Scottish protestant-trained medical missionaries in the nineteenth century and the rise of the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society

During the nineteenth century the Protestant Churches of Scotland accelerated their involvement in the attempts to spread the Christian message out into the colonies. Africa, China and particularly India saw a dramatic rise in the number of evangelical preachers moving into the colonised areas. However, climatic conditions and the lack of preparedness of the missionaries for the role soon took a heavy toll on their numbers. To counteract this loss and to provide treatments for the missionary’s medical needs professional medical men were employed, by the mission boards, to look after those in the field. However, some at home saw the potential benefits of having medicine and evangelism combined to enhance the Christian message. This was not a universally popular ideology and came under sustained criticism from many within the protestant churches who could not accept anything other than pure evangelical preaching as the proper way to win over converts. However, the idea soon gained momentum and supporters lobbied for the creation of the medical missionary as a new method of proselityzation within the missionary enterprise. In Edinburgh a new society was formed to provide medically trained preachers for the foreign field. This organisation, the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society, would develop and lay the template for all other such organisations to follow, becoming the foremost provider of medical missionaries in Europe. The life and work of a medical missionary was one of sacrifice and often dangerous labours, however, success or failure was an ever present condition for them. This thesis, by means of a comparative study of two medical missionaries, William Elmslie and Donald Morison, shows how they lived and worked within their missions and the reasoning by which they were declared a success or failure by their respective mission boards. This work concludes by arguing that the part played by the Scottish Protestant Church Missionary Boards, the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society and the work of the medical missionaries themselves, propelled the Scottish medical missionary enterprise to the forefront of the foreign missionary project. The conclusions reached within this work are: Firstly, that the impetus for the creation, support and development of the medical missionary working across the British colonial holdings lies squarely within the effects of two major incidents within the Scottish Protestant community the Dissention of 1843 and the successive waves of evangelical fervour which swept through the country during the nineteenth century. Secondly, that the system of medical missionary work, when accompanied with Gospel teaching, proved to be a more successful method of proselityzation than simple evangelical preaching alone

Comparative salt and waterlogging tolerance of an introduced grass (Agropyron elongatum [host] p. beauv.) and two herbaceous Australian species (Podolepis gracilis [lehm.] and Danthonia caespitosa gaud.)

Increasing land degradation is recognised as an immediate worldwide threat. Human induced soil salinity is probably the major cause of land abandonment, through its adverse effects on plant growth. Salinity is a major focus of environmental researchers because it is recognised that counter-strategies can potentially reclaim both artificially degraded lands and intrinsically saline areas. Currently, strategies to combat salinity require that land use is changed, since restoration to a past use is usually economically impractical or impossible. Biological strategies show most promise. Revegetation of degraded soils with hardy plant species has met with considerable success, and shows promise for the future, given the vast, and as yet largely unknown, resources in plant genetic diversity. This diversity also gives rise to the need for testing of specific tolerances to soil salinity and associated soil conditions, such as waterlogging, to expedite revegetation programs. Growth of the introduced grass Agropyron elongatum, known for its tolerance to stress, was examined in a glasshouse at a range of salinities, in waterlogged conditions and in high soil pH, conditions often found on some minesites in the southwest of Australia. An indigenous grass Danthonia caespitosa and an indigenous daisy Podolepis gracilis were similarly examined. These trials were undertaken in order to determine any potential usefulness in minesite revegetation, and to compare a known halophyte with the tolerances of previously untested Australian species. A. elongatum was found to decrease in growth, but tolerate salt concentrations to 400mM, and to be unaffected by waterlogging. Both Australian species were found to be at least as tolerant of salt as A. elongatum, but to be sensitive to hypoxia caused through waterlogging. Both grasses showed apparent growth stimulation at low salt concentrations, though this is not in accordance with past studies on monocotyledonous plants

A trans10-18:1 enriched fraction from beef fed a barley grain-based diet induces lipogenic gene expression and reduces viability of HepG2 cells.

Beef fat is a natural source of trans (t) fatty acids, and is typically enriched with either t10-18:1 or t11-18:1. Little is known about the bioactivity of individual t-18:1 isomers, and the present study compared the effects of t9-18:1, cis (c)9-18:1 and trans (t)-18:1 fractions isolated from beef fat enriched with either t10-18:1 (HT10) or t11-18:1 (HT11). All 18:1 isomers resulted in reduced human liver (HepG2) cell viability relative to control. Both c9-18:1 and HT11were the least toxic, t9-18:1had dose response increased toxicity, and HT10 had the greatest toxicity (P<0.05). Incorporation of t18:1 isomers was 1.8-2.5 fold greater in triacylglycerol (TG) than phospholipids (PL), whereas Δ9 desaturation products were selectively incorporated into PL. Culturing HepG2 cells with t9-18:1 and HT10 increased (P<0.05) the Δ9 desaturation index (c9-16:1/16:0) compared to other fatty acid treatments. HT10 and t9-18:1 also increased expression of lipogenic genes (FAS, SCD1, HMGCR and SREBP2) compared to control (P<0.05), whereas c9-18:1 and HT11 did not affect the expression of these genes. Our results suggest effects of HT11 and c9-18:1 were similar to BSA control, whereas HT10 and t-9 18:1 (i.e. the predominant trans fatty acid isomer found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) were more cytotoxic and led to greater expression of lipogenic genes

Adam Smith and the theory of punishment

A distinctive theory of punishment plays a central role in Smith's moral and legal theory. According to this theory, we regard the punishment of a crime as deserved only to the extent that an impartial spectator would go along with the actual or supposed resentment of the victim. The first part of this paper argues that Smith's theory deserves serious consideration and relates it to other theories such as utilitarianism and more orthodox forms of retributivism. The second part considers the objection that, because Smith's theory implies that punishment is justified only when there is some person or persons who is the victim of the crime, it cannot explain the many cases where punishment is imposed purely for the public good. It is argued that Smith's theory could be extended to cover such cases. The third part defends Smith's theory against the objection that, because it relies on our natural feelings, it cannot provide an adequate moral justification of punishment

LESSONS FROM THE MOTORIZED MIGRATIONS

Ten experiments have been conducted to determine if cranes can be led on migration and if those so trained will repeat migrations on their own. Results have been mixed as we have experienced the mishaps common to pilot studies. Nevertheless, we have learned many valuable lessons. Chief among these are that cranes can be led long distances behind motorized craft (air and ground), and those led over most or the entire route will return north come spring and south in fall to and from the general area of training. However, they will follow their own route. Groups transported south and flown at intervals along the route will migrate but often miss target termini. If certain protocol restrictions are followed, it is possible to make the trained cranes wild, however, the most practical way of so doing is to introduce them into a flock of wild cranes. We project that it is possible to create or restore wild migratory flocks of cranes by first leading small groups from chosen northern to southern termini

The ‘caged torch procession’: Celebrities, protesters and the 2008 Olympic torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco

Along with the opening and closing ceremonies, one of the major non-sports events associated with the modern Olympic Games is the torch relay. Although initiated in 1936, the relay has been subject to relatively little academic scrutiny. The events of April 2008 however will have cast a long shadow on the practice. This essay focuses primarily on one week (6–13 April) in the press coverage of the 2008 torch relay as the flame made its way from London to Paris in Europe and then to San Francisco in the USA. It discusses the interpretations offered in the mediated coverage about the relay, the Olympic movement, the host city and the locations where the relay was taking place, and critically analyses the role of agencies, both for and against the Olympics, that framed the ensuing debate