Crooked Timber: The life of Calvin Wells (1908-1978)

Calvin Wells was the leading palaeopathologist in the UK between the later 1950s and the early 1970s. He studied medicine at University College London but failed in anatomy and qualified in 1933 with the Conjoint Diploma (MRCS, LRCP). After qualification he began to study obstetrics and after war service in the RAMC he settled in Norfolk (UK), established a small general practice and took up palaeopathology. Although he was usually conservative in diagnosis he tended to over-interpret signs in the skeleton, often publishing descriptions that were more fiction than science. He held firm views on the way in which palaeopathology should be undertaken and in particular he resented the entry into the field of anthropologists without medical training. His major contributions to palaeopathology were related to the study of cremations and the introduction of the notion of pseudopathology, and his writings on these subjects have scarcely been improved upon since. He was extremely well read, warm and encouraging to those with archaeological or medical qualifications, but vituperative about those he disliked. His bone reports, which are a major proportion of his published output, generally were highly regarded but his writing is often marred by sexual innuendo and vulgarity which does his memory little credit

Pancreatic adaptive responses in alcohol abuse: Role of the unfolded protein response.

The majority of those who drink excessive amounts of alcohol do not develop pancreatic disease. One overarching hypothesis is that alcohol abuse requires additional risk factors, either environmental or genetic, for disease to occur. However, another reason be a result of alcohol-induced activation of adaptive systems that protect the pancreas from the toxic effects of alcohol. We show that mechanisms within the unfolded protein response (UPR) of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that can lead to protection of the pancreas from pancreatic diseases with alcohol abuse. The remarkable ability of the pancreas to adapt its machinery to alcohol abuse using UPR systems and continue functioning is the likely reason that pancreatitis from alcohol abuse does not occur in the majority of heavy drinkers. These findings indicate that methods to enhance the protective responses of the UPR can provide opportunities for prevention and treatment of pancreatic diseases

Roy Lee Moodie (1880-1934) and the beginnings of palaeopathology

Roy Lee Moodie was a geologist whose interest in ancient disease was stimulated by his finding of pathological change in some of the fossils that he studied, including many from the Rancho La Brea site in California. He occupied teaching positions in Chicago, Dallas and Santa Monica and in 1928 began an acquaintance and a correspondence with Henry Wellcome who was then in the United States and appearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. Moodie persuaded Wellcome to sponsor his palaeopathological work and the following year he was appointed palaeopathologist to the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum (WHMM) at a salary of six thousand dollars a year, the first person to hold such a title and the first and only occupant of the title at the WHMM or its successor organisations. He published extensively from 1915 until his death in 1934, including his great compendium Paleopathology; an Introduction to the Study of Ancient Evidences of Disease, and the collected papers of Sir Marc Armand Ruffer. He is perhaps best remembered or, at least, most widely quoted for attributing the beginnings of palaeopathology to a publication of Esper in 1774 although the passage in which he did so contained two major errors that have been perpetuated in the literature ever since, the authorship of the publication and the diagnosis of the lesion that he supposed began the study of disease in antiquity

St Peter's, Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire - A Parish Church and its Community

The excavations at St Peter's church, Barton-upon-Humber, between 1978 and 1984 have yielded the largest collection of human remains in the UK, dating from the late tenth century to the mid-nineteenth. The twin aims of the project were to understand the architectural history and setting of this complex, multi-period building (Volume 1), and to recover a substantial sample of the population for palaeopathological study (Volume 2). An extensive programme of historical and topographical research also took place in order to set the archaeological evidence firmly in context. Taking the long view over the entire period, however, it is striking how many of the marks of health and vigour, popularly supposed to have changed substantially between the middle ages and the Victorian era, have remained relatively constant. Together, the two volumes provide fascinating insights into that mainstay of settlement - the small English market town

The preparation of CIS- and trans-1,2-dimethoxyethylene. The study of the CIS-trans-rearrangement and evaluation of equilibrium constants

