Today, the Specialist in Otorhinolaryngology often has to perform surgery requiring an endocranial approach, as, for instance, in the case of neoplastic or inflammatory disorders, or even in malformations. These specialists should, therefore, not forget one of the most important Chapters in the History of Medicine and Ethnology: that related to the evolution of craniotomy over thousands of year...

Background: Nepal is small in size but rich in bio-cultural diversity. The rugged terrain of the country is home to a number of unique assemblages of fauna, some of which are endemic. Not only faunal resources the country also harbors some very ancient populations whose interrelationship with these diverse faunal resources is very intimate and thus demands scientific study. Animals play importa...

In this essay I outline some beliefs and practices among lowland christianised peoples in the Philippines relating primarily to the existence of spirits which are believed to be responsible for causing illness, attending to their imbrication with Catholicism and local cultural notions and practices and post-colonial questions of identity. I sketch three interpretative frameworks that have been ...

Habitat loss and anthropogenic pressures, coupled with the existing slender loris trade for cultural practices, are a cause grave concern. Numerous deep-rooted superstitious beliefs rituals continue to thrive in modern India, this is potentially one of major threats India's already imperilled population. More research into prevalence use black magic needed assess impact on species sustainabilit...

Joseph Smith Jr. found himself in court many times throughout his life. Historians argue that problematic relationship with the law began 1826 when he faced disorderly person charges Bainbridge, New York. According to pretrial sources, some of Josiah Stowell's family members charged claimed have supernatural powers: Horace Stowell and Arad used seer stones see lost, stolen, hidden things seek t...

This article combines textual, videotape, historical, and ethnographic evidence to describe the Bangla psychiatric register and its enregisterment. Enregisterment is a process “through which a linguistic repertoire becomes differentiable [and] . . . socially recognized” (Agha 2003:231). The emergence of psychiatric registers in Europe and, later, Bangladesh bore the particular burden of psychia...

The contemporary African city runs on informal modes of public transportation. Typically, minibuses provide the core, but motorbikes, tricycles, and shared taxis all contribute to transport ecosystems. These privately operated services are ground-level responses growing demand for mobility in face absent or inadequate formal transportation services. For many urbanites, it is impossible imagine ...

Southeast Asian men exhibit a series of distinct behaviours related to sexuality and reproductive health. Traditional circumcision practices, use of penis implants, the practice of 'dry' sex, and the avoidance of condom use or vasectomy are behaviours that can place men and their partners at risk of disease and dysfunctional sexual relationships. This paper examines these issues with particular...

The eighteenth-century “discovery” of the buried cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii revolutionized the way in which individuals thought about their relationship with the ancient world. The accounts of British visitors between 1738 and the end of the century reflect a new historical sensibility, one predicated upon the extraordinary proximity between present and past that these sites seemed to pr...