Essay of Ancient China

Ancient China In ancient Chinese cosmology, the universe was created not by divinities but self-generated from the interplay of nature's basic duality: the active, light, dry, warm, positive, masculine yang and the passive, dark, cold, moist, negative yin. All things, animate and inanimate, and all circumstances were a combination of these fundamentals. The ultimate principle of the universe was the tao, â€Å"the way,† and it determined the proper proportions of yin and yang in everything. Anything that altered the natural relation of yin to yang was considered bad, and right living consisted of carefully following the tao.If one observed the tao by moderation, equanimity, and morality, as taught in the Tao-te Ching, by Lao-tzu (sixth century B. C. ), one would be impervious to disease and resistant to the ravages of aging; disregard of the tao led to illness, which was not so much a punishment for sin as the inevitable result of acting contrary to natural laws. However, illn ess also could be caused by forces beyond one's control: â€Å"Wind is the cause of a hundred diseases,† and atmospheric conditions could upset the harmonious inner balance of the yang and yin.One had to be alert to this possibility and combat its effects as well as modify internal imbalances of the vital forces. Longevity and health were the rewards. Chinese medicine, in league with Taoism, was focused on the prevention of illness; for, as the legendary Huang Ti, father of Chinese medicine, observed, â€Å"the superior physician helps before the early budding of disease. † Although Taoist hygiene called for temperance and simplicity in most things, sexual mores were governed by the yin-yang aspect of Chinese philosophy.Ejaculation in intercourse led to diminution of a man's yang, which, of course, upset the inner balance of his nature. On the other hand, one was strengthened by absorption of the yin released by the orgasm of one's female partner—unless she was over thirty, the point where female essence lost its efficacy. The tao was important in Confucianism also, as the path of virtuous conduct, and for centuries the precepts of Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu, 550-479 B. C. ) set the most prevalent standards of behavior. In early Chinese philosophy, there was a tendency to accept and combine aspects of all religions and to make way for new ideas.Nevertheless, the ancient Chinese were profoundly conservative once an institution, custom, philosophy, mode of dress, or even a furniture style was firmly established, and it remained relatively unchanged over centuries. As Confucius said: â€Å"Gather in the same places where our fathers before us have gathered; perform the same ceremonies which they before us have performed; play the same music which they before us have played; pay respect to those whom they honored; love those who were dear to them. † Although ancient China's development was relatively isolated, there was early contact with India and Tibet.Buddhism came to China from India, and medical concepts and practices were an important part of its teachings. The gymnastic and breathing exercises in Chinese medical methodology also came from India and were closely related to the principles of Yoga and to aspects of Ayurvedic medicine. There were also contacts with Southeast Asia, Persia, and the Arabic world. In the second century B. C. , the Chinese ambassador Chang Chien spent more than a decade in Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt, bringing back information on drugs, viticulture, and other subjects.Over the centuries, knowledge of humoral medicine and of numerous new medicaments filtered into China. The introduction of the wisdom of the Mediterranean world was greatly facilitated in the fifth century by the expulsion and wide dispersion from Constantinople of the heretical Nestorian Christians. The mother of Kublai Khan (1216-94), founder of the Mongol dynasty, was a Nestorian and asked the Pope to send European d octors to China. Early Medical Writings Classical Chinese medicine was based primarily on works ascribed to three legendary emperors. The most ancient was Fu Hsi (c. 2900 B. C. , who was said to have originated the pa kua, a symbol composed of yang lines and yin lines combined in eight (pa) separate trigrams (kua) which could represent all yin-yang conditions. This system is followed even today in the I Ching (Book of Changes), though as a game or superstition in the West. Shen Nung, the Red Emperor (Hung Ti), compiled the first medical herbal, the Pen-tsao (c. 2800 B. C. ), in which he reported the effects of 365 drugs, all of them personally tested. One legend explains that a magic drug made his abdominal skin