The occurrence of rabies in pre-Columbian Central America: an historical search

2011 ◽  
Vol 139 (10) ◽  
pp. 1445-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. VOS ◽  
C. NUNAN ◽  
D. BOLLES ◽  
T. MÜLLER ◽  
A. R. FOOKS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Central America ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Circumstantial Evidence ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Bat Rabies

SUMMARYRabies is considered one of the oldest infectious diseases known to humans. However, the first written reports on rabies cases in the Americas did not appear until the first decade of the 18th century from Mexico. In an attempt to clarify if the disease was already present in pre-Columbian times, we searched for evidence in the Maya and Aztec cultures. Other sources of information were early manuscripts written by the conquistadors and early explorers. We did not identify any unequivocal direct evidence that the disease rabies was known in pre-Columbian Central America but sufficient circumstantial evidence is available suggesting that (bat) rabies was already present in these early times.

Forensik und Fiktion. Zur Geschichte von Indizien zwischen Wahr-Werden und Wahrscheinlich-Sein

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-55
Author(s):  
Antonia Eder
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Circumstantial Evidence ◽  
Forensic Evidence

Abstract The ambivalent status of circumstantial evidence has been intensively discussed since the 18th century, in both fiction and forensics. (Forensic) evidence is both hermeneutic and material – a phenomenon of ambiguity: the conclusions to be drawn from clues are generated by an amalgam of enlightened promises of objectivity and the opaque materiality of the surface. According to the forensic and juridical hope associated with circumstantial evidence, neutral things do not lie, but show (evidentia) as pars pro toto the actual facts in nuce. Yet every fact, every thing remains tied back to a closing instance, to the investigative and hermeneutic conclusions of thought: this opens the operational field of literature. Poetic dynamics enable literature to simultaneously cope with indexed ambiguity and indeterminacy, both by producing them, and by reflecting on them by means of detective-investigative self-observation.

scholarly journals Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)/SARS-CoV-2: Hopefully, the Human-Virus Battle Ends Soon on a Positive Note

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Venkata Ramana Kandi
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
European Continent ◽  
Human Virus ◽  
Smallpox Virus ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Novel ◽  
Late 18Th Century ◽  
Spanish Flu

The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases are not uncommon to humans. We have been seeing this, repeated many a time in the past, that the new/novel microbial species emerge and pose a potential threat to the whole of mankind. Among those infectious diseases which threatened mankind, the Smallpox virus appears to have had the greatest impact. Smallpox virus was suspected to be present on the earth since 10,000 B.C., but its presence and the effect on humans was established only in the late 18th century to the early 20th century when people suffered from its consequences. Most people (>75%) infected with smallpox died, leaving a sense of doom among humans. Later, or probably during the same time, there was the emergence of an infectious disease called “plague”, which swept across many countries and caused a lot of mortality. This disease was also called the black death, due to the nature of lesions caused and the thousands of people who were dying in very less time. We have also seen the emergence of a novel influenza virus, the Spanish flu (1918) which caused a severe pandemic. Interestingly, all these infectious diseases caused pandemics involving several countries, and causing increased mortality, especially in the European continent. In this editorial I discuss the significance of the most recent pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2), also called Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).

Gaceta de Guatemala in the Colonial Period

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Poupeney Hart
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Spanish America ◽  
Capital City ◽  
The Political ◽  
Vast Array ◽  
The Third ◽  
The University ◽  
Political Turmoil

Gaceta de Guatemala is the name of a newspaper spanning four series and published in Central America before the region’s independence from Spain. As one of the first newspapers to appear in Spanish America on a periodical basis, the initial series (1729–1731) was inspired by its Mexican counterpart (Gaceta de México) and thus it adopted a strong local and chronological focus. The title resurfaced at the end of the 18th century thanks to the printer and bookseller Ignacio Beteta who would assure its continuity until 1816. The paper appeared as a mainly news-oriented publication (1793–1796), only to be reshaped and energized by a small group of enlightened men close to the university and the local government (1797–1807). In an effort to galvanize society along the lines of the reforms promoted by the Bourbon regime, and to engage in a dialogue with readers beyond the borders of the capital city of Guatemala, they relied on a vast array of sources (authorized and censored) and on a journalistic model associated with the British Spectator: it allowed them to explore different genres and a wide variety of topics, while also allowing the paper to fulfill its role as an official and practical news channel. The closure of the Economic Society which had been the initial motor for the third series, and the failure to attract or retain strong contributors led slowly to the journal’s social irrelevance. It was resurrected a year after ceasing publication, to address the political turmoil caused by the Napoleonic invasion of the Peninsula and to curb this event’s repercussions overseas. These circumstances warranted a mainly news-oriented format, which prevailed in the following years. The official character of the paper was confirmed in 1812 when it appeared as the Gaceta del Gobierno de Guatemala, a name with which it finally ended publication (1808–1816).

1. Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Andrew L-T Choo
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Circumstantial Evidence ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Human Rights Act ◽  
Human Rights Act 1998 ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
The Law ◽  
Law Of Evidence

Chapter 1 examines a number of basic concepts and distinctions in the law of evidence. It covers facts in issue and collateral facts; relevance, admissibility, and weight; direct evidence and circumstantial evidence; testimonial evidence and real evidence; the allocation of responsibility; exclusionary rules and exclusionary discretions; free(r) proof; issues in criminal evidence; civil evidence and criminal evidence; the implications of trial by jury; summary trials; law reform; and the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998. This chapter also presents an overview of the subsequent chapters.

1. Introduction

Evidence ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew L-T Choo
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Circumstantial Evidence ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Human Rights Act ◽  
Human Rights Act 1998 ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
The Law ◽  
Law Of Evidence

Chapter 1 examines a number of basic concepts and distinctions in the law of evidence. It covers facts in issue and collateral facts; relevance, admissibility, and weight; direct evidence and circumstantial evidence; testimonial evidence and real evidence; the allocation of responsibility; exclusionary rules and exclusionary discretions; free(r) proof; issues in criminal evidence; civil evidence and criminal evidence; the implications of trial by jury; summary trials; law reform; and the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998. This chapter also presents an overview of the subsequent chapters.

scholarly journals Observing the Nucleosynthesis from Core Collapse Supernovae

1988 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 383-393
Author(s):  
Claes Fransson
Keyword(s):  
Supernova Remnants ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Optical Observations ◽  
Core Collapse ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Stellar Nucleosynthesis ◽  
Plasma Effects ◽  
Indirect Sources

Since the appearance of the classical papers on stellar nucleosynthesis in the 1950’s most of the observational tests have been through indirect sources of information. Even though this has been rather successful (cf. various contributions in this volume), it represents only an average over all sources, yielding little information about specific stars. The most direct evidence comes from observations of young galactic supernova remnants (age less than ∼103 years). Unfortunately, the analysis of X-ray data are hampered by a lack of understanding of the detailed physics, eg. non-equilibrium and plasma effects, as well as by observational problems (Itoh and Nomoto, 1987). Optical observations (cf. Raymond, 1984) have given some valuable insight of eg. the oxygen-rich remnants. The analysis of these are, however, suffering from the fact that only a small fraction of the mass is seen in the optical.

Journalism and Its Audience

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Wahl-Jorgensen ◽  
Allaina Kilby
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Television News ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Audience Engagement ◽  
News Production ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Digital News ◽  
News Organizations ◽  
Technological Developments

The relationship between journalism and its audience has undergone significant transformations from the earliest newspapers in the 18th century to 21st-century digital news. The role of the audience (and journalists’ conceptions of it) has been shaped by economic, social, and technological developments. Though the participation of the audience has always been important to news organizations, it has taken very different forms across times, genres, and platforms. Early newspapers drew on letters from their publics as vital sources of information and opinion, while radio established a more intimate relationship with its audience through its mode of address. Though television news genres may not have emphasized audience engagement, research on the medium was heavily invested in understanding how it affected its audience. The rise of the Internet as a platform for journalism has represented a significant turning point in several respects. First, it has challenged conventional hierarchies of news production and value by facilitating user-generated content and social media, enhancing opportunities for audience contributions. This presents new opportunities for engagement but also challenges journalists’ professional identities, compelling them to assert their authority and skill sets. Further, digital journalism has led to the rise of the quantified audience, leading to the increased role of metrics in driving the behavior of journalists. As the audience and its behavior are shifting, so are the practices of journalism. The two actors—journalists and audiences—remain interlocked in what may be a troubled marriage, but one which is structurally compelled to change and grow over time.

The African Presence in Central American History

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robinson Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
African Descent ◽  
Central American ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Spanish Conquest ◽  
African Slaves ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Sub Saharan

Far from monolithic, the seven Central American countries—Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama—each have unique cultural traditions and historical trajectories. Their different geographies, while not deterministic in any facile manner, influenced their development in ways that continue to shape their national characteristics. The cataclysmic 16th-century Spanish Conquest introduced new peoples and cultural traditions to the region. African slaves, primarily from the sub-Saharan region, accompanied the first Spanish ventures, and, later, as the colonies consolidated and grew, peoples of African descent, both enslaved and free, became a part of the area’s economic and cultural landscape. Starting in the late 18th century, African peoples from the Caribbean—whether forcefully exiled or as a result of searching for economic opportunities—traveled to Central America. Despite a contemporary collective historical amnesia that imagines Africans isolated in specific regions, namely the Caribbean coast, peoples of African descent can be found throughout the Central American nations. Rather than addressing each country, a thematic approach that focuses on the Spanish Conquest, slavery, emancipation, the ethnogenesis of African connected cultures, the historical erasure of Africans, and the contributions of peoples of African descent helps to understand the complex ways that peoples of African descent have impacted the history of modern Central America. For far from isolated to small populations along the Caribbean, the African presence can be discerned throughout the region, even in places often perceived as entirely devoid of its influence.

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