Equilibrium constants for the mercuric acetate-catalyzed reaction, cis-CH3 OCH=CHOCH3 D trans-CH3 OCH=CHOCH3, have been determined in the liquid and vapor phase over the temperature range 30° - 175°C by gas chromatography analysis. A novel synthesis of the cis- and trans-isomers of 1,2-dimethoxyethylene is discussed. From a screening of 29 catalysts, mercuric acetate, mercuric benzoate, and mercuric salicylate were found to be favorable isomerization catalysts. For the liquid phase reaction, ln K = -779.8/T + 0.6748 with ΔH° = +1.549 ± 0.019 Kcal/mole and ΔS° = +1.34 ± 0.05 e.u./mole Similarly, for the vapor phase reaction, ln K = -727.2/T + 0.8335 with ΔH° = +1.445 ± 0.054 Kcal/mole and ΔS° = +1.66 ± 0.15 e.u./mole A linear regression analysis, employing a least-squares curve fit and an analysis of variance, was performed on the data. An independent experimental error analysis (for uncertainties in measurement, reproducibility, etc.) was performed using partial differentials and was consistent with the above findings. cis-1,2-Dimethoxyethylene was more stable relative to its trans-isomer in both the liquid and vapor phase. The greater amount of cis-isomer present at equilibrium (the cis-effect) is discussed in terms of dipole-dipole interactions with a resultant increase in the C=C bond strength for the cis-isomer due to electron density shifts. The dimethoxyethylenes are correlated with previous results found in the literature for related systems (e.g. dihaloethylenes, etc.). Additional arguments are also advanced

IMPROVING THE FLEXIBILITY AND THERMAL PROTECTION OF A DIVING WETSUIT

This research improves the thermal protection and mobility of divers by incorporating a silicone glass microsphere composite, cast in geometries that adapt to various body curvatures, into a conventional neoprene wetsuit. These geometries are designed such that an array of trapezoidal teeth—on a thin base of the same material—converge together to approximate curved body shapes. Previous composite wetsuit designs, including a similar glass microsphere composite, derive each composite piece from 3D body scans. This design generalizes one geometry to apply to a range of body curves. This method reduces variance in mold designs, reduces mold sizes, and reduces cost and maintenance for composite wetsuit molds. With this approach, composite wetsuit materials can be more rapidly prototyped and eventually incorporated into wetsuits that protect professional Navy divers. The thermal protection of this material was validated experimentally at set curvatures in varying pressure environments. Additionally, the material was added to a 3-millimeter wetsuit and tested in a real salt-water environment. The composite's porosity was reduced and compared using optical microscopy. Thermal metrics from experimental and diving results were compared to previous prototypes.Office of Naval ResearchEnsign, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

St Peter's, Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire - A Parish Church and its Community

The excavations at St Peter's church, Barton-upon-Humber, between 1978 and 1984 have yielded the largest collection of human remains in the UK, dating from the late tenth century to the mid-nineteenth. The twin aims of the project were to understand the architectural history and setting of this complex, multi-period building (Volume 1), and to recover a substantial sample of the population for palaeopathological study (Volume 2). An extensive programme of historical and topographical research also took place in order to set the archaeological evidence firmly in context. Taking the long view over the entire period, however, it is striking how many of the marks of health and vigour, popularly supposed to have changed substantially between the middle ages and the Victorian era, have remained relatively constant. Together, the two volumes provide fascinating insights into that mainstay of settlement - the small English market town

Extensive periosteal new bone formation in a skeleton from post-Medieval Chichester, England: A probable case of metastatic prostatic carcinoma

An elderly male skeleton from a site in Chichester, UK, was found with a widespread periosteal reaction, principally affecting the axial skeleton and the pelvis. Radiography showed the presence of sclerosing infiltrates, mainly involving the lumbar vertebrae and pelvis. The differential diagnosis is discussed, reaching the conclusion that hypertrophic osteo-arthopathy (HOA) is the only reasonable alternative condition likely to produce such a widespread periosteal reaction as found here. HOA does not produce secondary deposits in the skeleton, however, and we conclude that his is most likely a case of prostatic carcinoma