De lunatico inquirendo: managing family inheritance across madness in eighteenth-century London.

An 'inquisition' (or inquiry) held before a Justice of the Peace was the primary instrument for management of lunacy in eighteenth-century England. Yet its purpose was to protect wealth rather than the individual. The 1766 case book of Dr John Monro, London's leading doctor for madness, unexpectedly records a consultation that links two siblings who both had inquisitions. Nicholas Jeffreys' only son was attested lunatic in 1744: to circumvent inheritance through primogeniture, Jeffreys directed the family wealth to his last living child. One of his three daughters married Lord Camden, a former Lord Chancellor: after her and her second sister's deaths, the last-surviving sister was also placed under inquisition in 1780, to ensure the inheritance for his own family.

Noção de família(s) no campo da saúde brasileira: ensaio teórico-reflexivo / Concepto de familia en el campo de la salud brasileña: ensayo teórico-reflexivo / The family concept in the field of Brazilian health: a theoretical and reflective essay

RESUMO Objetivo discutir o termo família no campo da saúde brasileira por meio: 1) do resgaste histórico do conceito e configuração da família no Brasil; 2) da recapitulação e problematização do termo na saúde brasileira; 3) da discussão na Política Nacional de Atenção Básica. Método trata-se de um estudo teórico-reflexivo. Resultado o texto foi dividido em: "Resgate histórico das transformações familiares no Brasil", "Primeira Unidade Básica de Saúde: a família" e "Política Nacional de Atenção Básica: de que família estamos falando?", que auxiliaram na argumentação sobre a problemática da (não)definição do termo família. Em meio a preocupação sobre alocar o cuidado voltado para a família, torna-se necessário repensar esse termo polissêmico, propondo a desnaturalização de definições cristalizadas que podem emergir na práxis dos profissionais, o que pode produzir atuações baseadas em (pré-)conceitos e negligências a famílias não hegemônicas. Considerações finais e implicações para a prática é necessário discutir sobre qual concepção de família é considerada no campo da saúde e suas repercussões, principalmente na Atenção Primária à Saúde e em políticas de saúde, como na Política Nacional de Atenção Básica, para minimizar possíveis dificuldades que possam surgir no fazer dos profissionais ao se deparar com a pluralidade das realidades familiares.

RESUMEN Objetivo discutir el término familia en el campo de la salud brasileña a través de: 1) la revisión histórica del concepto y configuración de la familia en Brasil; 2) por la recapitulación y problematización del término en la salud brasileña; 3) para la discusión en la Política Nacional de Atención Primaria. Método es un estudio teórico-reflexivo. Resultado el texto se dividió en: "Rescate histórico de las transformaciones familiares en Brasil", "Primera unidad básica de salud: la familia" y "Política Nacional de Atención Primaria: ¿de qué familia estamos hablando?", Que ayudó en la argumentación sobre el problema de la (no) definición del término familia. En medio de la preocupación por la asignación de cuidados orientados a la familia, se hace necesario repensar este término polisémico, proponer la desnaturalización de definiciones cristalizadas que pueden surgir en la praxis de los profesionales, que pueden producir acciones basadas en (pre) conceptos y negligencia de familias no hegemónicas. Consideraciones finales e implicaciones para la práctica es necesario discutir qué concepción de familia se considera en el campo de la salud y sus repercusiones, principalmente en la atención primaria de salud y en las políticas de salud, como la Política Nacional de Atención Primaria, para minimizar las posibles dificultades que puedan surgir en la actuación de los profesionales ante la pluralidad de realidades familiares.

