Rabbit Holes ad Infinitum: Musings and Research

A Healthy Collaboration: Incorporating Ethnomedical Treatments into Biomedicine of the 21 st Century Jim Rogers . . . Technological advancements in health, communication, and transportation have been reshaping the global community for nearly two centuries. In that time, thanks to the autonomy afforded the technological industry in a free market, the telegraph has converted to instant messenger apps, slow, coal-burning locomotives have transitioned into bullet trains that rocket across the Chinese countryside and global “life expectancy rose significantly” as “infectious diseases declined as the primary causes of [human] death,” (Guest 414). One need only look at the accomplishments of the twentieth century to validate the claims of success that are often attributed to this “health transition.”   However, upon further inspection, it becomes clear that this transition toward improved health has not developed on an equal footing across the globe. Most notably, local populatio...

Family Matters: Reflecting on Goldstein’s Study of Fraternal Polyandry Jim Rogers . . . In Western society, we often portray marriage as a legally recognized bond between unrelated individuals. The incest taboo that exists within most societies has a firm footing in The United States, with the romantic involvement of siblings being viewed as a cause for birth defects ranging from physical deformity to mental degradation. Many Americans would be surprised to discover that very little scientific evidence supports these negative views. And, it is fair to assume that despite being informed of this fallacy, many would still uphold the incest taboo. The enculturation of sexuality is a lifelong process informed by an endless variety of mental stimuli. In the United States, the existence of plentiful resources and vast expanses of land have promoted the travel of young adults out of the home to seek their fortunes abroad. But what happens when resources and land are limited?   Due t...

Laying the Foundation: Abraham Lincoln and the Passage of the 13 th  Amendment   Jim Rogers . . .                         Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15 th , 1865 while attending a play at Ford’s Theater. In the months preceding his death, he pushed for the passage of the 13 th Amendment in the House, hoping to seize the opportunity to abolish slavery before the expiration of his presidential war powers. [1] With the surrender of the Confederacy hinging on Union concessions, namely the veto of the 13 th Amendment, Lincoln acted to ensure that the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that had died in the course of Civil War had not done so in vain. [2] Rather than hope for the continued support of the Emancipation Proclamation by a morally fractious public, Lincoln sought to abolish slavery legally, via constitutional amendment. By achievi...