scholarly journals Madness in the Archives: Anonymity, Ethics, and Mental Health History Research

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Wright ◽  
Renée Saucier
Keyword(s):  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Medical Patients ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Health History ◽  
Professional Discretion ◽  
The Status ◽  
Mental Health History ◽  
The Many

Historians have long been vexed by the challenges of using patient records as primary sources. Lurking behind the many methodological and interpretative challenges are ethical questions involving the status and identity of the dead patient. What rights do the deceased maintain over their medical records? What ethical obligations do researchers have in analyzing these historical records and, in particular, to preserving the anonymity of patients? Do professional duties diminish the further back one goes in time? Do patients suffering from mental distress differ from other “medical” patients in the ethical regard owed to them? Now that we know about the care of the mentally ill outside of formal institutions during the era of the asylum, is there something intrinsically different about the status of individuals once they entered formal institutions? Or do the designations of “lunacy” or “idiocy” on extramural death certificates or in census enumerators’ schedules oblige a similar professional discretion? Is the concern over confidentiality giving way to a new emphasis on returning names (and agency) to vulnerable groups in the past? This paper explores these questions, ones that lie at the heart of what we do as historians of disability, medicine, and society.

scholarly journals ‘You don't bring me flowers any more’: an investigation into the experience of stigma by psychiatric in-patients

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 371-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna S. Bromley ◽  
Sara J. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Patient Treatment ◽  
Medical Patients ◽  
Stigma Of Mental Illness ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Relapse Rates

Aims and MethodA structured interview-based questionnaire was used to measure the number of cards and gifts received by 40 people undergoing psychiatric in-patient treatment, compared with an age- and gender-matched group of medical in-patients. The study also assessed the amount of disclosure of admission and diagnosis to family and friends in the two groups.ResultsThe psychiatric patients received about half as many cards as the medical patients (60 v. 112). Gifts to the psychiatric patients were often practical in nature and seldom included luxury items such as flowers. Disclosure of admission for mental illness (compared with the physical illness group) was significantly lower, both to family members (139 v. 193, P=0.041) and friends (74 v. 332, P=0.0001).Clinical ImplicationsThe stigma of mental illness is reflected in the secrecy surrounding disclosure of hospital admission and the lack of tokens of support. Clinicians should be aware of the resulting sense of isolation and shame, and the consequences for mental health in view of reduced social networks increasing the risk of future relapse rates. Reduced contact with mentally ill patients has implications for society as a whole in maintaining the status quo of stigma.

UN-BLURRING THE MYTHS AND REALITIES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-120
Author(s):  
T N Sithole ◽  
Kgothatso B Shai
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Children's Rights ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Children’S Rights ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Great Awareness ◽  
Policy Theory ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
The Status ◽  
Customary Practices

Awareness of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW 1979) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC 1989) is relatively high within academic and political circles in South Africa and elsewhere around the world. In South Africa, this can be ascribed mainly to the powerful women’s lobby movements represented in government and academic sectors. Women and children’s issues have been especially highlighted in South Africa over the last few years. In this process, the aforementioned two international human rights instruments have proved very useful. There is a gender desk in each national department. The Office on the Status of Women and the Office on Child Rights have been established within the Office of the President, indicating the importance attached to these institutions. These offices are responsible for co-ordinating governmental efforts towards the promotion and protection of women and children’s rights respectively, including the two relevant treaties. Furthermore, there is also a great awareness amongst non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in respect of CEDAW and CRC. This can be ascribed mainly to the fact that there is a very strong women’s NGO lobby and NGOs are actively committed to the promotion of children’s rights. Women are increasingly vocal and active within the politics of South Africa, but the weight of customary practices remains heavy. The foregoing is evident of the widening gap between policy theory and practice in the fraternity of vulnerable groups – children and women in particular.

Punarvivaham vs. Pativratyam: Pulugurta Lakshmi Narasamamba and the Widow Remarriage Question in Colonial Andhra

2021 ◽  
pp. 025764302110017
Author(s):  
Shaik Mahaboob Basha
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Social Reform ◽  
Reform Movement ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Child Marriage ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
Women's Journals

The question of widow remarriage, which occupied an important place in the social reform movement, was hotly debated in colonial Andhra. Women joined the debate in the early twentieth century. There was a conservative section of women, which bitterly opposed the widow remarriage movement and attacked the social reformers, both women and men. Pulugruta Lakshmi Narasamamba led this group of women. Lakshmi Narasamamba treated widow remarriage (punarvivaham) with contempt and termed it as an affront to the fidelity (pativratyam) of Hindu women. According to her, widow remarriage was equal to ‘prostitution’, and the widows who married again could not be granted the status of kulanganas (respectable or chaste women). Lakshmi Narasamamba’s stand on the question of widow remarriage led to the emergence of a fiery and protracted controversy among women which eventually led to the division of the most famous women’s organization, the Shri Vidyarthini Samajamu. She opposed not only widow remarriage but also post-puberty marriage and campaigned in favour of child marriage. This article describes the whole debate on the widow remarriage question that took place among women. It is based on the primary sources, especially the woefully neglected women’s journals in the Telugu language.