ABSTRACT Objective to discuss the term family in the field of Brazilian health through: 1) the historical review of the concept and family arrangement in Brazil; 2) the recapitulation and problematization of the term in Brazilian health; 3) the discussion in the Brazilian National Primary Care Policy. Method this is a theoretical-reflective study. Results the text was divided into: "Historical rescue of family transformations in Brazil", "First Basic Health Unit: the family" and "Brazilian National Primary Care Policy: which family are we talking about?", which helped in the argument about the problem of (non)definition of family. Amidst the concern about allocating family-oriented care, it becomes necessary to rethink this polysemic term, proposing the denaturalization of crystallized definitions that can emerge in professionals' work, which can produce actions based on (pre-)concepts and negligence to non-hegemonic families. Final considerations and implications for practice it is necessary to discuss which conception of family is considered in the field of health and its repercussions, especially in Primary Health Care and in health policies, as in the Brazilian National Primary Care Policy, to minimize possible difficulties that may arise in professionals' actions when faced with the plurality of family realities.

Offspring fertility and grandchild survival enhanced by maternal grandmothers in a pre-industrial human society.

Help is directed towards kin in many cooperative species, but its nature and intensity can vary by context. Humans are one of few species in which grandmothers invest in grandchildren, and this may have served as an important driver of our unusual life history. But helping behaviour is hardly uniform, and insight into the importance of grandmothering in human evolution depends on understanding the contextual expression of helping benefits. Here, we use an eighteenth-nineteenth century pre-industrial genealogical dataset from Finland to investigate whether maternal or paternal grandmother presence (lineage relative to focal individuals) differentially affects two key fitness outcomes of descendants: fertility and survival. We found grandmother presence shortened spacing between births, particularly at younger mother ages and earlier birth orders. Maternal grandmother presence increased the likelihood of focal grandchild survival, regardless of whether grandmothers had grandchildren only through daughters, sons, or both. In contrast, paternal grandmother presence was not associated with descendants' fertility or survival. We discuss these results in terms of current hypotheses for lineage differences in helping outcomes.

Ancestry, health, and lived experiences of enslaved Africans in 18th century Charleston: An osteobiographical analysis.

OBJECTIVES: In 2013, the burials of 36 individuals of putative African ancestry were discovered during renovation of the Gaillard Center in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. The Charleston community facilitated a bioarchaeological and mitogenomic study to gain insights into the lives of these unknown persons, referred to as the Anson Street Ancestors, including their ancestry, health, and lived experiences in the 18th century. METHODS: Metric and morphological assessments of skeletal and dental characteristics were recorded, and enamel and cortical bone strontium stable isotope values generated. Whole mitochondrial genomes were sequenced and analyzed. RESULTS: Osteological analysis identified adults, both females and males, and subadults at the site, and estimated African ancestry for most individuals. Skeletal trauma and pathology were infrequent, but many individuals exhibited dental decay and abscesses. Strontium isotope data suggested these individuals mostly originated in Charleston or sub-Saharan Africa, with many being long-term residents of Charleston. Nearly all had mitochondrial lineages belonging to African haplogroups (L0-L3, H1cb1a), with two individuals sharing the same L3e2a haplotype, while one had a Native American A2 mtDNA. DISCUSSION: This study generated detailed osteobiographies of the Anson Street Ancestors, who were likely of enslaved status. Our results indicate that the Ancestors have diverse maternal African ancestries and are largely unrelated, with most being born locally. These details reveal the demographic impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Our analysis further illuminates the lived experiences of individuals buried at Anson Street, and expands our understanding of 18th century African history in Charleston.

Genetic evidence suggests a sense of family, parity and conquest in the Xiongnu Iron Age nomads of Mongolia.

In an effort to characterize the people who composed the groups known as the Xiongnu, nuclear and whole mitochondrial DNA data were generated from the skeletal remains of 52 individuals excavated from the Tamir Ulaan Khoshuu (TUK) cemetery in Central Mongolia. This burial site, attributed to the Xiongnu period, was used from the first century BC to the first century AD. Kinship analyses were conducted using autosomal and Y-chromosomal DNA markers along with complete sequences of the mitochondrial genome. These analyses suggested close kin relationships between many individuals. Nineteen such individuals composed a large family spanning five generations. Within this family, we determined that a woman was of especially high status; this is a novel insight into the structure and hierarchy of societies from the Xiongnu period. Moreover, our findings confirmed that the Xiongnu had a strongly admixed mitochondrial and Y-chromosome gene pools and revealed a significant western component in the Xiongnu group studied. Using a fine-scale approach (haplotype instead of haplogroup-level information), we propose Scytho-Siberians as ancestors of the Xiongnu and Huns as their descendants.

