Chapter 10 One Medicine?

This chapter discusses the recent emergence of advocacy for 'One Health' (OH): the idea that greater interdisciplinarity across the domains of human and animal health research, clinical practice and policy is essential for addressing contemporary problems such as zoonotic disease, food safety, cancer and drug development. Over the past decade, the language of OH has been taken up by increasingly prominent actors in global health and biomedicine, including funders, international agencies and pharmaceutical companies; however, there has been a long history of veterinary led advocacy for similar ideas since the late 19th century. This longer history raises an immediate question: given that ideas of collaboration and convergence between human and veterinary medicine have been being advanced for such a long time, why has OH come to the fore at this particular point in time? This chapter analyses the emergence and growth of OH, following the key actors, events, disciplines, and agendas that have contributed to its increasing popularity, while tracing its origins in the histories of animal health, global development, and infectious disease. Using bibliometrics of key OH terms in academic journals, alongside qualitative analysis of academic, policy, and online documents, this chapter shows that while OH has been adopted by institutions across human and animal health, it is predominantly used by scientists publishing in veterinary science journals. This raises questions about the extent to which OH is interdisciplinary, to which actors and in which contexts: to what extent is it a 'top-down' or 'bottom-up; version of interdisciplinarity? The implications of these findings in the broader context of agenda-building across the life and environmental sciences of the early 21st century are then discussed

Evolutionary psychology as public science and boundary work

This paper explores the phenomena of public scientific debates, where scientific controversies are argued out in public fora such as the mass media, using the case of popular evolutionary psychology in the UK of the 1990s. An earlier quantitative analysis of the UK press coverage of the subject (Cassidy, 2005) suggested that academics associated with evolutionary psychology had been unusually active in the media at that time, particularly in association with the publication of popular science books on the subject. Previous research by Turner, by Gieryn, and by Bucchi has established the relationship between such appeals to the public domain and the establishment of scientific legitimacy and academic disciplinary boundaries. Following this work, I argue here that popular science has, in this case, provided a creative space for scientists, outside of the constraints of ordinary academic discourse, allowing them to reach across scientific boundaries in order to claim expertise in the study of human beings

Popular evolutionary psychology in the UK: an unusual case of science in the media?

This paper presents findings from quantitative analyses of UK press and print media coverage of evolutionary psychology during the 1990s. It argues that evolutionary psychology presents an interesting case for studies of science in the media in several different ways. First, press coverage of evolutionary psychology was found to be closely linked with the publications of popular books on the subject. Secondly, when compared to coverage of other subjects, a higher proportion of academics and authors wrote about evolutionary psychology in the press, contributing to the development of a scientific controversy in the public domain. Finally, it was found that evolutionary psychology coverage appeared in different areas of the daily press, and was rarely written about by specialist science journalists. The possible reasons for these features are then explored, including the boom in popular science publishing during the 1990s, evolutionary psychology’s status as a new subject of study and discussion, and the nature of the subject itself as theoretically based and with a human, “everyday” subject matter

Of academics, publishers and journalists: popular evolutionary psychology in the UK

Evolutionary psychology (EP) is an emerging area of research, mostly located in the social sciences, which stresses the importance of, and seeks to investigate further, the evolutionary origins of modern human psychology and behaviour. Over the 1990s, claims made by evolutionary psychologists were extensively debated on a popular level in the UK, particularly through the publication of ‘popular science’ books on the subject, and by the appearance of many academics in the mass media discussing the issues raised. In such discussions, evolutionary psychology claims were often closely related to discussions of sexual politics, differences between men and women, and changes in workplace and family roles. Other subjects interlinked with evolutionary psychology in the media included concerns over biological determinism, developments in genetics, biotechnology and neurobiology, and changes in the political landscape during the 1990s. This research is a case study of these popular debates, looking at the UK press and other media coverage of evolutionary psychology from 1990 until 2001. I have carried out quantitative (including content) analyses of the press, and qualitative analyses of wider media coverage, alongside in-depth interviews with academic and media actors involved in popular evolutionary psychology

