Living Places or Animated Objects? Sámi Sacrificial Places with Metal Objects and Their South Scandinavian Parallels

Abstract

The article takes its point of departure in 12 Sámi sacrificial places from northern Sweden and Norway. It is argued that the sites with metal objects of the ninth to fourteenth centuries in a number of ways are comparable to acts of deposition in south Scandinavia. These Viking Age depositions consisted of partly the same types of artefacts, took place on the shores of wetlands with sacral names and were in use in the same time period as the Sámi sacrificial places. The similarities and differences between the two traditions are discussed, focusing on some possible links between aspects of animistic world views and biographical perspectives on artefacts. This opens up the possibility that not only the Sámi, but even the Old Norse world views contained elements of animistic perspectives. It is claimed that the two traditions reflect partially parallel ways of handling the landscape and dealing with objects among the Sámi of Øvre Norrland and the Norse population of south Scandinavia.     

On morel's épilepsie larvee: The first Danish epileptologist Frederik hallager's opposition in 1884 against morel's psychical epileptic Equivalents*

Abstract

In 1860 B.A. Morel published some cases of masked epilepsy, i.e., paroxysmal behaviour disturbances or “epileptic equivalents”;. The majority behaved criminally. Hughlings Jackson opposed and Hallager showed that all the cases related later as épilepsie larvée could be explained as postepileptic attacks, general paralysis, paradoxical normalization, schizophrenia, mania and otherwise. True criminal behaviour was exeptional. The present author agreed. There is no need for épilepsie larvée. It is discussed whether Blumer's recent “Paroxystic neurobehaviour disorder”; will revive “Morel's disorder”;.     

Working gender after crisis: partnerships and disconnections in Sri Lanka after the Indian Ocean tsunami

This article focuses on how northern non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their partners, community-based organizations (CBOs), are ‘working’ gender after a crisis. It explores the relationship between one NGO aiming to mainstream gender and a women's CBO in a village in southern Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. The gender policies of the NGO and how the CBO has co-opted these policies are analysed in terms of discourse, interdependence, power and performance. Structural and individual challenges for working gender in post-crisis situations are analyzed and the constraints for making deep reaching changes that can alter gender relations are identified. Because of differences in the conceptualization and implementation of gender policies and practices, the CBO has manoeuvred to maintain its own interests, while the NGO has experienced disconnections in working gender between organizational levels and locations of implementation. In conclusion, it is argued that for changes to take place, knowledge production on gender needs to be locally situated and sensitive to the structural conditions and power relations with which organizations and communities engage.     

On Morel's 'épilepsie larvée: the first Danish epileptologist Frederik Hallager's opposition in 1884 against Morel's psychical epileptic equivalents

In 1860 B. A. Morel published some cases of masked epilepsy, i.e., paroxysmal behaviour disturbances or "epileptic equivalents". The majority behaved criminally. Hughlings Jackson opposed and Hallager showed that all the cases related later as épilepsie larvée could be explained as postepileptic attacks, general paralysis, paradoxical normalization, schizophrenia, mania and otherwise. True criminal behaviour was exceptional. The present author agreed. There is no need for épilepsie larvée. It is discussed whether Blumer's recent "Paroxystic neurobehaviour disorder" will revive "Morel's disorder".     

Creative Copenhagen: Globalization,Urban Governance and Social Change

The introduction of 'creativity' and the 'creative city' in imagineering Copenhagen and in strategies for developing its urban competitiveness is analysed from a perspective on relations between processes of globalization, developments in urban government/governance and social geographic change. This perspective problematizes what on the surface seems to be an unequivocally positive quality ('creative') and goal ('creativity'). We argue there is a need to recognize the social costs of developments that are glossed over by the creative city rhetoric, including diminished representative democracy, social and geographic polarization and considerable displacement of the marginalized.     

Does bromide cause conversion of epilepsy to psychosis?

The aim of this study is to find out whether bromide was able to cause conversion of epilepsy to psychosis i.e., so-called paradoxical normalization such as has been seen in treatment with modern antiepileptic drugs. Spontaneous conversion has been known for three hundred years. Locock introduced bromide in the treatment of epilepsy in 1857. Belgrave wrote in 1868 on its effect on epileptic attacks and concommitant insanity. In 1868 Holm observed reduction of the frequency of seizures at the same time as psychotic symptoms or just dysphoria. In 1875 Voisin described a dose-dependent intoxication with psychosis and/or neurological signs. Stark in 1875 and Bannister in 1881 were the first to clearly describe the antagonism between epileptic seizures and psychotic symptoms, an antagonism or conversion described by many authors, both in cases with high and low dosage, and with and without intoxication. Thus, the title of this paper should be answered in the affirmative. Bromide has been used as a sedative and has rarely caused intoxication. Thus the presence of epilepsy is not a condition for the development of bromide intoxication. A case with epilepsy and fatal massive bromide intoxication is reported. It is discussed whether the pathological findings give support to Wolf's hypothesis of latent epileptic activity in subcortical pathways during "normalization".