Insights from ancient DNA analysis of Egyptian human mummies: clues to disease and kinship.

The molecular Egyptology field started in the mid-eighties with the first publication on the ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of an Egyptian mummy. Egypt has been a major interest for historians, archeologists, laymen as well as scientists. The aDNA research on Egyptian biological remains has been fueled by their abundance and relatively well-preserved states through artificial mummification and by the advanced analytical techniques. Early doubts of aDNA integrity within the Egyptian mummies and data authenticity were later abated with studies proving successfully authenticated aDNA retrieval. The current review tries to recapitulate the published studies presenting paleogenomic evidence of disease diagnosis and kinship establishment for the Egyptian human remains. Regarding disease diagnosis, the prevailing literature was on paleogenomic evidence of infectious diseases in the human remains. A series of reports presented evidence for the presence of tuberculosis and/or malaria. In addition, there were solitary reports of the presence of leprosy, diphtheria, bacteremia, toxoplasmosis, schistosomiasis and leishmaniasis. On the contrary, paleogenomic evidence of the presence of rare diseases was quite scarce and mentioned only in two articles. On the other hand, kinship analysis of Egyptian human remains, including that of Tutankhamen, was done using both mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear DNA markers, to establish family relationships in four studies. It is clear that the field of molecular Egyptology is still a largely unexplored territory. Nevertheless, the paleogenomic investigation of Egyptian remains could make significant contributions to biomedical sciences (e.g. elucidation of coevolution of human host-microbe interrelationship) as well as to evidence-based archeology.

Sposàrsi a Franca: tendências da nupcialidade entre imigrantes italianos no interior paulista, 1885-1930 / Sposàrsi a Franca: nuptial trends among Italian immigrants in the interior of São Paulo, 1885-1930 / Sposàrsi a Franca: tendencias de la nupcialidad entre inmigrantes italianos en el interior de São Paulo, 1885-1930

Em consonância com os estudos em Demografia Histórica e História da Família, este artigo visa a resgatar aspectos relativos à nupcialidade vivenciada pelos italianos e seus descendentes no município de Franca, interior do estado de São Paulo. A reflexão é corroborada pela historiografia recente que aponta a expansão da economia cafeeira no interior paulista como responsável por alterações no panorama demográfico por meio da atração de uma imigração internacional em massa, cujos impactos foram sentidos em diferentes espaços de ação, na família, nas relações matrimoniais, na etnicidade e integração desses grupos na sociedade brasileira entre o final do século XIX e as primeiras décadas do século XX. Combinando metodologias seriais e de microanálise para explorar os dados disponíveis nos registros de matrícula da Hospedaria de Imigrantes de São Paulo e assentos de casamento do Registro Paroquial do Arquivo da Cúria Diocesana de Franca (1885-1930), abre-se caminho para enriquecer o universo de interpretações sobre a nupcialidade nos municípios atingidos pela imigração internacional de italianos. Esse artigo examina os impactos das variáveis imigratórias nos padrões de casamento dos italianos no município e resgata aspectos da endogamia desse grupo, favorecida pelos respectivos contextos e bagagens culturais que conduziram o processo imigratório por eles vivenciado.

