Inventing the Indigenous or Diagnosis

Inventing the Indigenous: Local Knowledge and Natural History in Early Modern Europe

Author: Alix Cooper

In the wake of expanding commercial voyages, many people in early modern Europe became curious about the plants and minerals around them and began to compile catalogs of them. Drawing on cultural, social and environmental history, as well as the histories of science and medicine, this book argues that, amidst a growing reaction against exotic imports -- whether medieval spices like cinnamon or new American arrivals like chocolate and tobacco -- learned physicians began to urge their readers to discover their own "indigenous" natural worlds. In response, compilers of local inventories created numerous ways of itemizing nature, from local floras and regional mineralogies to efforts to write the natural histories of entire territories. Tracing the fate of such efforts, the book provides new insight into the historical trajectory of such key concepts as indigeneity and local knowledge.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments     ix
List of Illustrations     xiii
Introduction     1
Home and the World: Debating Indigenous Nature     21
"There are in Germany so many more and better medicines..."     22
"Garlic and Onions"     32
"Indigenous Medicine"     41
Field and Garden: The Making of the Local Flora     51
Field Trips     57
Texts     72
Places     80
From Rocks to Riches: The Quest for Natural Wealth     87
Mineral Kingdoms     89
Natural Treasures     94
Excavating Wurzburg     101
Dealing in the Local     109
The Nature of the Territory     116
"Procure us an Account"     121
Translating the New Science     131
"The Possibilities of the Land"     140
Problems of Local Knowledge     152
"The Indies in Switzerland"     156
Florists and Critics     166
Conclusion     173
Works Cited     187
Manuscript Sources     187
Printed Primary Sources     187
Secondary Sources     195
Index     213

Book review: Pregnancy Countdown or Self Help Approaches for Obesity and Eating Disorders

Diagnosis: Schizophrenia: A Comprehensive Resource

Author: Rachel Miller

The disease is not fatal but few diagnoses have the capacity to instill as much fear in the hearts of patients and families. Here is a profoundly reassuring book that shows there can be life after a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

The book includes thirty-five first-person accounts, along with chapters by professionals on a wide range of issues from hospitalization to rehabilitation. Jargon-free and technically accurate, the chapters are short and offer up-to-date information on medication, coping skills, social services, clinical research, and much more. Patients and their families can read the book from cover to cover or skip around and select topics as the need arises.

Publishers Weekly

Shrouded in myth and mystery, distorted by sensationalist films like The Three Faces of Eve and mistakenly confused with multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, the authors argue, is one of the least understood mental disorders in the world. It affects 1% of the U.S. population, and this book, primarily targeted at those with the disease, marks an important entry in the mental health genre, particularly since it is coauthored by a group of 35 patients (from a New York treatment program) and has first-person accounts of diagnosis, delusional states and recovery. Miller and Mason, social workers who specialize in the issue, note that while it's still not clear if there is a cure for schizophrenia, many people can successfully manage the condition through a combination of structured routines, medication and therapy. Readers with short attention spans will be able to handle the short chapters, which offer straightforward, nonjudgmental advice on handling a variety of symptoms. Of particular interest are the sections addressing how much information to give co-workers and employers. The authors assume no prior knowledge or background on the subject, and their book is far easier to understand than the classic title for schizophrenics and their families, E. Fuller Torrey's Surviving Schizophrenia. Illus. (Sept.) Forecast: While the press information indicates that the publisher hopes to capitalize on the recent interest in Andrea Yates and John Nash, a more general readership seems unlikely, given the book's obvious orientation toward people diagnosed with schizophrenia, their friends and relatives. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In the United States, one out of every 100 people suffers from schizophrenia, the mental illness that afflicts Nobel prize winner John Nash, the subject of Sylvia Nasar's A Beautiful Mind and the Ron Howard film of the same name. In this atmosphere of heightened awareness, Miller (M.S.W., Hillside Hosp., NY) and Mason (social work, Yeshiva Univ.) present an excellent guide for patients and their families dealing with the onset and long-term effects of schizophrenia. Intermingled with firsthand accounts by 35 patients is jargon-free information by mental health specialists on the initial diagnosis and beginning of treatment, answers to frequently asked questions, the physiology of the brain, a basic explanation of the illness, the state of research on the origins of the disease, dealing with family and friends, coping with side effects and negative symptoms, using drugs and alcohol, getting the services necessary to recover, and today's new generation of antipsychotic medications. The appendixes include state phone numbers for client assistance programs, national mental-health advocacy organizations, and vocational rehabilitation programs, but surprisingly none of the state agencies responsible for mental health services in hundreds of community mental health centers. Still, the heartfelt delivery of these comprehensive and vital data will facilitate a greater understanding of a complex disease. Essential for all public libraries. Dale Farris, Groves, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.