Jefferson's Muslim Fugitives

On October 3, 1807, Thomas Jefferson was contacted by an unknown traveler from the American frontier, who urgently requested a private “interview” with the President, promising to disclose “a matter of momentous importance”. By the next day, Jefferson held in his hands two astonishing manuscripts whose history has been lost for over two centuries. Authored by Muslims fleeing captivity in rural Kentucky, these documents delivered to the President in 1807 were penned by literate African slaves, and written entirely in Arabic. Jefferson’s Muslim Fugitives reveals the untold story of two escaped West Africans in the American heartland whose Arabic writings reached a sitting U.S. President, prompting him to intervene on their behalf. Recounting a quest for emancipation that crosses borders of race, region and religion, Jeffrey Einboden unearths Arabic manuscripts that circulated among Jefferson and his prominent peers, including a document from 1780s Georgia identified as the earliest surviving example of Muslim slave authorship in the newly-formed United States. Revealing Jefferson’s lifelong entanglements with Islam and captivity, Jefferson’s Muslim Fugitives tracks the ascent of Arabic slave writings to the highest halls of U.S. power, while questioning why such vital legacies from the American past have been entirely forgotten.

Smoking control at the School of Public Health, Universidade de São Paulo

SUMMARY Introduction: schools of Public Health, by their nature, have increased responsibility in the development of health promotion programs, focusing on tobacco control. The participation of groups of health professionals in educational actions helps to convey information about smoking to the population. Objective: to evaluate the prevalence of smoking and the effectiveness of control programs among the teaching and non-teaching staff of the School of Public Health of the Universidade de São Paulo (FSP-USP). They were monitored by surveys conducted from 1980 to 2013. Methods: application of a questionnaire, containing the variables: identity, gender, smoking habit (are you a smoker, former smoker or non-smoker), which was answered in a private interview. Data analysis was done using absolute and relative frequencies. Results: the prevalence of smokers had a reduction from 50.3%, in 1980, to 13.4%, in 2013; among males, prevalence fell from 56.9% to 12.8%, and among females from 45.9% to 13.7%. As for the teaching staff, there was a fall from 10.2% (2006) to 5.9% (2013); the decrease among non-teaching employees was from 21.6% to 16.3%. Conclusion: knowledge by health professionals of the harms caused by tobacco smoking contributed to their participation in anti-smoking programs, and led to a decline in the number of smokers at FSP-USP. The creation of 100% tobacco-free environments and programs to treat smokers who want to cease their addiction should be encouraged.

Chapter VIII: Wakem in a New Light

Before three days had passed after the conversation you have just overheard between Lucy and her father, she had contrived to have a private interview with Philip during a visit of Maggie’s to her aunt GleGg. For a day and a night...

The Prevalence of Incontinence Pre and Post-Lung Transplantation

An increased prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) is reported in patients with chronic lung disease because of the stress that repeated coughing places on the pelvic floor. To date, it is not known if lung transplantation (LTx) affects the prevalence of UI. Purpose: to compare the prevalence, severity and impact of urinary / faecal incontinence in adult patients pre- and post-LTx. Method: patients registered with the Royal Adelaide Hospital Lung Transplant Unit were eligible for participation. The prevalence, severity, and impact of incontinence was measured using a questionnaire administered in a private interview. Results: Ninety-four patients (44 males, 50 females; 42 pre-LTx, 52 post-LTx; mean age 46.3 years [SD 13.0]) completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of UI was significantly higher in patients pre-LTx (69.0%) than patients post-LTx (30.8%), whereas the prevalence of faecal incontinence was similar in the two groups (16.7% pre-LTx, 13.5% post-LTx). In most patients with UI, it was episodic, the amount leaked was small, it was most often associated with coughing and sneezing, and it was perceived as causing few problems. Conclusion: LTx appears to be associated with a significant decrease in the prevalence of UI.

Bedtimes of 11 to 14-year-old children in north-east England

SummaryAs part of a longitudinal study of diet and dental caries, 405 Northumberland children initially aged 11–12 years recorded the time of going to bed on 3 consecutive days on 5 occasions over a 23-month period. The bedtimes were recorded in a personal diary and checked at private interview. Mean bedtime for the 212 females changed from 21 hr 44 min at age 11 years 7 months to 22 hr 11 min at age 13 years 3 months. Bedtime for the 193 males was, on average, 9 min later than that for the females. There was a consistent relation between bedtime and social class, with social class IV + V children going to bed, on average, 14 min later than social class I + II children. When the average age of the children was 13 years 3 months, 13% of them went to bed at or after 23.00 hr, and they were latest to bed on Saturday when their average bedtime was 22 hr 59 min.