transparent, so he could observe the action of the many plants he evaluated.Another story tells that he cut open his abdomen and stitched in a window. Shen Nung is also said to have drawn up the first charts on acupuncture, a medical procedure presumably even older than the legendary emperors. The fame of Yu Hsiung (c. 2600 B. C. ), the Yellow Emperor (Huang Ti), rests on his great medical compendium, the Nei Ching (Canon of Medicine). Transmitted orally for many centuries, this seminal work was possibly committed to writing by the third century B. C. Its present form dates from the eighth century A. D. when the last extensive revision was done by Wang Ping. The major portion of the Nei Ching, the Sun-Wen (Simple Questions), records the discourse of the Yellow Emperor with Ch'i Po, his prime minister, on virtually all phases of health and illness, including prevention and treatment. The section called Ling-Hsu (Spiritual Nucleus), deals entirely with acupuncture. Yu Hsiung also was said to be responsible for another great compendium, The Discourses of the Yellow Emperor and the Plain Girl, which thoroughly covered the subject of sex from the Taoist point of view.Among other notable sources for ancient medical lore, one might mention the Shih Ching (Boo k of Odes), which perhaps predates Homer's epics, and the Lun-yu, discourses of Confucius probably written down shortly after his death, which affected patterns of behavior for many generations. During the long Chou dynasty (c. 1050-255 B. C. ), a lengthy compilation of medical works, Institutions of Chou, was completed and became the criterion for subsequent dynasties on the duties and organization of physicians. In the Han dynasty (206 B. C. -A. D. 20), there was a noted clinical author named Tsang Kung, who pioneered in the description of many diseases, including cancer of the stomach, aneurysm, and rheumatism. Chang Chung-ching, the Chinese Hippocrates, in the third century A. D. , wrote the classic treatise Typhoid and Other Fevers. Ko Hung, a famed alchemist and a careful observer, wrote treatises describing beriberi (a vitamin B deficiency), hepatitis, and plague, and gave one of the earliest reports on smallpox: â€Å"As the New Year approached there was a seasonal affectio n in which pustules appeared on the face and spread rapidly all over the body.They looked like burns covered with white starch and reformed as soon as they were broken. The majority died if not treated. After recovery purplish black scars remained. † Sun Szu-miao (A. D. 581-682) wrote Ch'ien Chin Yao Fang (A Thousand Golden Remedies), which summarized in thirty volumes much of the known medical learning, and he headed a committee which produced a fifty-volume collection on pathology. An extensive codification of forensic medicine, Hsi Yuan Lu, was done in the Sung dynasty and became the prime source for knowledge of medical jurisprudence.Anatomy and Physiology Ideas of anatomy in ancient China were reached by reasoning and. by assumption rather than dissection or direct observation. Since the doctrines of Confucius forbade violation of the body, it was not until the eighteenth century, long after Vesalius, that the Chinese began systematic, direct anatomical studies. Even as l ate as the nineteenth century, in the Viceroy's Hospital Medical School, anatomy was taught by diagrams and artificial models rather than dissection.Physiological functions were constructed into a humoral system much like Greek concepts of the sixth century B. C. and Galenic views of the second century A. D. , except that there were five instead of four essential humors. (The number five had mystical value for the Chinese and was used for most classifications: five elements, five tastes, five qualities, five kinds of drugs, five treatments, five solid organs, five seasons, five emotions, five colors, etc. ) The medical compendium Nei Ching stated that each emotion had its seat in a particular organ.Happiness dwelt in the heart, thought in the spleen, sorrow in the lungs, and the liver housed anger as well as the soul. Ideas in the Nei Ching concerning movement of the blood (â€Å"All the blood is under control of the heart. † â€Å"The blood current flows continuously in a c ircle and never stops. â€Å") have been thought to approach an understanding of its circulation antedating Harvey by thousands of years; however, some body vessels were believed to convey air, and there is little evidence that commentators perceived the blood-carrying vessels as a contained system. DiagnosisThe Chinese methods of diagnosis included questioning, feeling the pulse, observing the voice and body, and in some circumstances touching the affected parts. In almost all times and cultures physicians