Blue-green algae (also known as cyanobacteria) and the toxins they can produce pose serious economic, environmental, and public health problems worldwide. Much of the scientific and public interest in these microorganisms arises from their tendency to undergo explosive population growth and form harmful blooms, which have inflicted damage in industries as diverse as health care, public utilities, agriculture, recreation, real estate, and commercial and sport fishing. Until now, water quality professionals and other individuals tasked with finding and eliminating cyanotoxins have lacked an accessible guide to these potentially deadly microorganisms. Written for nonspecialists in a clear and straightforward style, this guide will help students, landowners, and citizen scientists identify different kinds of cyanobacteria and understand their impact on waterways, from neighborhood lakes and farm ponds to major river systems. The central feature of the book is a detailed key that systematically walks the reader through each step of the identification process. This key is linked to an extensive set of photographs and a companion smartphone app to assist readers in confirming their findings.Authors Mark A. Nienaber and Miriam Steinitz-Kannan include an ample glossary to help newcomers to the subject get up to speed as well as an in-depth and current bibliography to aid advanced readers in further research. They also offer instructions on how to correctly collect and analyze cyanobacteria. Altogether, this accessible yet comprehensive resource makes important, complex material available to a wide range of professionals and laypeople engaged in combating harmful cyanotoxins.

Demographic change is a defining issue of our time. The worldwide population is aging and countries are facing ongoing challenges in caring for their elderly. Will countries be able to overcome these challenges? Aging with Dignity provides a robust account of best practices in long-term care. Based on a series of interviews conducted by ACCESS Health International with elder care professionals in Sweden, the book offers innovative solutions to the universal challenge of aging.

In November 1942, Paul Andrew Kennedy (1912--1993) boarded the St. Elena in New York Harbor and sailed for Casablanca as part of Operation Torch, the massive Allied invasion of North Africa. As a member of the US Army's 2nd Auxiliary Surgical Group, he spent the next thirty-four months working in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany, in close proximity to the front lines and often under air or artillery bombardment. He was uncomfortable, struck by the sorrows of war, and homesick for his wife, for whom he kept detailed diaries to ease his unrelenting loneliness.In Battlefield Surgeon , Kennedy's son Christopher has edited his father's journals and provided historical context to produce an invaluable personal chronicle. What emerges is a vivid record of the experiences of a medical officer in the European theater of operations in World War II. Kennedy participated in some of the fiercest action of the war, including Operation Avalanche, the attack on Anzio, and Operation Dragoon. He also arrived in Rome the day after the Allied troops, and entered the Dachau concentration camp two days after it was liberated.Despite the enormous success of the popular MAS*H franchise, there are still surprisingly few authentic accounts of military doctors and medical practice during wartime. As a young, inexperienced surgeon, Kennedy grappled with cases much more serious and complex than he had ever faced in civilian practice. Featuring a foreword by Pulitzer Prize--winning World War II historian Rick Atkinson and an afterword by U.S. Army medical historian John T. Greenwood, this remarkable firsthand account offers an essential perspective on the Second World War.

In the mid-fourteenth century the Black Death ravaged Europe, leading to dramatic population drop and social upheavals. Recurring plague outbreaks together with social factors pushed Europe into a deep crisis that lasted for more than a century. The plague and the crisis, and in particular their short-term and long-term consequences for society, have been the matter of continuous debate. Most of the research so far has been based on the study of written sources, and the dominating perspective has been the one of economic history. A different approach is presented here by using evidence and techniques from archaeology and the natural sciences. Special focus is on environmental and social changes in the wake of the Black Death. Pollen and tree-ring data are used to gain new insights into farm abandonment and agricultural change, and to point to the important environmental and ecological consequences of the crisis. The archaeological record shows that the crisis was not only characterised by abandonment and decline, but also how families and households survived by swiftly developing new strategies during these uncertain times. Finally, stature and isotope studies are applied to human skeletons from medieval churchyards to reveal changes in health and living conditions during the crisis. The conclusions are put in wider perspective that highlights the close relationship between society and the environment and the historical importance of past epidemics.

