The Gallant Invalid: The Stage Consumptive and the Making of a Canadian Myth

This essay explores theatrical and cultural performances of pivotal figures in Canada’s colonial history as they relate to a forgotten chapter of theatre history and an image of masculinity it helped to create. The “gallant invalid” of the nineteenth-century stage was a consumptive young man hopelessly in love with a woman he could not possess and forced to steel his ailing body for a battle against forces that threatened honour and virtue. His first major theatrical incarnation came in the guise of Henri Muller in Alexandre Dumas père and Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois’s drama Angèle (1833). A crosser of national, class, and gender boundaries, Muller experiences deep emotions that the audience glimpses via the performed symptoms of his disease. As English translations of plays influenced by Angèle crossed first the Channel and then the Atlantic, I argue, they helped to create an internationally recognizable male consumptive type who shared these characteristics. In Canada, performances of this type shaped both British imperial mythology and an emergent narrative of Canadian political heroism. They transformed the received image of one of the founding heroes of imperial Canadian history, General James Wolfe, and shaped the public persona of the ‘great conciliator’ of French and English Canada, Wilfrid Laurier. This operation helped to establish the agency of the bourgeois, politically liberal male subject within the new nation. Yet it also associated his power with an acknowledgement of its own transience, rooting imperial masculinity in a performance of mortality that destabilized the very mastery it sustained.Cet article explore les performances théâtrales et culturelles de quelques grandes figures de l’histoire coloniale du Canada qui, participants d’un chapitre oublié de l’histoire du théâtre, auront aidé à créer une certaine image de la masculinité. Le «!galant invalide!» des scènes du dix-neuvième siècle était un tuberculeux éperdument amoureux d’une femme hors d’atteinte, qui devait rassembler toutes les forces de son corps malade pour contrer les forces menaçant l’honneur et la vertu. La première grande figure de ce genre au théâtre fut le personnage de Henri Muller, dans la pièce Angèle (1833) d’Alexandre Dumas père et Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois. Transgressant les frontières érigées entre les nations, les classes sociales et les sexes, Muller vit des émotions intenses que le public entrevoit dans la représentation des symptômes de sa maladie. Barker fait valoir que les traductions anglaises de pièces inspirées par Angèle , qui ont traversé La Manche puis l’Atlantique, ont contribué à créer le personnage-type du tuberculeux, doté des mêmes caractéristiques, identifiable sur les scènes du monde. Au Canada, de telles représentations ont façonné à la fois la mythologie impériale anglaise et le récit émergeant de l’héroïsme politique canadien. Elles ont transformé l’image reçue du général James Wolfe, un des grands pionniers de l’histoire impériale au Canada, et ont façonné le personnage public de Wilfrid Laurier, ce «!grand conciliateur!» des Canadas français et anglais. L’opération a permis d’établir la fonction d’agent du sujet mâle bourgeois et politiquement libéral au sein de la nouvelle nation. Toutefois, on associait ainsi son pouvoir à une reconnaissance de sa nature transitoire et on ancrait la masculinité impériale dans une performance de la mortalité qui déstabilise la domination qu’elle est censée entretenir

Tyrone Guthrie

This chapter explores the life, work and legacy of the Anglo-Irish theatre director Tyrone Guthrie, with a particular focus on the UK and North America. It argues that Guthrie originated the model of the hybrid artistic, entrepreneurial and bureaucratic figure of the Artistic Director, which came to dominate the Anglophone theatre in the second half of the twentieth century, and that he also exemplifies crucial paradoxes and contradictions to be found in the settler colonial cultures of North America in this period and their relations with their former metropole

Alexandre Dumas et la construction du héros théâtral « allemand »

« Décidément, déclarait Ernest Falconnet en 1834 dans un numéro de La France littéraire, nous allons prendre une livrée étrangère, notre littérature et notre philosophie commencent à se calquer sur la littérature et la philosophie allemandes. » En septembre de « l’an de grâce romantique », comme l’appela plus tard le critique de Savay, Falconnet croyait que ses contemporains tournaient le dos à l’influence anglaise pour se pencher vers la culture germanique renaissante en quête d’inspiration...

Tyrone Guthrie

This chapter explores the life, work and legacy of the Anglo-Irish theatre director Tyrone Guthrie, with a particular focus on the UK and North America. It argues that Guthrie originated the model of the hybrid artistic, entrepreneurial and bureaucratic figure of the Artistic Director, which came to dominate the Anglophone theatre in the second half of the twentieth century, and that he also exemplifies crucial paradoxes and contradictions to be found in the settler colonial cultures of North America in this period and their relations with their former metropole

Biofunctionalised bacterial cellulose scaffold supports the patterning and expansion of human embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor cells.