have used a similar approach, for all healers have sought to know as much as possible about a patient in order to understand his or her illness and advise treatment. However, in some respects ancient physicians saw each patient more completely as a reflection of his surroundings (indeed, the entire universe) than does the doctor of today. The Chinese doctor wanted to learn ow the patient had violated the tao, and to do this he took into account the patient's rank; changes in his or her social status, household, economic position, sense of well-being, or appetite; the weather; and the dreams of the patient and his or her family. Perhaps the most important diagnostic technique of the ancient Chinese was examination of the pulse. The physician felt the right wrist and then the left. He compared the beats with his own, noting precise time as well as day and season since each hour affected the nature of the pulsations.Each pulse had three distinct divisions, each associated with a specific organ, and each division had a separate quality, of which there were dozens of varieties. Moreover, each division or zone of the pulse had a superficial and deep projection. Thus literally hundreds of possible characteristics were obtainable. In one treatise, Muo-Ching, ten volumes were necessary to cover all the intricacies of the pulse. A patient had only to extend his or her arm through drawn bed curtains for the physician to determine the symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, a nd proper treatment by intensive palpation of the pulse.Whenever possible the examiner also felt the skin of the ill person. However, it was considered bad form for a man to intimately examine a woman, so special ceramic, ivory, and wooden dolls were pointed to by the invalid to indicate where discomfort was felt. Treatment According to the Nei Ching, there were five methods of treatment: cure the spirit, nourish the body, give medications, treat the whole body, and use acupuncture and moxibustion. The physician had to put the patient back on the right path, the tao.Assuming that specific mental states caused changes in specific organs, the healer linked certain objectionable behavioral and constitutional factors with illness and attempted to have the patient rectify these. For instance, dissolute and licentious ideas led to diseases of the lungs, but acting out such thoughts brought on heart trouble. A doctor had to determine the cause of disharmony in the body and act accordingly. Exercises were developed to keep the body fit and to restore well-being. Hua T'o, the great surgeon, worked out an ingenious system of physical therapy by advising mimicry of the natural movements of animals.Massage—kneading, tapping, pinching, and chafing—was also a regular method of treatment, as were the application of plasters and evacuation of the intestinal tract by cathartics. In nourishing a patient's body, the physician resorted to complex combinations of foods according to their potential amounts of yang and yin. Foods also had to fit the seasons, and each of the five tastes had benefits for a particular element of the body: sour for the bones, pungent for the tendons, salty for the blood, bitter for respiration, and sweet for muscle.Medications The Chinese pharmacopoeia was always rich, from the time of the Pen-tsao, the first medical herbal, to the later dynasties when two thousand items and sixteen thousand prescriptions made up the armamentarium. Drugs w ere considered more likely to be good if they tasted bad. As one would expect, they were classified into five categories: herbs, trees, insects, stones, and grains. The therapeutic minerals and metals included compounds of mercury (calomel was employed for venereal diseases), arsenic, and magnetic stones.Animal-derived remedies, in addition to â€Å"dragon teeth† (powdered fossilized bones), included virtually anything obtainable from living creatures: whole parts, segments of organs, urine, dung. Two plant substances especially associated with China may be singled out. One is ephedra (ma huang), the â€Å"horsetail† plant described by the Red Emperor, which was used for thousands of years as a stimulant, as a remedy for respiratory -diseases, to induce fevers and perspiration, and to depress coughs.Ephedra entered the Greek pharmacopoeia and eventually was disseminated throughout most of the world. It only became a factor in Western medicine in the late nineteenth cen tury after Japanese investigators isolated and purified the active principle, ephedrine, and established its pharmacologic action. A second medicinal herb, always highly popular among the Chinese, is ginseng (â€Å"man-shaped root†). To the Chinese, preparations containing ginseng