudinal experience of different models of education. This paves the way for a wider consideration of experiential learning theory to be applied to a fundamental review of surveying education.

On The Possibility of an Autonomous History of Modern Southeast Asia

1961 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. W. Small
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Contemporary History ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of

It is generally accepted that history is an element of culture and the historian a member of society, thus, in Croce's aphorism, that the only true history is contemporary history. It follows from this that when there occur great changes in the contemporary scene, there must also be great changes in historiography, that the vision not merely of the present but also of the past must change.

Stellar Evolution

1962 ◽  
Vol 11 (02) ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
M. Schwarzschild
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Space Craft ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Substantial Body ◽  
Individual Stars ◽  
The Past ◽  
Evolution Of Galaxies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fast Flow

It is perhaps one of the most important characteristics of the past decade in astronomy that the evolution of some major classes of astronomical objects has become accessible to detailed research. The theory of the evolution of individual stars has developed into a substantial body of quantitative investigations. The evolution of galaxies, particularly of our own, has clearly become a subject for serious research. Even the history of the solar system, this close-by intriguing puzzle, may soon make the transition from being a subject of speculation to being a subject of detailed study in view of the fast flow of new data obtained with new techniques, including space-craft.

A 200-Year History of the Study of Childhood Language Disorders of Unknown Origin: Changes in Terminology

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence B. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Language Disorders ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many

Purpose The current “specific language impairment” and “developmental language disorder” discussion might lead to important changes in how we refer to children with language disorders of unknown origin. The field has seen other changes in terminology. This article reviews many of these changes. Method A literature review of previous clinical labels was conducted, and possible reasons for the changes in labels were identified. Results References to children with significant yet unexplained deficits in language ability have been part of the scientific literature since, at least, the early 1800s. Terms have changed from those with a neurological emphasis to those that do not imply a cause for the language disorder. Diagnostic criteria have become more explicit but have become, at certain points, too narrow to represent the wider range of children with language disorders of unknown origin. Conclusions The field was not well served by the many changes in terminology that have transpired in the past. A new label at this point must be accompanied by strong efforts to recruit its adoption by clinical speech-language pathologists and the general public.

Suicidal Ideation Among Medical Students in Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Mohammed Madadin ◽  
Ritesh G. Menezes ◽  
Maha A. Alassaf ◽  
Abdulaziz M. Almulhim ◽  
Mahdi S. Abumadini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Eastern Province ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Past ◽  
Depression Subscale ◽  
History Of

Abstract. Background: Medical students are at high risk of suicidal ideation. Aim: We aimed to obtain information on suicidal ideation among medical students in Dammam located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine affiliated with Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Suicidal ideation in the past 12 months was assessed based on responses to four questions in the depression subscale of the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28). In addition, data were collected to examine the association of suicidal ideation with various factors. Results: We found that 1 in 3 medical students in the study had suicidal ideation in the past 12 months, while around 40% had lifetime suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was associated with feelings of parental neglect, history of physical abuse, and dissatisfaction with academic performance. Limitations: The cross-sectional nature of this study limits its ability to determine causality regarding suicidal ideation. Conclusion: These rates are considerably high when compared with rates from studies in other countries around the world. This study provides a reference in the field of suicidology for this region of Saudi Arabia.

Post-Soviet economy development: From the past to the future

2017 ◽  
pp. 5-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Yasin
Keyword(s):  
Present Situation ◽  
Soviet Economy ◽  
Market Reforms ◽  
Democratic Development ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current Period ◽  
The Future ◽  
History Of ◽  
Working Out ◽  
A Current

The article is devoted to major events in the history of the post-Soviet economy, their influence on forming and development of modern Russia. The author considers stages of restructuring, market reforms, transformational crisis, and recovery growth (1999-2011), as well as a current period which started in2011 and is experiencing serious problems. The present situation is analyzed, four possible scenarios are put forward for Russia: “inertia”, “mobilization”, “decisive leap”, “gradual democratic development”. More than 30 experts were questioned in the process of working out the scenarios.

EPITAFIES OF THE RELATIVES OF HADJI IBRAHIM AL-URADI AS A SOURCE ON THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE SCIENTIST AND ON THE HISTORY OF GIDATL

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-21
Author(s):  
Sh M Khapizov ◽  
M G Shekhmagomedov
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Medieval History ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
The Past ◽  
Arabic Script ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Culture ◽  
The Look ◽  
Cultural Monuments ◽  
Written Sources

The article is devoted to the study of inscriptions on the gravestones of Haji Ibrahim al-Uradi, his father, brothers and other relatives. The information revealed during the translation of these inscriptions allows one to date important events from the history of Highland Dagestan. Also we can reconsider the look at some important events from the past of Hidatl. Epitaphs are interesting in and of themselves, as historical and cultural monuments that needed to be studied and attributed. Research of epigraphy data monuments clarifies periodization medieval epitaphs mountain Dagestan using record templates and features of the Arabic script. We see the study of medieval epigraphy as one of the important tasks of contemporary Caucasian studies facing Dagestani researchers. Given the relatively weak illumination of the picture of events of that period in historical sources, comprehensive work in this direction can fill gaps in our knowledge of the medieval history of Dagestan. In addition, these epigraphs are of great importance for researchers of onomastics, linguistics, the history of culture and religion of Dagestan. The authors managed to clarify the date of death of Ibrahim-Haji al-Uradi, as well as his two sons. These data, the attraction of written sources and legends allowed the reconstruction of the events of the second half of the 18th century. For example, because of the epidemic of plague and the death of most of the population of Hidatl, this society noticeably weakened and could no longer maintain its influence on Akhvakh. The attraction of memorable records allowed us to specify the dates of the Ibrahim-Haji pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, as well as the route through which he traveled to these cities.

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