In line with studies in Demographic History and Family History, this article aims to rescue aspects related to nuptiality experienced by Italians and their descendants in the municipality of Franca, in the interior of the state of São Paulo. The reflection is corroborated by recent historiography research pointing to the expansion of the coffee-based economy in the interior of São Paulo as responsible for demographic changes through the attraction of mass international immigration. This affected different areas, including family, matrimonial relations, ethnicity and integration of these groups in Brazilian society at the turn of the 20th century. A combination of serial and microanalysis methodologies to explore the data available in the registration records of the São Paulo Immigrant Inn and wedding seats in the Parish Records of the Diocesan Archive of Franca (1885-1930), paves the way to expand the universe of interpretations on nuptiality in municipalities affected by Italian immigration. This article examines the impacts of immigration variables on Italians' marriage patterns in the municipality and retrieves aspects of this groups' inbreeding, favored by the respective cultural contexts and backgrounds that led to the immigration process they experienced.

En línea con los estudios en Demografía histórica e Historia familiar, este artículo tiene como objetivo rescatar aspectos relacionados con la nupcialidad vivida por los italianos y sus descendientes en el municipio de Franca, en el interior del estado de San Pablo. La reflexión es corroborada por la historiografía reciente, que apunta a la expansión de la economía cafetera en el interior del estado como responsable de cambios en el panorama demográfico mediante la atracción de la inmigración internacional masiva, cuyos impactos se sintieron en diferentes espacios de acción, en la familia, en las relaciones matrimoniales, en la etnicidad y en la integración de estos grupos en la sociedad brasileña entre fines del siglo XIX y las primeras décadas del XX. Al combinar metodologías seriadas y de microanálisis para explorar los datos disponibles en los registros de la Posada de Inmigrantes de San Pablo y en los asientos de boda del Registro Parroquial del Archivo de la Curia Diocesana de Franca (1885-1930) se abre el camino para enriquecer el universo de interpretaciones sobre nupcialidad en los municipios afectados por la inmigración internacional de italianos. Este artículo examina los impactos de las variables de inmigración en los patrones matrimoniales de los italianos en el municipio y recupera aspectos de la endogamia de este grupo, favorecida por los respectivos contextos culturales y antecedentes que llevaron al proceso de inmigración que vivieron.

A dynastic elite in monumental Neolithic society.

The nature and distribution of political power in Europe during the Neolithic era remains poorly understood1. During this period, many societies began to invest heavily in building monuments, which suggests an increase in social organization. The scale and sophistication of megalithic architecture along the Atlantic seaboard, culminating in the great passage tomb complexes, is particularly impressive2. Although co-operative ideology has often been emphasised as a driver of megalith construction1, the human expenditure required to erect the largest monuments has led some researchers to emphasize hierarchy3-of which the most extreme case is a small elite marshalling the labour of the masses. Here we present evidence that a social stratum of this type was established during the Neolithic period in Ireland. We sampled 44 whole genomes, among which we identify the adult son of a first-degree incestuous union from remains that were discovered within the most elaborate recess of the Newgrange passage tomb. Socially sanctioned matings of this nature are very rare, and are documented almost exclusively among politico-religious elites4-specifically within polygynous and patrilineal royal families that are headed by god-kings5,6. We identify relatives of this individual within two other major complexes of passage tombs 150 km to the west of Newgrange, as well as dietary differences and fine-scale haplotypic structure (which is unprecedented in resolution for a prehistoric population) between passage tomb samples and the larger dataset, which together imply hierarchy. This elite emerged against a backdrop of rapid maritime colonization that displaced a unique Mesolithic isolate population, although we also detected rare Irish hunter-gatherer introgression within the Neolithic population.

Status, kinship, and place of burial at Early Bronze Age Bab adh-Dhra': A biogeochemical comparison of charnel house human remains.