Answers and Questions: Evans-Pritchard On Nuer Religion

1983 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Burton
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Logical Consistency ◽  
Anthropological Study ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Catholic Church

AbstractIf my discernment of the thought that underlies his study of Nuer religion is not entirely misconstrued, then one can assert a logical consistency between Collingwood's methodology for history and Evans-Pritchard's for ethnography. It is worthwhile, in that light, to consider the fact that "at one time Evans-Pritchard contemplated writing Collingwood's biography" (Beidelman 1974:559). One commentator, (Kuper 1980:118) typifies this methodology as "postwar idealism" and suggests that the major works he published in the later decades of his presence at Oxford demonstrate the "sterility" of his methodology and theory. Still others have hinted that his entry into the Catholic Church was later reflected in his depiction of Nuer religous life. These are remarkable assertions, when one takes the time to reflect on the many ways in which his own approach and writings have so profoundly influenced the direction of anthropological enquiry in his own country and abroad. The fact is, one can no longer write ethnography in lieu of a solid understanding of the historical circumstances which have resulted in the contemporary 'ethnographic present'. At the same time, practitioners of the discipline have addressed from almost every angle the proposition that all ethnography is indeed a good part confession-that we write what we are able to see. That is precisely the quality of the work that will guarantee the status of Nuer religion as a classic. The methods of history and anthropology can only become more similar. Anyone who holds an absence of definition or presumed repugnance toward theory as criticisms of his contributions, has truly lost the forest for the trees. It is all the more remarkable that his methodological and theoretical advances in the anthropological study of religion are to be found not in his answers, but in the questions he raised.10

Counterlanguage powermoves in African American women’s language practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcyliena H. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Speech Community ◽  
Language Practice ◽  
The Status ◽  
Linguistic Power ◽  
The Many

This essay considers some of the insight we have gathered about language, feminism, racism and power. In many respects, it celebrates the linguistic power of the many theories about how Black women navigate intersectionality where racism and sexism intermingle, suggesting that our analyses should always recognise that a lethal combination of factors are in play. Black women, in particular, actively insist on forms of language and discourse that both represent and create their world through words, expressions and verbal routines that are created within and outside of the African American speech community to confront injustice. One example involves the verb ‘play,’ which I argue often functions as a power statement or ‘powermove’ that demands respect while presenting a threat to the status quo. This use of ‘play’ is the opposite of inconsequential games of play or joking.

The CouncilS of Trent and Vatican I

2018 ◽  
pp. 629-650
Author(s):  
Christian D. Washburn
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Of God ◽  
Vatican I ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Many ◽  
Modern Era ◽  
The Church

This chapter considers two important ecumenical councils of the Church in the modern era: Trent (1545–63) and Vatican I (1869–70). The chapter examines in detail the key teachings of each council. The reform decrees of Trent will only be discussed in so far as they touch upon dogmatic decrees. In the case of Trent the chapter identifies the key documents from the many sessions of the council over its twenty-year history, offering a clear guide to ways in which its teachings on revelation, grace, and justification offered a precise Catholic response to the emergent theologies of Protestantism. Vatican I’s key teachings on revelation, the knowledge of God, and the status of the papacy are similarly treated.

scholarly journals Mental health history—a contributing factor for poorer outcomes in burn survivors

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Li ◽  
Danielle Coombs
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Total Body Surface Area ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Health History ◽  
Health Group ◽  
Burn Survivors ◽  
Mental Health History

Abstract Background A pre-morbid mental health history is common in patients with severe burn injuries. This creates challenges in providing rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to cross examine the possible impact of psychological co-morbidities on outcomes. Methods A notes audit was carried out examining patients that were admitted to Concord Hospital Burns Unit in a 3-year period (2010–2012). Patients with total body surface area (TBSA) of 20% or greater and aged between 16 and 50 years were included. Subjects were divided into a mental health group and a control group. SPSS version 21 statistic program was used for analysis the data. Results Data collected included length of stay, time to achieve independence, %TBSA, types of burns and surgery required. Results of 69 files showed that the average length of stay per %TBSA was nearly double in the patients with a mental health problem (1.47 vs 0.88). They also had a higher rate of re-graft (52% vs 22%) due to infection and poor nutrition. The average time for patients to achieve independence in daily living activity was significantly higher (p = 0.046) in the mental health group (36.2 days) versus the control group (24.1 days). Conclusion Patients with a mental health history may have poorer general health. This may result in a higher failure rate of grafting, leading to a requirement of re-graft. Hence, it took a longer time to achieve independence, as well as a longer hospital stay. A mental health history in burn survivors can be a contributing factor for poorer outcomes in the adult population.

