30. Herbert, Valerie, “The surgeon who saved Churchill,” Sudbury Suffolk Heritage, http://virtualmuseum.sudburysuffolk.co.uk/recent-research/the-surgeon-who-saved-churchill/
31. McCarty, op. cit.
32. Black, J. “Acute appendicitis in Japanese soldiers in Burma: support for the ‘fibre’ theory,” Gut, 2002;51:297, http://gut.bmj.com/content/51/2/297.1.full
33. Burkitt, Denis, Don’t Forget Fibre in Your Diet (New York: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1979)
34. Trowell, H.C, Burkitt, D.P., Western Diseases: Their Emergence and Prevention, (Boston: Harvard University Press, 1981)
35. “Denis Parkins Burkitt,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Parsons_Burkitt
36. Morris, Julie; Barker, D.J. P.; Nelson, M., “Diet, Infection and Acute Appendicitis in Britain and Ireland,” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 1987, 41, 44-49, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1052575/pdf/jepicomh00230-0047.pdf
37. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay, “Fiber Does Not Help Prevent Colon Cancer, Study Finds,” the New York Times, January 21, 1999, http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/21/us/fiber-does-not-help-prevent-colon-cancer-study-finds.html
38. “The Polyp Prevention Trial and the Wheat Bran Fiber Study: Questions and Answers,” National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov/types/colorectal/research/polyp-fiber-prevention-qa
39. Lanza, Elaine, et al., “The Polyp Prevention Trial–Continued Follow-up Study: No Effect of a Low-Fat, High-Fiber, High-Fruit, and -Vegetable Diet on Adenoma Recurrence Eight Years after Randomization,” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/16/9/1745.full
40. Lanza, op. cit.
41. “Appendix Isn’t Useless At All: It’s A Safe House For Good Bacteria,” ScienceDaily.com, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008102334.htm
42. Bollinger, R., Barbas, A., Bush, E., Lin, S., & Parker, W. (2007). “Biofilms in the large bowel suggest an apparent function of the human vermiform appendix,” Journal of Theoretical Biology, 249 (4), 826-831 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2007.08.032
43. Im, Gene Y., Modayil, Rani J., Lin, Cheng T., Geier, Steven J., Katz, Douglas S., Feuerman, Martin, Grendel, James H., “The Appendix May Protect Against Clostridium difficile Recurrence,” Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, December 2011, 9 (12), 1072–1077, http://www.cghjournal.org/article/S1542-3565(11)00580-5/abstract
44. Alder, Adam C., Fomby, Thomas B., Woodward, Wayne A., Haley, Robert W., Sarosi, George, Livingston, Edward H., “Association of Viral Infection and Appendicitis,” JAMA Surgery, January 1, 2010;145(1):63-71. http://archsurg.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=213340
45. Loren G. Martin, “What is the function of the human appendix? Did it once have a purpose that has since been lost?” Scientific American, October 21, 1999
46. Op.cit, Claes S., Vereecke E., Maes M., Victor J., Verdonk P., Bellemans J
47. “Appendix not totally useless,” The Scientist, February 15, 2013, http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34416/title/Appendix-Not-Totally-Useless/
48. “Appendix shrieks ‘Creation’ (at least 18 times!),” Creation Ministries, April 2, 2013 http://creation.com/appendix-shrieks-creation
Read more about it
In the days before modern, appendicitis was not the only human illness treated with unpleasant and often gruesome remedies. Howard W. Haggard’s Devils, Drugs and Doctors, The Story of the Science of Healing from Medicine-Man to Doctor (1929) catalogues an entire world of loathsome curatives from fasting to drive away tuberculosis to nutmeg (which looks like the brain) for brain disease, sassafras for syphilis, mercury purging for constipation, and usnea (“moss scraped from the skull of a criminal who had been hung in chains”) and blood-letting for practically everything else. Happily, Dr. Haggard, then the director of Yale University’s Laboratory of Applied Physiology, concludes, things had changed by the early 20th century. “The medical sciences are today,” he writes, “giving the world the healthiest period it has ever known, but they are not yet mature. What has already been accomplished in scientific medicine is small in comparison with future possibilities of preventing disease, alleviating suffering and prolonging human life.” Without those freshly killed puppies Thomas Sydenham promised would soothe an inflamed appendix.