OBJECTIVES: The Early Bronze Age (EBA; ca. 3,600-2000 BCE) of the southern Levant underwent considerable transformation as agro-pastoral communities began to utilize their land more intensively, constructing larger, fortified towns prior to site abandonment at the end of the third millennium. At the site of Bab adh-Dhra' in Jordan, the dead of the Early Bronze (EB) II-III (ca. 3,100-2,500 BCE) period were communally interred within charnel houses, but important disparities between these structures and their contents may be reflective of ownership and use by particular extended kin groups whose activity patterns, subsistence strategies, and even social status may have differed from one another. Subsequently, we hypothesized that differences in mobility and dietary intake may differentiate tomb groups from one another. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dental enamel from 31 individuals interred in three different Early Bronze Age charnel houses (A56, A22, A55) at Bab adh-Dhra', Jordan were analyzed for strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope values. RESULTS: Strontium isotope ratios (range: 0.70793-0.70842) possessed medians that did not differ statistically from one another, but had ranges that exhibited significant differences in variance. Carbon isotope values ( x¯ = -13.2 ± 0.5‰, 1σ) were not significantly different. DISCUSSION: General similarities in human isotopic signatures between EB II-III charnel houses A22 and A55 suggest that their activities were likely similar to one another and agree with findings from excavated domestic spaces with little archaeological evidence for economic, social, or political differentiation. More variable strontium isotope ratios and lower carbon isotope values from A22 could reflect a greater involvement with pastoralist practices or regional trade, including the consumption of more 13 C-depleted foods, while those in A55 may have led a more sedentary lifestyle with greater involvement in cultivating orchard crops. All charnel houses contained nonlocal individuals likely originating from other Dead Sea Plain sites with no EB II-III cemeteries of their own, supporting the idea that extended kin groups throughout the region returned to Bab adh-Dhra' to bury their dead.

Consanguineous marriages among Andalusian Gitanos/Calé: a genealogical analysis (1925-2006).

Using data from the family and genealogical reconstitutions of the Gitano population of 22 contiguous localities in eastern Andalusia, Spain, this study analysed the intensity, structure and historical evolution of consanguinity in 3056 couples formed from 1925 to 2006. Of these unions, 54.8% were consanguineous, and 28.7% involved relatives up to and including second cousins, resulting in a mean coefficient of inbreeding up to the third degree α3 = 12.4 × 10-3. The rest of the consanguineous unions (26.1% of all) involved more-distant relatives, such as third cousins, fourth cousins and so forth. When all consanguinity degrees found in the genealogical reconstitution were considered, the total mean coefficient of inbreeding was αt = 14.8 × 10-3. The merging of families and pedigrees generated a complex genealogical network with many inbreeding loops and important founder effects. This network revealed a high rate (62%) of Multiple Consanguineous Marriages (MCMs) in which second and subsequent consanguineous ties increased inbreeding levels by a fifth (20.5%). The accumulation of multiple degrees of distant relatedness, many of which had little social or biological importance, has contributed to a significant increase in inbreeding rates. Among Gitano people, intra-family marriages have remained common in the last decades, in sharp contrast to other Spanish populations. Hence the highest rates of close consanguinity (34%) and inbreeding (α3 = 14.6 × 10-3) were found in the 1960s, the decade that saw the onset of Spain's socioeconomic modernization, internationalization and massive migration. These are among the highest rates of inbreeding found in any European population, including the most endogamous Spanish isolates. They reveal marriage strategies not constrained primarily by geographical barriers, but by ethnocultural separation. Interestingly, in recent decades mixed marriages have been increasing rapidly in this minority, although they are compatible with high rates of consanguinity. Gitano secular endogamy is breaking up, but not uniformly.

Prevalência e fatores associados ao excesso de peso corporal em adolescentes / Prevalencia y factores asociados al exceso de peso corporal en adolescentes / Prevalence and factors associated with excess body weight in adolescents