Vermin, Victims and Disease

This open access book provides the first critical history of the controversy over whether to cull wild badgers to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in British cattle. This question has plagued several professional generations of politicians, policymakers, experts and campaigners since the early 1970s. Questions of what is known, who knows, who cares, who to trust and what to do about this complex problem have been the source of scientific, policy, and increasingly vociferous public debate ever since. This book integrates contemporary history, science and technology studies, human-animal relations, and policy research to conduct a cross-cutting analysis. It explores the worldviews of those involved with animal health, disease ecology and badger protection between the 1970s and 1990s, before reintegrating them to investigate the recent public polarisation of the controversy. Finally it asks how we might move beyond the current impasse

Dependability and Reliability of the Direct Behavior Rating Classroom Management Forms

Classroom management skills are evidence-based strategies used to maintain a positive and productive learning environment. Utilizing classroom management strategies has been proven effective; however, limited tools are available for assessing such skills and further assessment of the reliability and dependability of such measures is needed. The Direct Behavior Rating – Classroom Management (DBR-CM) forms are measures for assessing classroom management and come in three forms: external rater (DBR-CM ER), self-report (DBR-CM SR), and student rater (DBR-CM ST). This study extended on the information obtained from the Cassidy (2018) study that examined the DBR-CM ER form. The study evaluated the inter-observer agreement among the DBR-CM ER and DBR-CM SR forms. Additionally, this study examined the variance contributing to the classroom management ratings for both the DBR-CM SR and DBR-CM ER forms. A fully crossed analytic design (p x d x m) with two facets, day (d: observations) and method (m: rater type), and person (p: teachers) as the object of measurement was created. A follow-up decision (D) study was conducted to assess the number of 10 minute observations required to conduct a reliable rating with the DBR-CM SR and DBR-CM ER forms

The Impact of Observation Duration on the Dependability of the Direct Behavior Rating- Classroom Management External Rater Form (DBR- CM ER)

Classroom management skills are evidence-based strategies used to maintain a productive learning environment. The Direct Behavior Rating – Classroom Management: External Rater Form (DBR-CM ER) is an indicator for assessing classroom management. Utilizing classroom management strategies has been proven effective; however, limited tools are available for assessing such skills and further assessment of the reliability and dependability of such measures is needed. Calculating inter observer agreement (IOA) assesses evidence for inter-rater reliability and IOA results were about 87%. Additionally, the study evaluated the variance contributing to the ratings produced by the DBR-CM ER. A fully crossed analytic design (p x d x t) with two facets, day (d: observations) and time (t: the time blocks), and the object of measurement, person (p: teachers) was created. Teachers (p) were identified as the greatest source of variance, with teachers (p) by day (d) the second greatest source of variance. A follow-up decision (D) study was conducted to assess the length of observations, as well as the amount of observations required to conduct a reliable rating with the DBR-CM ER. To produce a reliable and dependable rating, an observer must conduct at least four observations, where each observation is at least 10 minutes in length

The UK’s Bovine TB Strategy: a prospective view from history

Response to UK Government 2018 Bovine TB Strategy Review Call for Evidence: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/bovine-tb-strategy-review-2018-call-for-evidenc

Evolutionary psychology as public science and boundary work

This paper explores the phenomena of public scientific debates, where scientific controversies are argued out in public fora such as the mass media, using the case of popular evolutionary psychology in the UK of the 1990s. An earlier quantitative analysis of the UK press coverage of the subject (Cassidy, 2005) suggested that academics associated with evolutionary psychology had been unusually active in the media at that time, particularly in association with the publication of popular science books on the subject. Previous research by Turner, by Gieryn, and by Bucchi has established the relationship between such appeals to the public domain and the establishment of scientific legitimacy and academic disciplinary boundaries. Following this work, I argue here that popular science has, in this case, provided a creative space for scientists, outside of the constraints of ordinary academic discourse, allowing them to reach across scientific boundaries in order to claim expertise in the study of human beings