2. Feathers & Fur
1. The words hominid, hominine, and hominin may seem interchangeable, but they are not. The first, hominid, is “the group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes” (that is, modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans plus all their immediate ancestors),” [the second, hominine, includes the branches that led to us and to the gorillas], and hominim is “the group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors (including Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Ardipithecus, extinct members of the genus [class/plural genera] Homo).” “Hominid and hominim—What’s the difference?” Australian Museum, http://australianmuseum.net.au/hominid-and-hominin-whats-the-difference
2. “Mary-Claire King,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary-Claire_King
3. Lovgren, Stefan, “Chimps, Humans 96 Percent the Same, Gene Study Finds,” National Geographic News, August 31, 2005, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0831_050831_chimp_genes.html
4. Chimpanzees are not the only animals with which we share vital body characteristics. Molecular homology (similarities at the molecular level) occurs throughout the animal kingdom. For example, there are several hundred amino acids in human hemoglobin, the red pigment in blood. Fewer than twenty-five of the amino acids in a rhesus monkey’s hemoglobin differ from ours; slightly more than twenty-five in a mouse’s and fewer than fifty in the hemoglobin of that chicken you roasted for dinner are unlike ours. “Evidence of Evolution: Homology,” http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/160/160S13_5.html
5. Randall, V. A. (1994), “Androgens and human hair growth,” Clinical Endocrinology, 40: 439–457. cited in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_hair
6. Sahney, Sarda, “Why does my baby have a tail?” Science 2.0, http://www.science20.com/fish_feet/why_does_my_baby_have_a_tail
7. “The World’s Longest Beard Is One Of The Smithsonian’s Strangest Artifacts,” Smithsonian.com, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/smithsonian-home-worlds-longest-beard-180953370/#v7TKWl4IwgbjjHpG.99
8. Randall,V.A., Ebling, F.J., “Seasonal changes in human hair growth,” British Journal of Dermatology, February 1991, 124(2):146-51
9. Sindafin, P.B., “Seasonal Growth Rate Variation of Scalp Hair in One Individual,” The Journal of Science and Business Research, Winter 2007, 2 (4), http://www.sbrjournal.net/currentissue/articles/Hair/Hairgrowth.htm
10. Kshirsagar, S.V., Singh, B., Fulari, S.P., “Comparative study of human and animal hair in relation to diameter and medullary index, Indian Journal Forensic Medicine and Pathology, July-September 2009, 2(3), http://brims-bidar.in/publications_brims/Dr.%20Kshirsagar’s%20Publication.pdf
11. “Fur vs Hair,” Diffen.com, http://www.diffen.com/difference/Fur_vs_Hair
12. Rinzler, Carol Ann, Leonardo’s Foot, New York: Bellevue Literary Press, 2013.
13. Wheeler, P.E., “The influence of the loss of functional body hair on the water budgets of early hominids,” Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 23, Issue 5, November 1992, Pages 379-388
14. “What is the latest theory of why humans lost their body hair? Why are we the only hairless primate?,” Scientific American, June 4, 2007, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/latest-theory-human-body-hair/
15. Rantala, M.J., “Evolution of nakedness in Homo Sapiens, Journal of Zoology, 273, (2007), 1-7, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2007.00295.x/abstract
16. Wheeler, P.E., “The evolution of bipedality and loss of functional body hair in hominids,” Journal of Human Evolution, 13 (1), January 1984, Pages 91-98, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047248484800792
17. Kushlan, James
A., The vestiary hypothesis of human hair reduction,” Journal of Human Evolution, 14 (1), January 1985, Science Direct, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047248485800920
