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July 27-August 9, 2001 |
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If you choose to follow any links to the abstracts and/or complete text of articles, books, and documents listed below, you will be leaving the Strategian Web site. If you wish to return to this page from the Web page you are sent to, please use the Back option of your browser. Feature Items: Norbert Hirschhorn, Robert G. Feldman, and Ian A. Greaves Abraham Lincoln's Blue Pills: Did our 16th President Suffer from Mercury Poisoning? (... a very interesting article that hypothesizes that President Abraham Lincoln [of the United States] may have suffered from the effects of mercury intoxication as a result of taking for some years blue mass or blue pill--a medication commonly prescribed in the 19th century for a host of illnesses including hypochondriasis [in this case, a persistent complex of melancholy and constipation that he may have suffered from]. Using accounts of Lincoln by contemporary friends, associates, and family members, the authors describe many examples where he appeared to exhibit behaviors and show physical signs characteristic of the effects of low level mercury poisioning. The authors also state that, recognizing their negative effect on him, Abraham Lincoln appears to have voluntarily stopped taking blue pills about five months after his March 1861 inauguration. The authors conclude that if blue pills prompted Abraham Lincoln's remarkable behavior in the decade before he went to the White House, then his insightful decision to stop taking them may have been crucial to the outcome of the Civil War. Imagine a President Lincoln impaired by the bewildering effect of mercury poisoning while trying to cope with political intrigue, military reversals, the incompetence of his generals, and his own personal tragedies. His calm steadiness was at least as necessary in preserving the Union, it may be argued, as battlefield decisions, military appointments, or political strategies that history records as important for the success of the Federal cause. Other keywords and phrases -- effects, elemental mercury, humans, neurobehavioural, neurotoxin -- from the text of the article) Perspectives in Biology and Medicine Volume 44, Number 3 (Summer 2001): 315-332. Erika S. Zavaleta, Richard J. Hobbs, and Harold A. Mooney Viewing Invasive Species Removal in a Whole-Ecosystem Context. (... a review that looks at the effectiveness of eradication as a means to deal with invasive alien species [that] interact with other elements of global change to cause considerable damage to plants and animals that are native to a particular area as well as other parts of the ecosystem. The results of efforts to eradicate harmful plants and animals that are not native to a particular area [often through the use of poisons, trapping, and mechanical harvesting] often have striking positive effects on the recovery of native plants and animals. However, there is also evidence that, without sufficient planning, successful eradications can have unwanted and unexpected impacts on native species and ecosystems. The authors summarize by recommending a careful assessment of the entire ecosystem when considering solutions to the problem of an invasion by a specific species alien to a particular area. The authors state in natural systems, a shift in emphasis from strict invasives management towards broader ecosystem restoration goals is required. Integration of eradication into a holistic process of assessment and restoration will help safeguard against accidental, adverse effects on native ecosystems. Other keywords and phrases -- control, damage, exotic species, exotics, fire ant, food web, functional roles, Galapagos, herbivore, plant, predator, prey, rabbits, saltcedar, Tamarix, trophic cascades -- from the text of the abstract and the article) Trends in Ecology & Evolution Volume 16, Number 8 (August 2001): 454-459. Odd Terje Sandlund, Peter Johan Schei, and Åslaug Viken Invasive Species and Biodiversity Management. (... a collection of chapters based on papers presented at The Norway/United Nations Conference on Alien Species held in Trondheim, Norway on July 1-5, 1996. The 33 contributors to this volume represent colleges, universities, and scientific organizations from many countries around the world. Topics covered include how alien species help feed the global economy, species invasions and the displacement of biological and cultural diversity, modelling of the impact of biological invasions, biological invasions and global change, alien species and emerging infectious diseases, the scale and ecological consequences of biological invasions in the World's oceans, trade and exotic species introductions, and biological pest control and invasives. Other keywords and phrases -- agroforestry, Australia, canals, commercial forestry, damage, ecosystem, ecosystems, estuarine, freshwater, insect, insects, Mauritius, Mediterranean, New Zealand, nile perch, plants, population explosion, Red Sea, shrubs, South Africa, trees -- from the text of the book) Kluwer Academic Publishers Volume 24 -- Population and Community Biology Series (1999): 431 pages. How to find the above journals, magazines, and other publications? See Step 3: Locate of the Information Strategy for details. Questions about any or all of the above? Please let me know. |
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