Resumo Objetivo Analisar a prevalência de excesso de peso corporal em adolescentes e fatores associados. Métodos Estudo transversal conduzido com 635 adolescentes de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 10 e 16 anos, em escolas públicas estaduais. A coleta de dados foi realizada no segundo semestre de 2016 por uma equipe multidisciplinar. Coletou-se dados demográficos, da história familiar, desenvolvimento púbere e hábitos comportamentais. Foi feita a classificação dos adolescentes, conforme o estado nutricional. Utilizou-se a análise bivariada e a regressão múltipla hierarquizada de Poisson, o que possibilitou verificar a associação do excesso de peso corporal com as demais variáveis, bem como a razão de prevalência entre elas. Resultados A prevalência de excesso de peso foi de 32,8% dos adolescentes, associada a história familiar de dislipidemia (p=0,003; RP=1,474; IC95%= 1,139-1,907) e a ingestão de álcool (p=0,044; RP=1,430; IC95%= 1,009-2,028). As demais variáveis neste estudo não foram associadas ao EPC. Conclusão Verificou-se altas prevalências de excesso de peso corporal entres os adolescentes, associadas à história familiar de dislipidemia e ingestão de álcool.

Resumen Objetivo analizar la prevalencia del exceso de peso corporal en adolescentes y factores asociados. Métodos estudio transversal realizado con 635 adolescentes de ambos sexos, entre 10 y 16 años de edad, en escuelas públicas provinciales/departamentales. La recolección de datos fue realizada en el segundo semestre de 2016 por un equipo multidisciplinario. Se recolectaron datos demográficos, antecedentes familiares, desarrollo de la pubertad y hábitos de comportamiento. Los adolescentes fueron clasificados según su estado nutricional. Se utilizó el análisis bivariado y la regresión múltiple jerárquica de Poisson, lo que posibilitó verificar la asociación del exceso de peso corporal con las demás variables, así como el motivo de prevalencia. Resultados se observó la prevalencia del exceso de peso en el 32,8% de los adolescentes, asociada a los antecedentes familiares de dislipidemia (p=0,003; RP=1,474; IC95%= 1,139-1,907) y a la ingesta de alcohol (p=0,044; RP=1,430; IC95%= 1,009-2,028). Las demás variables de este estudio no fueron asociadas al EPC. Conclusión se verificó una alta prevalencia de exceso de peso corporal entre los adolescentes, relacionada con antecedentes familiares de dislipidemia e ingesta de alcohol.

Abstract Objective Analyze the prevalence of excess body weight in adolescents and associated factors. Methods Cross-sectional study involving 635 adolescents, male and female, between 10 and 16 years of age, in state-owned public schools. A multidisciplinary team collected the data in the second semester of 2016. Data on demographics, family history, pubertal development and behavioral habits were collected. The adolescents were classified by their nutritional status. Bivariate analysis and Poisson hierarchical multiple regression were applied, which revealed the association and the prevalence ratio between excess body weight and the other variables. Results The prevalence of excess weight was 32.8% of the adolescents, associated with a family history of dyslipidemia (p=0.003; PR=1.474; 95%CI=1.139-1.907) and alcohol consumption (p=0.044; PR=1.430; 95%CI= 1.009-2.028). The remaining variables in this research were not associated with excess body weight. Conclusion High prevalence rates of excess body weight were found among the adolescents, associated with a family history of dyslipidemia and alcohol consumption.

Changing relationship between the dead and the living in Japanese prehistory.

The aim of this paper is to propose a new insight on the changing burial practice by regarding it as a part of the cognitive system for maintaining complex social relationships. Development of concentrated burials and their transformation in Japanese prehistory are examined to present a specific case of the changing relationship between the dead and the living to highlight the significance of the dead in sociocultural evolution. The essential feature of the burial practices observed at Jomon sites is the centrality of the dead and their continuous presence in the kinship system. The mortuary practices discussed in this paper represent a close relationship between the dead and the living in the non-hierarchical complex society, in which the dead were not detached from the society, but kept at its core, as a materialized reference of kin networks.This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary thanatology: impacts of the dead on the living in humans and other animals'.

Open sepulchers and closed boundaries? Biodistance analysis of cemetery structure and postmarital residence in the late prehispanic Andes.