18. Rantala, op. cit.
19. “What is the latest theory of why humans lost their body hair? Why are we the only hairless primate?” Scientific Aerican.com, June 4, 2007 , http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/latest-theory-human-body-hair/
20. Gates, R. Ruggles, “Y chromosome inheritance of hairy ears,” Science, July 15, 1960: Vol. 132, Issue 3420, pp. 145, http://science.sciencemag.org/content/132/3420/145.1.abstract
21. Lee, Andrew C., Kamalam, Angamuthu, Adams, Susan M., Jobling, Mark A., “Molecular evidence for absence of Y-linkage of the Hairy Ears trait,” European Journal of Human Genetics (2004) 12, 1077–1079, http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v12/n12/full/5201271a.html
22. “How do hairs like those on the chest or in the nose know to grow when you trim them?” ScientificAmerican.com, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-hairs-like-those-o/
23. Bater, Kristin L., Ishii, Masaru, Joseph, Andrew, Nellis, Jason, Ishii, Lisa L., “Perceptions of Hair Transplant for Androgenetic Alopecia,” August 25, 2016, http://archfaci.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2544827
24. “Scientia Professor Robert Brooks,” USNW Australia, https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/scientia-professor-robert-brooks
25. Morgan, James, “Beard trend is ‘guided by evolution,’ ” BBCNews, April 16, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27023992
26. Robb, Alice, “Want to Look Older and More Aggressive? Grow a Beard. But don’t think it’ll help you with the ladies,” The New Republic, February 5, 2014, https://newrepublic.com/article/116472/psychologists-bearded-men-look-older-more-aggressive-higher-status
27. Morgan, op. cit.
28. “75 fun facts and myths about shaving,” Ultimate Personal Shaver, http://www.ultimatepersonalshaver.com/tips-and-how-to-26-75-fun-facts-and-myths-about-shaving
29. Krupnick, Ellie, “Average Time Spent Shaving Legs In A Lifetime? 72 Days, New Survey Says,” HuffingtonPost, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/average-time-spent-shaving-legs_n_3063127.html
30. Darwin on line, http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?pagesq=1&itemID=F1142&viewtype=text
31. “Goose bumps,” Wikipedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose_bumps
32. Sabah, N.H., “Controlled Stimulation of Hair Follicle Receptors,” Journal of Applied Physiology, February 1,1974, 36 (2): 256–257 cited in “Body Hair,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_hairhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_hair
33. Pappas, Stephanie, “Why Women Don’t Fall for Hairy Guys Remains a Scientific Mystery,” LiveScience.com, http://www.livescience.com/23810-women-male-body-hair.html
34. Rinzler, op. cit.
35. Coghlan, Andy, “Why humans alone have pubic hair,” New Scientist, February 2009, https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/02/why-humans-alone-have-pubic-ha.html
36. Bering, Jesse, “Pretty in Pink. What does the color of our genitals have to do with evolution?” Slate.com, http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/04/red_genitalia_study_testing_the_sexually_salient_hypothesis.html
37. “Pubic hair fetishism,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubic_hair_fetishism
38. “La Maja Vestida,” Wikipedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_maja_vestida.
39. “The first recorded owner of [La Maja Desnuda] was the then Spanish prime minister, Manuel de Godoy, giving rise to unfounded speculation that the subject may have been his mistress. Goya was brought before the Spanish Inquisition in 1815. The Inquisition felt the painting was immoral and they tried to determine who had commissioned the artist to do the nude painting from Goya. The result of their inquiry is unknown.” “La Maja Desnuda,” TotallyHistory, http://totallyhistory.com/la-maja-desnuda/
40. Facebook isn’t the only place people seems uneasy about Courbet’s work. The comment on the Museum’s web catalogue page ends with this observation: “L’Origine du monde, désormais présenté sans aucun cache, retrouve sa juste place dans l’histoire de la peinture moderne. Mais il ne cesse pourtant de poser d’une façon troublante la question du regard.” Which translates roughly to: “This is a painting that holds an important place in the history of modern art and we plan to show it openly even though it still makes lots of people who see it really uncomfortable.” “Musée D’Orsay: Gustave Courbet L’Origine du Monde,” Musée D’Orsay M/O, http://www.musee-orsay.fr/index.php?id=851&L=0&tx_commentaire_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=125
41. “Effie Gray,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effie_Gray
42. Prokop, Pavel, “Male preference for female pubic hair: an evolutionary view,” Anthropologischer Anzeiger. 2016 Mar 18, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27000945/