scholarly journals A new methodology for monitoring P. oceanica meadows in Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo MPA using GIS

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieraugusto Panzalis ◽  
Andrea Deiana ◽  
Sarah Caronni ◽  
Augusto Navone
Keyword(s):  
Scale Up ◽  
Continuous Mapping ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Regular Grid ◽  
Side Scan Sonar ◽  
Sea Bottom ◽  
The Status ◽  
Square Cells ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Many

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are acknowledged globally as effective tools for the protection and management of the marine environment; however, to get effective results it is necessary to set up a proper and continuous mapping of the marine territory, in order to gain detailed knowledge of its different aspects. Therefore, the implementation and maintenance of a modern GIS (Geographic Information System) has become an indispensable task for the MPA of Tavolara - Punta Coda Cavallo to collect, aggregate, classify, and track the conducted mapping activities. Between 2011 and 2012 the sea bottom of the MPA was surveyed using different methods: by means of a multi-beam echo sounder and of a side scan sonar, as well as conducting fast scientific scuba divings with re-breathers and underwater position system technologies. High resolution geodatasets, characterized by a significantly high quality in representing and describing the sea bottom and its habitats, were produced in both feature (scale up to 1:1.250) and raster formats (up to 30cm/pixel for sonar images and 1m/pixel for bathymetry) and they currently constitute the basis of the MPA's GIS, including its 3D applications and its web map services for desktop and mobile devices (iPhone & Android). To update the above described geodatasets during time, acquiring new data on the conservation targets considered in monitoring activities, among which the status of P. oceanica meadows is of the most important ones, a long term mapping plan was realized on the basis of an innovative methodology elaborated by the MPA considering both the wideness of the area and the limited funds available at present. The whole MPA was divided in territorial units by means of a regular grid of square cells having a 100m side with the logic of starting the mapping activities from the mainly important areas and then to spread the surveys up to fill the whole mosaic. All the new data acquired with this methodology could then be mixed, compared and indexed within the same cell and/or in the many already available geodatases, starting from those dated 2006 having a regular grid with square cells of 500m per side.

scholarly journals Aspectos relevantes del intento de reforma constitucional en Italia en la cuestión de procedimiento legislativo y fuentes primarias = Aspetti rilevanti della tentata riforma constituzionale in Italia in tema di procedimiento legislativo en fonti primarie = Relevant aspects of the constitutional reform attemp in Italy in the matter of legislative procedure and primary sources

2017 ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Tommaso Pensabene Lionti
Keyword(s):  
Constitutional Law ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Constitutional Reform ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Legislative Process ◽  
Parliamentary System ◽  
El Sistema ◽  
Legislative Procedure ◽  
Constitutional System ◽  
The Many

<p>El 4 de diciembre de 2016 los italianos fueron llamados a participar, a través de la votación, en el <em>referéndum</em> concerniente una ley constitucional que (en caso de resultado positivo), habría modificado de manera radical el ordenamiento constitucional italiano. Entre las múltiples modificaciones que la reforma quería introducir, se enfocan lo significativos cambios que la misma habría producido en materia de procedimiento legislativo. En efecto, al final de la reforma, el sistema parlamentario italiano habría cambiado, transitando desde el llamado “bicameralismo paritario” hasta un sistema monocameral “asimétrico o diferenciado”. En consecuencia, habría cambiado el procedimiento legislativo, estructurándose en múltiples procedimientos, o variantes procedimentales, de los cuales se describe la disciplina, haciendo hincapié sobre algunos relevantes aspectos problemáticos. Se subraya, también, que la reforma, a través de la modificación del procedimiento legislativo, junto con la nueva disciplina constitucional de los decretos-leyes y de la nueva repartición de las competencias normativas entre el Estado y las Regiones, habría producido cambios importantes sobre las mismas características de las leyes y de los actos con fuerza de ley. En conclusión, se plantean las posibles razones, políticas y jurídicas, que han llevado al resultado negativo del <em>referendum</em> constitucional.</p><p>On December 4, 2016, Italians were called upon a <em>referendum</em> to approve a constitutional law that would (if successful) radically change the Italian constitutional system. Among the many changes that the reform intended to pursue, we are focusing on the significant changes it would bring in the legislative procedure. As a result of the reform, in fact, the Italian parliamentary system would be changed, passing from "bicameralism equal" to a "asymmetric or differentiated" monocameral system. Consequently, the legislative process would have changed, articulating into multiple procedures or procedural variants, of which the discipline is described, focusing on some relevant problematic profiles. It should also be noted that the reform, with the modification of the legislative procedure, together with the new constitutional discipline of the decree-law and the new division of normative competences between the State and the Regions, would have produced important changes in the features of laws and acts with force of law. Finally, we are questioning about the possible reasons, policies and legal issues, that have led to the negative outcome of the constitutional <em>referendum</em><em>.</em></p>

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