BACKGROUND: Stem cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease are a promising approach in regenerative medicine and are now moving towards early stage clinical trials. However, a number of challenges remain including the ability to grow stem cells in vitro on a 3-dimensional scaffold, as well as their loss, by leakage or cell death, post-implantation. These issues could, however, be helped through the use of scaffolds that support the growth and differentiation of stem cells both in vitro and in vivo. The present study focuses on the use of bacterial cellulose as an in vitro scaffold to promote the growth of different stem cell-derived cell types. Bacterial cellulose was used because of its remarkable properties such as its wettability, ability to retain water and low stiffness, all of which is similar to that found in brain tissue. METHODS: We cultured human embryonic stem cell-derived progenitor cells on bacterial cellulose with growth factors that were covalently functionalised to the surface via silanisation. Epifluorescence microscopy and immunofluorescence were used to detect the differentiation of stem cells into dopaminergic ventral midbrain progenitor cells. We then quantified the proportion of cells that differentiated into progenitor cells and compared the effect of growing cells on biofunctionalised cellulose versus standard cellulose. RESULTS: We show that the covalent functionalisation of bacterial cellulose sheets with bioactive peptides improves the growth and differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into dopaminergic neuronal progenitors. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the biocompatible material, bacterial cellulose, has potential applications in cell therapy approaches as a means to repair damage to the central nervous system, such as in Parkinson's disease but also in tissue engineering

Manipulation of drugs to achieve the required dose is intrinsic to paediatric practice but is not supported by guidelines or evidence

Background: A lack of age-appropriate formulations can make it difficult to administer medicines to children. A manipulation of the dosage form may be required to achieve the required dose. This study aimed to describe medicines that are manipulated to achieve the required dose in paediatric practice.Method: A structured, undisguised observational study and postal survey. The observational study investigated drug manipulations occurring in clinical practice across three sites. The questionnaire, administered to a sample of paediatric nurses throughout the UK, surveyed manipulations conducted and nurses' experiences and views.Results: The observational study identified 310 manipulations, of which 62% involved tablets, 21% were intravenous drugs and 10% were sachets. Of the 54 observed manipulations 40 involved tablets with 65% of the tablets being cut and 30% dispersed to obtain a smaller dose. 188 manipulations were reported by questionnaire respondents, of these 46% involved tablets, 12% were intravenous drugs, and 12% were nebuliser solutions. Manipulations were predominantly, but not exclusively, identified in specialist clinical areas with more highly dependent patients. Questionnaire respondents were concerned about the accuracy of the dose achieved following manipulations and the lack of practice guidance.Conclusion: Manipulations to achieve the required dose occur throughout paediatric in-patient settings. The impact of manipulations on the efficacy of the drugs, the accuracy of the dose and any adverse effects on patients is not known. There is a need to develop evidence-based guidance for manipulations of medicines in children

Protocol for the Rare Dementia Support Impact Study: RDS Impact

OBJECTIVES: The Rare Dementia Support (RDS) Impact study will be the first major study of the value of multicomponent support groups for people living with or supporting someone with a rare form of dementia. The multicentre study aims to evaluate the impact of multicomponent support offered and delivered to people living with a rare form of dementia, comprising the following five Work Packages (WPs): (1) Longitudinal cohort interviews; (2) Theoretical development; (3) Developing measures; (4) Novel interventions; and (5) Economic analysis. METHODS: This is a mixed-methods design, including a longitudinal cohort study (quantitative and qualitative) and a feasibility randomised control trial (RCT). A cohort of >1000 individuals will be invited to participate. The primary and secondary outcomes will be in-part determined through a co-design Nominal Groups Technique pre-study involving caregivers to people living with a diagnosis of a rare dementia. Quantitative analyses of differences and predictors will be based on pre-specified hypotheses. A variety of quantitative (e.g. ANOVA and multiple linear regression techniques), qualitative (e.g. thematic analysis) and innovative analytical methods will also be developed and applied by involving the arts as a research method. RESULTS: The UCL Research Ethics Committee have approved this study. Data collection will begin in Q4 2019. CONCLUSIONS: The study will capture information through a combination of longitudinal interviews, questionnaires and scales, and novel creative data collection methods. The notion of 'impact' in the context of support for rare dementias will involve theoretical development, novel measures and methods of support interventions, and health economic analyses

The Development of Videoconference-Based Support for People Living With Rare Dementias and Their Carers:Protocol for a 3-Phase Support Group Evaluation

