At-Home Humbugs: Freaks and Fakes in the Nineteenth-Century Parlor Museum

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Michael D'Alessandro
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
New York ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Hair Growth ◽  
The Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Hybrid Species ◽  
Long Line ◽  
The Face ◽  
Madison Square Garden

In April 1885, a New York Herald journalist rushed to Madison Square Garden for a special reception highlighting Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy. A feature of P. T. Barnum's traveling show, Jo-Jo was confounding scientists who had requested a stand-alone inspection of the mysterious attraction. Accordingly, the reporter provided an anthropological description of the boy: “He stands about five feet high. . . . His whole body is covered by a very thick growth of long, tow colored hair . . . and the peculiar formation of his head [is] very suggestive of the Russian dachshund.” At first, Jo-Jo appeared docile, but as the scientists prodded him more and more, he started “snarling, showing his three canine teeth” and asked his guardian if he could bite the inspectors. Jo-Jo was decidedly not a dog-boy, or not exactly. He was, in fact, a Russian teenager suffering from hypertrichosis, a condition causing excessive hair growth all over the body, including nearly every surface area of the face. Barnum had signed him to perform a year earlier, and the boy made quite an auspicious debut. However, Jo-Jo was simply the latest in a long line of supposed hybrid species and exotic curiosities that Barnum had been displaying since midcentury. The famed showman built his name in part by presenting human creation itself as a continual spectrum. Barnum's attractions ranged from live tigers and giraffes to enigmatic simian performers to wax statues of America's degraded lower classes. As much of a draw as he became, even Jo-Jo had to share a bill with Tattooed Hindoo Dwarfs, Hungarian Gypsies, Buddhist Priests, as well as a menagerie of animals including baby elephants, kangaroos, lions, and twenty-foot-long “great sinewy serpents.” But Jo-Jo's specific appeal was tied to his inexplicability. Even given the closer inspection of the dog-faced boy, “none of the physicians present would hazard an opinion as to his ancestry.”

scholarly journals Facial and body sexual dimorphism are not interconnected in the Maasai

2022 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina L. Butovskaya ◽  
Victoria V. Rostovtseva ◽  
Anna A. Mezentseva
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Body Height ◽  
The Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Facial Shape ◽  
The Face ◽  
Full Face

Abstract Background In this paper, we investigate facial sexual dimorphism and its’ association with body dimorphism in Maasai, the traditional seminomadic population of Tanzania. We discuss findings on other human populations and possible factors affecting the developmental processes in Maasai. Methods Full-face anthropological photographs were obtained from 305 Maasai (185 men, 120 women) aged 17–90 years. Facial shape was assessed combining geometric morphometrics and classical facial indices. Body parameters were measured directly using precise anthropological instruments. Results Sexual dimorphism in Maasai faces was low, sex explained 1.8% of the total shape variance. However, male faces were relatively narrower and vertically prolonged, with slightly wider noses, narrower-set and lower eyebrows, wider mouths, and higher forehead hairline. The most sexually dimorphic regions of the face were the lower jaw and the nose. Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), measured in six known variants, revealed no significant sexual dimorphism. The allometric effects on facial traits were mostly related to the face growth, rather than the growth of the whole body (body height). Significant body dimorphism was demonstrated, men being significantly higher, with larger wrist diameter and hand grip strength, and women having higher BMI, hips circumferences, upper arm circumferences, triceps skinfolds. Facial and body sexual dimorphisms were not associated. Conclusions Facial sex differences in Maasai are very low, while on the contrary, the body sexual dimorphism is high. There were practically no associations between facial and body measures. These findings are interpreted in the light of trade-offs between environmental, cultural, and sexual selection pressures.

scholarly journals КОМПРЕСІЙНА АСФІКСІЯ

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (11(41)) ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
Хоботова Наталія Володимирівна ◽  
Єхалов Василій Вталійович
Keyword(s):  
Venous Blood ◽  
Intrathoracic Pressure ◽  
Shoulder Girdle ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
The Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Venous Blood Flow ◽  
Venous Flow ◽  
Septic Complications ◽  
The Face