Prior to 1972, visitors to Connecticut state mental hospitals might have noticed a six-year-old chronically depressed girl crouching in the corner of a chaotic cafeteria, or a seven-year-old autistic boy sleeping on a cot next to a seventy-year-old schizophrenic man. Riverview Hospital for Children and Youth tells the story of one of the first milieu based therapeutic hospitals specializing in children's care, located in Middletown, Connecticut. Richard J. Wiseman, its first superintendent, offers his own story and treatment philosophy alongside the voices of the many people who worked tirelessly to free children from an adult mental health facility, and to treat children as children. This important book provides access to decades of experiences, useful tools, and knowledge regarding the treatment of children requiring mental health care. Weaving first-person narrative and interviews with staff, administrators, and patients, Riverview Hospital for Children and Youth testifies to the passion and determination it took to spring children from an adult mental health ward and bring them into a place of their own. A companion ebook comprised of three original staff manuals will also be available.

This is the story of a boy from a small Irish village who became an adventurer, a humanitarian and a doctor to the stars. Part travelogue, part thriller, part celebrity tell-all, you’ve never read anything quite like it.Patrick Treacy grew up in rural Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Determined to become a doctor, he raised the money for medical school by smuggling cars from Germany to Turkey.Working in a hospital in Dublin in 1987, a needle he had used to draw blood from a patient with HIV jabbed him in the leg. He took blood test after blood test, wondering whether he was going to die.Overwhelmed, he moved to New Zealand, away from everyone who knew what he was going through: his girlfriend, his friends and his colleagues. Thus he began a peripatetic existence, working as a doctor around the world.In Saddam Hussein’s Baghdad, Treacy was arrested and imprisoned, spending days wondering whether he was going to be hanged as a spy. In Australia, he worked for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.On returning to Dublin, Treacy set up the Ailesbury Clinic, where he worked on the cutting-edge of the new field of cosmetic dermatology, championing treatments including the use of Botox. This brought stars to his doorstep, including the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.Central to this memoir is Treacy’s personal journey: his efforts to escape the Troubles, cope with the fear that he might have contracted HIV (until he found out that he had not), get over his lost love and defend Michael Jackson’s legacy.

Pregnancy can be both mentally and physically taxing. During her own pregnancy, Donna Kennedy developed a plan to stay in shape and confident while still being healthy. In Born to be Beautiful, Kennedy shares this plan with readers to show expecting mothers that it is possible to have a healthy baby without sacrificing the body you want. A psychologist and professional motivational speaker, Kennedy has spoken at conferences worldwide and has been cited in international media and journals Kennedy uses her own experiences as a guide for women on staying in shape during and after pregnancy.

Baby Ava tells the story of two parents' struggle to conceive, beginning with Caroline’s life-threatening illness and covering their journey to a surrogacy clinic in India, the birth of their daughter by a surrogate mother, and their subsequent battle with the authorities to get an Irish passport for little Ava. Any couple’s decision to have a baby is a momentous occasion, but for Caroline and Niall O’Flaherty, this decision brought them down a road of emotional and physical stress and heartache. As Caroline was unable to carry a baby to full term, the pair unsuccessfully explored IVF treatment and adoption, before finding a glimmer of hope through Dr Patel's Infertility Clinic in India. To great celebration, they met the surrogate mother in August 2010 and following a successful embryo transfer, Ava was born in April 2011. However, when their heartache should have turned to joy, they met another battle... On the basis that Ava was a surrogacy baby, the Irish Government refused to issue her a passport or emergency travel documents. The deficit of legislation governing surrogacy in Ireland, combined with the surrogate mother being considered the legal mother, left Caroline and Ava stranded in India in a legal limbo, with terrorism threats ripe in the wake of bin Laden’s death. TV crews from CNN and BBC World in Anand soon dubbed little Ava ‘the baby without a passport’ as Caroline was interviewed by numerous news shows, including a Japanese network. Back in Dublin, Niall and his legal team battled to bring Ava; they were met with numerous legal obstacles and negativity, and were even advised by one official to ‘look into good orphanages in India’. Ava finally received one of the first passports granted to an Irish surrogacy baby and made history by suing the Irish State at just 3 weeks old. The issuing of Ava’s passport ultimately affected the status of surrogacy in Ireland: in February 2012, new guidelines were used by the Department of Justice to assist parents planning to have children via surrogate mothers abroad that allowed for the granting of travel documents. Caroline and Niall's tale of surrogacy is brave and bittersweet, embracing the richness and diversity of Indian culture and the generosity of its people.

