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Links
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-PDC
“A medical mystery in Guam” by Chelsie Vandaveer, May 31, 2004
After World War II, a medical mystery arose on Guam. The Chamorro people were suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or 'Lou Gehrig's disease') at 100 times the rate of the rest of the world. Sufferers were labeled, raput, "lazy" when in reality their bodies and minds slowly wasted away.
The disorder now called ALS-PDC has a confusing array of symptoms similar to ALS, Parkinsonism-dementia, and Alzheimer's. The disease has been linked to the cycad toxins, but which toxin and how much, since most of the toxins are removed in the processing…more
Aetiology of Lytico-bodig
excerpted from Lecture Notes on Medical Problems Caused by Plants
Lytico-bodig resembles to a certain extent neurolathyrism. Could both diseases have a similar cause? In 1963, the anthropologist Marjorie Whiting made an in depth investigation into the local cuisine, and she concluded that consumption and medicinal use of cycads were linked to the disease. Cycads contain a large amount of starch in roots, stem, seeds as well as many bioactive compounds…more
Ponape
Marjorie’s husband, Alfred F. Whiting (1912 – 1978), was a botanist, anthropologist, ethnobotanist, and museum man. Collections of his papers are housed in The Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. The material reflects a period when he was a staff anthropologist in the Ponape District of the United States Trust Territory of the Pacific. Some materials are personal but also reflect Whiting's work. Other material concerns material culture (including some on plants), the history of Ponape, and the island's society and social problems. Some linguistic texts (largely practice materials for learning Ponape) and photographs are the work of Marjorie Grant Whiting. The Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff has Alfred Whiting's other papers.
Sensory Enabling Gardens
For more examples of sensory enabling gardens for the elderly and for persons with disabilities, contact the Chicago Botanic Gardens at 847.835.5440 or visit: www.chicagobotanic.org (Select The Buehler Enabling Garden for information on the hands-on teaching garden that encourages gardening for people of all ages and abilities.)
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