Compression asphyxia is a type of mechanical asphyxia when breathing stops with external pressure on the body, which leads to the absence of respiratory movements and disrupts venous return from the head. With a strong compression of the chest, a reflex spasm of the glottis occurs, which contributes to an increase in intrathoracic pressure, reverse venous blood flow and an obstruction of venous flow to the heart occur. A sharp increase in intracranial pressure and venous congestive congestion / hemorrhage deepen central respiratory failure. Mild degree: mental agitation; puffy face, slight cyanosis; individual conjunctival petechiae; tachypnea. Medium degree: light or heavy stunning, lost orientation; the face is puffy, cyanotic; swelling of the cervical veins, acrocyanosis; multiple petechiae that spread across the face, neck, conjunctiva of the eyes, inspiratory dyspnea, visual impairment. Severe degree: stupor or coma, sharp cyanosis of the whole body, exophthalmos; swelling of the face, neck and shoulder girdle, arms, multiple petechiae of the face, neck, arms, legs, conjunctiva of the eyes, swelling of the cervical veins, cyanosis and edema of the upper half of the body; superficial breathing, frequent, in the absence of treatment passes to agonal and apnea. Intensive care includes analgesia, oxygenation or mechanical ventilation, anticonvulsant, dehydration and decongestant therapy, prevention of acute kidney damage, DIC, septic complications, and treatment of posthypoxic encephalopathy.

IS TEETHING A FERTILE SOURCE OF DISEASE?

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1968 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-302
Author(s):  
T. E. C.
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
The Body ◽  
Favourable Result ◽  
Dry Skin ◽  
Frequent Change ◽  
Nervous Systems ◽  
Vital Functions ◽  
The Face ◽  
Health And Disease

Prior to a few decades ago, most physicians who cared for infants looked on teething as the cause of many serious pediatric complaints. For example, Harrison in 18621 offers this advice to a young practitioner: But it is especially in reference to affections of the head that the condition of the gums becomes a source of solicitude. During dentition any twitchings in the face, or curious starings of the eyes, are full of meaning, and should never be suffered to pass over without due attention to the teeth. I think all well educated medical men, in this country, are advocates for lancing the gums, though I believe it is very seldom done on the Continent. Mothers, however, not unfrequently object; they think it a pity to hurt the little darling, and they would rather wait awhile and leave matters to nature. Some have an idea that the teeth will be more difficult to cut after the gums are lanced, if the teeth do not immediately protrude. Kennedy, another respected nineteenth century practitioner, who wrote extensively about the management of children in health and disease tells us that: Teething, when difficult, is apt to induce derangement of the vital functions, especially those of the alimentary and nervous systems. Acidity of the stomach with occasional vomiting; quick pulses, hot dry skin, and unnatural dejections, with swelling of the belly and emaciation, require being corrected by the remedies advised for moderating or removing the fevers of infants. . . . Little reasons is afforded by experience, for regarding local applications to the gums as having ever contributed to the relief of painful dentition:-pure air, frequent change of dress, tepid or cool sponging of the body and spine, with regularity of the bowels and salutary nourishment prove far surer instruments of obtaining a favourable result.

Nineteenth-Century Speculations on the Complexity of the Chemical Elements

1965 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. V. Farrar
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
The Body ◽  
Atomic Theory ◽  
Strong Current ◽  
Long Line ◽  
Common Opinion ◽  
Fundamental Unity

SynopsisThe atomic theory of Dalton implied that there were more than 30 different kinds of matter, the chemical elements. William Prout (1815) was the first of a long line of distinguished speculators who sought to show, by argument and experiment, that this diversity overlay a more fundamental unity. Contrary to a common opinion, this was not an eccentric and unpopular movement, but involved many of the great names of nineteenth-century chemistry; and some of their speculations have proved to be very near the mark. It may be that this strong current of well-informed speculation enabled the discoveries of cathode rays and of radioactivity (which provided the first real evidence of the complexity of the atom) to be integrated into the body of science with such remarkable rapidity.