Memoirs of a Medical Maverick offers a unique and often surprising insight into the rich, varied and extraordinary life of one of the most prominent, respected and outspoken medical men in Ireland. As the son of a well-known politician and national military hero, some might think Risteárd Mulcahy's life would have been one of comfort and privilege - but they'd be wrong. A refreshingly candid memoir, Medical Maverick charts the personal and professional life of a true Irish progressive. Risteárd revisits his childhood in Rathmines (complete with cows, chickens and armed guards outside the family home), his fast times as a young doctor in London, his early career delivering babies in some of Dublin's worst slums, the breakdown of his marriage and his eminent career in cardiology and high-profile health campaigner as one of the first anti-smoking advocates in the country. What emerges perhaps more than anything is the way Risteárd has lived a free, liberal and progressive life - which may not have always been the easiest option, considering the general climate of fifties and sixties Ireland, but undoubtedly proved to be the most varied and fulfilling.

This is the autobiography of one of the most renowned and ground-breaking physicians Ireland has ever produced, Risteárd Mulcahy - internationally-renowned cardiologist and health campaigner, researcher, historian, exercise enthusiast and environmentalist. Medical Maverick offers a unique and often surprising insight into the rich, varied and extraordinary life of one of the most prominent, respected and outspoken medical men in Ireland. As the son of a well-known politician and national military hero, some might think Risteárd Mulcahy's life would have been one of comfort and privilege - but they'd be wrong. A refreshingly candid memoir, Medical Maverick charts the personal and professional life of a true Irish progressive. Risteárd revisits his childhood in Rathmines (complete with cows, chickens and armed guards outside the family home), his fast times as a young doctor in London, his early career delivering babies in some of Dublin's worst slums, the breakdown of his marriage and his eminent career in cardiology and high-profile health campaigner as one of the first anti-smoking advocates in the country. What emerges perhaps more than anything is the way Risteárd has lived a free, liberal and progressive life - which may not have always been the easiest option, considering the general climate of fifties and sixties Ireland, but undoubtedly proved to be the most varied and fulfilling.

There are many recoverable aspects and indications concerning medicine and healing in the ancient past – from the archaeological evidence of skeletal remains, grave-goods comprising medical and/or surgical equipment and visual representations in tombs and other monuments thorough to epigraphic and literary sources. The 42 papers presented here cover many aspects medicine in the Mediterranean world during Antiquity and early Byzantine times, bringing together both internationally established specialists on the history of medicine and researchers in the early stages of their career. The contributions are grouped under a series of headings: medicine and archaeology; media (online access to electronic corpus); the Aegean; medical authors/schools of medicine; surgery; medicaments and cures; skeletal remains; new research in Cyprus; Asklepios and incubation; and Byzantine, Arab and medieval sources. These subject areas are addressed through a combination of wide ranging archaeological and osteological data and the examination and interpretation of philosophical, literary and historiographical texts to provide a comprehensive suite of studies into early practices in this fundamental field of human experience.

Though more than 150,000 AIDS-related deaths have been reported worldwide and between 5 and 10 million people are now infected with its precursor, HIV-1, the deadly and relatively new AIDS virus is still a mystery. AIDS and the Social Sciences: Common Threads, an enlightening examination of the AIDS epidemic from the viewpoints of various social sciences, provides us with clues to that mystery. The essays' original research and firsthand accounts from social scientists offer an excellent overview of the research agendas and directions for a disease that is an increasing presence in our society. Sociologists, geographers, anthropologists, psychologists, social workers, and people in government agencies converge in this book to discuss the social, political, economic, legal, moral, and ethical issues related to AIDS. Their methods of approaching the study of AIDS range from a case study approach to survey research to participant observation.Among the topics examined in this distinctive collection are the geographic origins of AIDS, the psychosocial aspects of AIDS, the impact of AIDS on women and children, and the federal funding patterns of AIDS-related research. One chapter traces the diffusion of the pandemic in major urban areas, smaller cities, and finally rural America. Another documents the devastating impact the disease has had on central and East Africa, some areas of which have as many as one in four adults who are HIV-infected.AIDS and the Social Sciences could serve as a primary or supplemental text for college courses and is an important resource for anyone interested in social science or public health.