BACKGROUND: People living with rarer dementias face considerable difficulty accessing tailored information, advice, and peer and professional support. Web-based meeting platforms offer a critical opportunity to connect with others through shared lived experiences, even if they are geographically dispersed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: We aim to develop facilitated videoconferencing support groups (VSGs) tailored to people living with or caring for someone with familial or sporadic frontotemporal dementia or young-onset Alzheimer disease, primary progressive aphasia, posterior cortical atrophy, or Lewy body dementia. This paper describes the development, coproduction, field testing, and evaluation plan for these groups. METHODS: We describe a 3-phase approach to development. First, information and knowledge were gathered as part of a coproduction process with members of the Rare Dementia Support service. This information, together with literature searches and consultation with experts by experience, clinicians, and academics, shaped the design of the VSGs and session themes. Second, field testing involved 154 Rare Dementia Support members (people living with dementia and carers) participating in 2 rounds of facilitated sessions across 7 themes (health and social care professionals, advance care planning, independence and identity, grief and loss, empowering your identity, couples, and hope and dementia). Third, a detailed evaluation plan for future rounds of VSGs was developed. RESULTS: The development of the small groups program yielded content and structure for 9 themed VSGs (the 7 piloted themes plus a later stages program and creativity club for implementation in rounds 3 and beyond) to be delivered over 4 to 8 sessions. The evaluation plan incorporated a range of quantitative (attendance, demographics, and geography; pre-post well-being ratings and surveys; psycholinguistic analysis of conversation; facial emotion recognition; facilitator ratings; and economic analysis of program delivery) and qualitative (content and thematic analysis) approaches. Pilot data from round 2 groups on the pre-post 3-word surveys indicated an increase in the emotional valence of words selected after the sessions. CONCLUSIONS: The involvement of people with lived experience of a rare dementia was critical to the design, development, and delivery of the small virtual support group program, and evaluation of this program will yield convergent data about the impact of tailored support delivered to geographically dispersed communities. This is the first study to design and plan an evaluation of VSGs specifically for people affected by rare dementias, including both people living with a rare dementia and their carers, and the outcome of the evaluation will be hugely beneficial in shaping specific and targeted support, which is often lacking in this population. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/3537

The Development of Videoconference-Based Support for People Living With Rare Dementias and Their Carers: Protocol for a 3-Phase Support Group Evaluation

BACKGROUND: People living with rarer dementias face considerable difficulty accessing tailored information, advice, and peer and professional support. Web-based meeting platforms offer a critical opportunity to connect with others through shared lived experiences, even if they are geographically dispersed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: We aim to develop facilitated videoconferencing support groups (VSGs) tailored to people living with or caring for someone with familial or sporadic frontotemporal dementia or young-onset Alzheimer disease, primary progressive aphasia, posterior cortical atrophy, or Lewy body dementia. This paper describes the development, coproduction, field testing, and evaluation plan for these groups. METHODS: We describe a 3-phase approach to development. First, information and knowledge were gathered as part of a coproduction process with members of the Rare Dementia Support service. This information, together with literature searches and consultation with experts by experience, clinicians, and academics, shaped the design of the VSGs and session themes. Second, field testing involved 154 Rare Dementia Support members (people living with dementia and carers) participating in 2 rounds of facilitated sessions across 7 themes (health and social care professionals, advance care planning, independence and identity, grief and loss, empowering your identity, couples, and hope and dementia). Third, a detailed evaluation plan for future rounds of VSGs was developed. RESULTS: The development of the small groups program yielded content and structure for 9 themed VSGs (the 7 piloted themes plus a later stages program and creativity club for implementation in rounds 3 and beyond) to be delivered over 4 to 8 sessions. The evaluation plan incorporated a range of quantitative (attendance, demographics, and geography; pre-post well-being ratings and surveys; psycholinguistic analysis of conversation; facial emotion recognition; facilitator ratings; and economic analysis of program delivery) and qualitative (content and thematic analysis) approaches. Pilot data from round 2 groups on the pre-post 3-word surveys indicated an increase in the emotional valence of words selected after the sessions. CONCLUSIONS: The involvement of people with lived experience of a rare dementia was critical to the design, development, and delivery of the small virtual support group program, and evaluation of this program will yield convergent data about the impact of tailored support delivered to geographically dispersed communities. This is the first study to design and plan an evaluation of VSGs specifically for people affected by rare dementias, including both people living with a rare dementia and their carers, and the outcome of the evaluation will be hugely beneficial in shaping specific and targeted support, which is often lacking in this population