43. Pennman, Danny, “Zoologist claims sexual preference led the naked ape to lose its hair,” Independent, November 9, 1995, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/zoologist-claims-sexual-preference-led-the-naked-ape-to-lose-its-hair-1581177.html
44. In October 2015, Playboy announced that beginning with the March 2016 issue it would no longer feature pictures of naked women, prompting one Time Magazine editor to note that “[t]he demise of the Playboy bunny is less a sign that porn is retreating, and more—like the lowering of the tide before the arrival of the tsunami—evidence that we’re in the midst of a deluge.” Belinda Luscombe, “Playboy Won’t Feature Nude Women. This Is Not a Victory for Feminism,” Time, http://time.com/4071710/playboy-nude-women-feminism/
45. “Pubic Wars,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubic_Wars
46. Fetters, Ashley, “The New Full-Frontal: Has Pubic Hair in America Gone Extinct?” The Atlantic, December 13, 2011, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/the-new-full-frontal-has-pubic-hair-in-america-gone-extinct/249798/
47. Desruelles, Francois, et al., “Pubic hair removal: A risk factor for ‘minor’ STI such as molluscum contagiosum?” Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2013;89:3 216
48. How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43), Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
49. McDonough, Katie, “New York Times: Is waxing your pubic hair déclassé?” Salon.com, January 30, 2014, http://www.salon.com/2014/01/30/new_york_times_is_waxing_your_pubic_hair_declasse/ & Meltzer, Marisa, “Below the Bikini Line, a Growing Trend Brazilian Bikini Wax? In a New Trend in Hair Removal, Women Prefer the Natural Look,” the New York Times, January 29, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/fashion/Brazilian-bikini-wax-women-hair-removal.
Read more about it
Where we have hair and what it looks like are distinguishing characteristics, sometimes the first being more important than the second, as evidenced in this anecdote from The Body (1968) by Oxford zoologist Anthony Smith: “In a blond, blue-eyed, tall, fair-haired community these particular characteristics [i.e. eye color and hair color] are valueless in assessing paternity, and the infrequent ones are more important,” he writes. “In Norway, a normal mother produced a brachyphalangic (short-fingered) child, a rare condition, the court asked the accused to hold up his hand. His fingers were short, and he theref
ore had to pay. Other men have been caught by the presence of hair on the middle digit of one of their fingers. This characteristics cannot be passed on if it is not possessed.” In the years since The Body was first published, some of Smith’s observations may have been outdated, but what he has to say about those hairy knuckles, and later a man’s hairy ears? Still spot on. And worth reading.
3. The Tale of the Tailbone
1. Quokkas are small marsupials, about the size of your cat, found primarily on Rottnest Island near Perth, Australia. “Meet the happiest animal on Earth,” August 12, 2016, http://www.aol.com/article/2016/08/12/meet-the-happiest-animal-on-earth/21448307/?cps=gravity_4816_-1011441191459780550
2. Monkeys and apes also use their hands and feet to grasp, a trait that appears for a short time in human babies: “The palmar grasp reflex is a characteristic behavior of human infants, developing as early as 16 weeks gestational age, when the fetus begins to grasp the umbilical cord in the mother’s womb. Early research found that human newborns, relying on their grasp reflex, could hold their own weight for at least 10 seconds when hanging by their hands from a horizontal rod. By comparison, monkey infants, which possess a similar involuntary grasping behavior, were able to hang from one hand for more than half an hour. The reflex is essential for monkey infants, enabling them to cling to the mother’s body fur. But humans, who evolved out of an arboreal existence and lost the covering of fur over the body, presumably no longer require that powerful grasp. Human infants typically begin to lose the reflex around three months of age. Despite its diminished strength and loss in early infancy, some researchers think that the grasp reflex may retain important functions in humans.” Rogers, Kara, “7 Vestigial Features of the Human Body,” Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/list/7-vestigial-features-of-the-human-body
3. “Animal Farm Quotes by George Orwell,” Goodreads.com, https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2207778-animal-farm-a-fairy-
4. Desert USA, http://www.desertusa.com/reptiles/rattlesnake-bites-spring.html
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