Peter Greally first encountered asthma as a young boy when he would wake in the middle of the night, gasping for air. He was brought to an eminent professor of pediatrics, who proclaimed that his symptoms were due to anxiety. Eventually, one morning after such an episode, a young, enlightened family doctor saw him and diagnosed asthma. Most doctors now recognize that although there can be powerful mind-body interactions, the evidence for the inflammatory basis for asthma is undisputed. Thanks to the many drugs which can control asthma, virtually all asthmatic children can now lead normal lives. Childhood Asthma details what exactly can cause an asthmatic attack, how best to prevent them, and what to do when they occur. This book explains inflammation; different forms of allergies; eczema; the causes of asthma; the signs of an asthmatic attack; common triggers, and ensures any asthma sufferer and their parent, guardian or teacher is able to safely deal with an occurrence. Managed effectively there could potentially be little or no effect on a sufferer; this is evident in the number of high-profile athletes in particular that have asthma. These include Ireland and Manchester United footballer John O'Shea; his fellow Manchester United player Paul Scholes, Irish rubgy player Ronan O'Gara and former player Denis Hickie; and GAA's Martin Comerford, Aidan O'Mahony and Tommy Dowd.

This candid examination by campaigner, Irish Heart Foundation founder and former St Vincent's consultant cardiologist Risteárd Mulcahy looks back and forward at the Irish health system and its evolution, current difficulties and probable future state. Is The Health Service for Healing? is an honest and often critical examination of the way the Irish health system has evolved and the difficulties it finds itself in now. As Prof. Risteárd Mulcahy spent most of his professional life as a consultant in St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin he is uniquely placed to comment on the health system's expansion, challenges, achievements and increasingly its numerous difficulties. Ireland's two tier system; the crisis in accident and emergency departments; the medical and nursing professions; the health boards; and local and national government are all examined, discussed and often singled out for critical comments and scrutiny. For anyone within, or with a serious interest in the nation's health and its health system, this book is essential reading.

Whether it is the binding of shattered bones or the creation of herbal remedies, human agency is a central feature of the healing process. Both archaeological and anthropological research has contributed much to our understanding of the performative aspects of medicine. The papers contained in this volume, based on a session conducted at the 2010 Theoretical Archaeology Conference, take a multi-disciplinary approach to the topic, addressing such issues as the cultural conception of disease; the impact of gender roles on healing strategies; the possibilities afforded by syncretism; the relationship between material culture and the body; and the role played by the active agency of the sick.

The analysis of animal bone assemblages from archaeological sites provides much valuable data concerning economic and husbandry practices in the past, as well as insights into cultural and symbolic or ritual activity. Animal palaeopathology can identify diseases in archaeozoological assemblages but little interest has been expressed in investigating and understanding the cultural aspects of the diseases identified. Such assemblages represent the cumulative effects of human attitudes, decisions and influences regarding the keeping, care, treatment, neglect and exploitation of animals which result in a range of conditions, non-infectious diseases and injuries that can be recognised on ancient skeletal material. Additionally, ever since the domestication of a handful of animal species around 10,000 years ago, close physical proximity has been a mutual source of infectious disease and traumatic injury for humans and animals alike. Shuffling Nags, Lame Ducks provides an invaluable guide to the investigation of trauma and disease in archaeozoological assemblages. It provides a clear methodological approach, and describes and explains the wide range of traumatic lesions, infections, diseases, inherited disorders and other pathological changes and anomalies that can be identified. In so doing, it explores the impact that “man-made” decisions have had on animals, including special aspects of culture that may be reflected in the treatment of diseased or injured animals often incorporating powerful symbolic or religious roles, and seeks to enhance our understanding of the relationship between man and beast in the past. Chapters include:· History of studying pathological animal remains· Differences between human and animal palaeopathology· Methodology· Growth, development and ageing· Traumatic lesions· Inflammatory diseases and bone· Pathological lesions in working animals· Diseases connected to the environment