OBJECTIVES: In the Late Intermediate Period Andes (AD 1100-1450), the proliferation of above-ground sepulchers reconfigured social boundaries within and between communities engaged in protracted conflict. However, the biosocial dimensions of these mortuary practices, and their implications for conflict and alliance formation, remain unexplored. This study examines patterns of phenotypic variation to: (1) evaluate if open sepulchers were organized on the basis of biological relatedness, and (2) explore if sex-specific phenotypic variability conforms to models of postmarital residence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cranial nonmetric traits were recorded in five skeletal samples from two cemeteries in the Colca Valley, Peru. Biological distances between burial groups were calculated using the Mean Measure of Divergence (MMD) statistic. Postmarital residence was explored by calculating and bootstrapping the ratio of male-to-female mean pairwise differences (MPD) at the within-group level. RESULTS: The MMD analysis yields greater than expected between-group distances for burial groups with a minimum sample size of 20 individuals. In contrast, a prevailing pattern of sex-specific, within-group phenotypic variability is not apparent from the analysis of MPD. The use of 12 or 24 dichotomous traits produces similar results. DISCUSSION: Greater than expected biological distances suggest that above-ground mortuary practices reinforced biosocial boundaries between corporate household groups. Intracemetery heterogeneity persisted even as cranial vault modification, a correlate of social identity, became more homogenous, revealing how corporate group organization was negotiated at multiple scales. Sex-specific variation does not conform to traditional migration models. If migration occurred, it did not have a homogenizing effect on phenotypic variation. These results should be viewed with caution in light of the smaller sample sizes of sex-specific groupings.

When the mother-in-law is just as good-Differential mortality of reproductive females by family network composition.

Motivated by the cooperative breeding hypothesis, we investigate the effect of having kin on the mortality of reproductive women based on family reconstitutions for the Krummhörn region (East Frisia, Germany, 1720-1874). We rely on a combination of Cox clustered hazard models and hazard models stratified at the family level. In order to study behavior-related effects, we run a series of models in which only kin who lived in the same parish are considered. To investigate structural, non-behavior-related effects, we run a different model series that include all living kin, regardless their spatial proximity. We find that women of reproductive age who had a living mother had a reduced mortality risk. It appears that having living sisters had an ambivalent impact on women's mortality: i.e., depending on the socioeconomic status of the family, the effect of having living sisters ranged between representing a source of competition and representing a source of support. Models which are clustered at the family level suggest that the presence of a living mother-in-law was associated with reduced mortality among her daughters-in-law especially among larger-scale farm families. We interpret this finding as a consequence of augmented consanguineous marriages among individuals of higher social strata. For instance, in first cousin marriages, the mother-in-law could also be a biological aunt. Thus, it appears that among the wealthy elite, the genetic in-law conflict was neutralized to some extent by family solidarity. This result further suggests that the tipping point of the female trade-off between staying with the natal family and leaving the natal family to join an economically well-established in-law family might have been reached very quickly among women living under the socioeconomic conditions of the Krummhörn region.

Lessons from the past: Family involvement in patient admission and discharge, Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, 1900-1912.

In this study, document analysis is used to examine case books from the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum with the aim of determining the extent of family involvement in patients' admission and discharge. There were 420 male and 278 female patients admitted in the study period, with over half transferred from other Victorian asylums. Next of kin were identified for 64% of male and 84% of female patients. Families were involved in the admission of 52 (12%) male and 50 (18%) female patients, usually by bringing patients to the asylum or providing evidence of behavioural changes. Approximately 25% of patients were discharged (101 men and 62 women) and of these, families were involved in discharge for 26% of male and 71% of female patients, mainly by taking responsibility for them during trial discharge. Occasionally families refused to do this, or sought to have patients detained because of fears of violence. The relevance of the study to contemporary practice is explored, particularly the need for dialogue between clinicians and families who identify behavioural changes in family members, appropriate support for family carers, and timely provision of community care following discharge from inpatient facilities.

Age verification of the longest lived man in the world.