Retreat from Progress

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
New York ◽  
Cast Iron ◽  
Pig Iron ◽  
Blast Furnaces ◽  
Principal Product ◽  
Wrought Iron ◽  
The Face ◽  
Adam Family ◽  
Difficult Terrain

Salisbury ironmakers throve by selling wrought iron rather then cast iron through the first half of the nineteenth century. Their finery forges and puddling works converted nearly all of the pig produced by the district’s furnaces to bar iron or forged products. However, by the 1860s, when the district’s ironmasters were smelting up to 11,800 tons of pig iron per year, they converted little of it to wrought iron. The demise of the forges left just one principal product, cast iron used mainly for railroad car wheels. Milo Barnum and Leonard Richardson had started making railroad castings in 1840. When Milo Barnum retired in 1852, his son W. H. Barnum took his place in the partnership with Richardson. The partners expanded the business by acquiring the Beckley and Forbes furnaces in 1858 and 1862, respectively, from the Adam family in East Canaan. Upon Leonard Richardson’s death, Barnum and the Richardson heirs reconstituted the business as the Barnum-Richardson Company, the firm that gradually gained control of all mines and blast furnaces in the northwest, except for the Kent furnace. A new railway facilitated the Barnum-Richardson operations. Dedicated residents of the northwest, in the face of much skepticism, raised the capital needed to build the Connecticut Western Railroad from Hartford to State Line, where it joined with the Dutchess & Columbia line running to Beacon, New York. Salisbury residents eagerly awaited its 1871 completion: they wanted to be rid of the heavy ore wagons that kept their roads a rness passing from Ore Hill to the furnaces in East Canaan. The Connecticut Western passed through Winsted, traversed difficult terrain in Norfolk, and crossed the Housatonic Railroad at Canaan, where the two companies built a handsome union station . Railroad enthusiasm also led residents in the northwest to propose impractical schemes. The Shepaug Railroad had been completed in 1872 from Danbury to Litchfield. A correspondent writing to the Connecticut Western News that year proposed extension into the Salisbury district.

scholarly journals Can an android’s posture and movement discriminate against the ambiguous emotion perceived from its facial expressions?

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0254905
Author(s):  
Satoshi Yagi ◽  
Yoshihiro Nakata ◽  
Yutaka Nakamura ◽  
Hiroshi Ishiguro
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expression ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Mapping Method ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
The Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Muscle Activation Patterns ◽  
The Face

Expressing emotions through various modalities is a crucial function not only for humans but also for robots. The mapping method from facial expressions to the basic emotions is widely used in research on robot emotional expressions. This method claims that there are specific facial muscle activation patterns for each emotional expression and people can perceive these emotions by reading these patterns. However, recent research on human behavior reveals that some emotional expressions, such as the emotion “intense”, are difficult to judge as positive or negative by just looking at the facial expression alone. Nevertheless, it has not been investigated whether robots can also express ambiguous facial expressions with no clear valence and whether the addition of body expressions can make the facial valence clearer to humans. This paper shows that an ambiguous facial expression of an android can be perceived more clearly by viewers when body postures and movements are added. We conducted three experiments and online surveys among North American residents with 94, 114 and 114 participants, respectively. In Experiment 1, by calculating the entropy, we found that the facial expression “intense” was difficult to judge as positive or negative when they were only shown the facial expression. In Experiments 2 and 3, by analyzing ANOVA, we confirmed that participants were better at judging the facial valence when they were shown the whole body of the android, even though the facial expression was the same as in Experiment 1. These results suggest that facial and body expressions by robots should be designed jointly to achieve better communication with humans. In order to achieve smoother cooperative human-robot interaction, such as education by robots, emotion expressions conveyed through a combination of both the face and the body of the robot is necessary to convey the robot’s intentions or desires to humans.

scholarly journals GEORGE HENRY FOX'S Photographic illustrations of skin diseases and the clinical photograph in late nineteenth-century America

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E. A. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
New York ◽  
Skin Diseases ◽  
The Body ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Nineteenth Century America ◽  
Late Nineteenth ◽  
Clinical Photograph ◽  
The Aesthetic

George Henry Fox was a New York physician and author in the late nineteenth century. His interest in collecting photographs of notable dermatological cases led to the publication of several photographically illustrated dermatology texts between 1879 and the early twentieth century. This thesis focuses on the fIrst and second editions of Fox's Photographic Illustrations of Skin Diseases, published in 1879 and 1885, respectively. The hand-coloured Artotype plates from these two editions are analyzed and contrasted in terms of the influence of studio portraiture, issues of patient anonymity and consent, and the aesthetic changes between editions. The power relationships and scientifIc classifIcation involved in depicting the body on ftlm are also considered. The books are on textualized with discussions of nineteenth-century American medical history, the use of clinical photographs as illustrations, photomechanical processes, late nineteenth-century dermatology texts, and Fox's biography.

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