Shadow or substance : the changing role of women in Bengal, 1849-1905

In this study, I present the thesis that the role of the 'modern' Bengali woman of the nineteenth century differed from that of the traditional Hindu woman more in style than in substance. Historians of nineteenth-century Bengal have tended either to ignore women or to depict them as a passive group emancipated by the efforts of male social reformers. This study sets out to counteract the view that social reform movements led to the emancipation of women. It concentrates on the changes in the lives of the Bengali bhadramahila between 1849, the year in which the Bethune School for girls was founded, and the partition of Bengal in 1905. Writings for and by women, as well as other sources, have been examined in order to gain an insight into changes in domestic and social life, and women's responses to these. The situation of the bhadramahila has been analysed in the context of colonial rule and its impact on the social, economic and political life of Bengal. It is argued that in areas such as marriage, child rearing, the running of the household and participation in social functions, the bhadramahila shouldered the responsibility for maintaining a style of living suited to the conditions of colonial rule. The process of change through institutional and public means such as education, voluntary associations, employment and political activity has also been discussed. undoubtedly there were many positive gains for women - steps towards equality, increased physical freedom, expanded horizons through the acquisition of literacy and limited entry into the area of non-domestic work - but these changes often brought unforeseen negative consequences in their wake, such as a reduction in autonomy and power within the household, and subordinate status on entering the public world. By 1905, Bengali women were entering an era of increased opportunity, but were still hampered by the confines of their role

Using HMORN’s Virtual Data Warehouse From Two Health Systems to Identify Risk Factors for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Background/Aims: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a leading cause of death in the United States, often undetected until rupture. At least 33% of ruptured AAA hospitalizations are among women, and 22% of AAA-related deaths occur in nonsmokers, individuals not covered by current screening guidelines. Identifying additional risk factors for AAA would allow for targeted screening of a larger at-risk population. We conducted a retrospective study of electronic health record and claims data from the HMO Research Network’s (HMORN) virtual data warehouse (VDW) in two sites: Geisinger Health System (GHS) and Essentia Institute of Rural Health (EIRH). Methods: We used an algorithm that includes CPT and ICD9 codes to classify individuals in the VDW as cases, controls or excludes. This algorithm had a positive predictive value of 94% and sensitivity of 100%. We extracted demographic, behavioral and clinical covariates, including comorbidities such as peripheral artery disease, diabetes, neoplasms, and pulmonary, kidney and cerebrovascular diseases. Individuals were excluded based on age, no visit in 5 years, genetic conditions or unspecified aneurysm site. Results: We identified 2,133 AAA cases and 130,289 controls from GHS and 1,986 cases and 196,534 controls from EIRH. Risk factors were similar in direction and magnitude of effect and level of significance across sites, including the novel association of benign neoplasms with AAA. Discussion: We leveraged the VDW to efficiently demonstrate the transportability of an algorithm for identifying AAA patients, expanding the sample size for studying AAA risk, and replicating our risk factor findings in a second institution. This work was funded in part by National Human Genome Research Institute as both sites are members of the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network (U01HG006382 to Geisinger Clinic and U01HG006389 to Essentia Institute of Rural Health)