Identifying the correct length of life for long-lived individuals is highly important for the social and natural sciences, as well as for policymaking. The purposes of this paper are to propose a standardized age verification procedure and to report on the age verification case of Jiroemon Kimura (J.K.), who is assumed to be the longest lived man in the world. We propose two verification processes that we have named face validity and concurrent validity of age verification. We collected official documents, and non-official records to check face validity. We also gathered life episodes told by J.K. and historical records to evaluate concurrent validity. Although we found several date inconsistencies among documents and mismatches between told episodes and actual dates of events, no critical discordances were discovered. In conclusion, we could verify that J.K. was born on April 19, 1897 and passed away on June 12, 2013 at the age of 116years and 54days.

Trayectoria de vida familiar y estilos de vida: hipertensión arterial y diabetes mellitus II / Family life cycle and lifestyles: arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus II

RESUMEN Objetivo Identificar la influencia de la trayectoria de vida familiar en la apropiación de estilos de vida de personas diagnosticadas con hipertensión arterial o diabetes mellitus II en la ciudad de Cali. Materiales y Métodos Estudio cualitativo-exploratorio-comparativo, inscrito en el campo de la sociología médica. Se aplicó la técnica de entrevista semiestructurada. Resultados La trayectoria de vida familiar es un proceso dinámico y cambiante que abarca el origen del ciclo de vida hasta el momento actual. Incluye los comportamientos, las prácticas, los gustos, las percepciones de los sujetos y las relaciones de interacción. Este proceso se posibilita como resultado de la interacción de los sujetos con el contexto social que influencia su actuar. Conclusiones Los estilos de vida no son "simples o sencillas" prácticas individuales que configuran una determinada manera de vivir, sino construcciones sociales complejas y dinámicas que han sido permeadas por la relación de interacción, especialmente la familia ha hecho un aporte importante en este proceso. La manera en que los sujetos viven su proceso salud-enfermedad está influenciada por sus formar actuar, que permite un desenvolvimiento social configurado por su trayectoria vital, afectada por la clase social a la que pertenecen. Esta configuración marca una impronta para comprender la razón por la cual les ha sido posible o no aprehender las prácticas e instrucciones dadas en los programas de control de hipertensión arterial y diabetes a los que están inscritos.(AU)

ABSTRACT Objective To determine the influence of the family life trajectory on the appropriation of lifestyles of people diagnosed with arterial hypertension or diabetes mellitus II in Cali, Colombia. Materials and Methods Qualitative, exploratory and comparative study in the field of medical sociology. A semi-structured interview was applied. Results The family life cycle is a dynamic and changing process that encompasses the origin of the life cycle up to the present moment. It involves behaviors, practices, interests, perceptions and interaction relations. This process is possible because of the interaction of the subjects with the social context that influences their actions. Conclusions Lifestyles are not "simple" individual practices that shape a certain way of living, but complex and dynamic social constructs that are permeated by interaction, particularly, family relationships, which make an important contribution to this process. The way in which subjects live their health-disease process is influenced by their behavior, which allows social development based on life cycles, and affected by the social class to which they belong. This configuration serves as the basis to understand the reasons why apprehending or not the practices and instructions given in hypertension and diabetes control programs is possible.(AU)

Tendencies of Woman Doctors Registered in Japan during the Taisho Era.

The Taisho-Era (1912 to 1926) was a period during which Japanese women increasingly took part in various social activities and employment. The author surveyed the registered woman-doctors listed in the official gazette and the journal of the Japanese Society of Woman Doctors from the first to the 10th years of the Taisho-Era (1912 to 1921) and investigated their medical life-times, including with regard to their husbands and family surroundings, hobbies, and so on. According to the author, there were 467 woman doctors during the first 10 years of the Taisho-Era, far more than the 239 during the Meiji-Era (1886 to 1912). Immediately after medical registration they had a tendency to choose employment in large cities such as Tokyo because there were many medical facilities suitable' for clinical training there. After several years of this training, some of them moved their activities to the countryside. The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake caused tremendous damagp,to people, including the woman doctors, who were affected by the collapse of buildings and fires (this subject is developed in a separate paper).