were almost miraculous in delaying old age, restoring sexual powers, stimulating the debilitated, and sedating the overwrought.In addition it improved diabetes and stabilized blood pressure. In recent years this root has been under scrutiny by Western pharmacologists attempting to evaluate its true benefits. Multitudes in Asia, and even some Westerners, are so convinced of its effectiveness that high-grade wild roots have brought fabulous prices (even reaching thousands of dollars apiece). Although many items in the Chinese materia medica have either faded into bscurity or been labeled fanciful, others subsequently have been found to possess sound pharmacologic bases: seaweed, which contains iodine, was used in treating enlargement of the thyroid; the willow plant, containing salicylic acid, was a remedy for rheumatism; the Siberian wort has antispasmodics for menstrual discomfort; and mulberry flowers contain rutin, a treatment for elevated blood pressure. Whether opium was used as a drug before quite late in Chinese history is still in dispute. Acupuncture and Moxibustion These modalities have been an integral part of Chinese medical therapy for thousands of years.The Yellow Emperor is said to have invented them, but they may well have existed long before his time. The aim of these treatments was to drain off excess yang or yin and thus establish a proper balance, but external energy also could be introduced into the body. In acupuncture the skin is pierced by long needles to varying prescribed depths. Needles are inserted into any of 365 points along the twelve meridians that traverse the body and transmit an active life force called ch'i. Each of these points is related to a particular organ.For instance, puncture of a certain spot on the ear lobe might be the proper way to treat an abdominal ailment. Virtually every illness, weakness, and symptom is thought to be amenable to correction by acupuncture. Acupuncture spread to Korea and Japan by the end of the tenth century A. D. , to Europe about the seventeenth century, and recent years have seen a wider interest in this Chinese medical practice in the West. Individual paramedical healers and even some medical practitioners have been swamped with requests for acupuncture, especially for problems apparently little benefited by conventional practices.The eventual acceptability of this practice in standard Western medicine remains to be seen. Moxibustion is as old as acupuncture, and the same meridians and points govern placement of the moxa. However, in this treatment a powdered plant substance, usually mugwort, is fashioned into a small mound on the patient's skin and burned, usually raising a blister. Dentistry The treatment of tooth disorders was confined mainly to applying or ingesting drugs—pomegranate, aconite, ginseng, garlic, rhubarb, and arsenic, as well as animal products such as dung and urine.The Nei Ching classified nine types of toothaches, which included some obviously due to infections and tooth decay. Like the Mesopotamians and Egyptians, the ancient Chinese believed that worms were often responsible for dental problems. Toothpicks and tooth whiteners were used, and loose teeth were stabilized with bamboo splints. Gold was sometimes used to cover teeth, but the purpose was decorative rather than protective. Surgery Although surgery was not one of the five methods of treatment listed in the Nei Ching, the knife was known and used.Hua T'o, one of the few names mentioned in connection with surgery, treated an arm wound of the famous general Kuan Yu by cutting his flesh and scraping the bone. Physicians knew how to deal with wounds, and at least two classics we re devoted entirely to their treatment. The proper attitude toward pain was to bear it without a sign of emotion, and much was made of the insouciance of the general treated by Hua T'o; he played chess while the surgeon operated. Nevertheless, apparently some kind of anesthesia was often used.Wine and drugs like hyoscyamus were probably mainstays, but the use of opium and Indian hemp is still in question. Eunuchs and Footbinding Another surgical procedure, though hardly therapeutic, was the frequent castration of certain males seeking advancement at court. Though originally a severe punishment, the total removal of penis and testicles came to be a pledge of absolute allegiance to the monarch, since it released the eunuch from conflict with Confucian admonitions of first loyalty to family and the obligation of siring a son for posterity.Footbinding is also of medical interest, for it caused the development of artificially clubbed feet. Over a period of one thousand years, every young girl of proper family willingly permitted herself to be crippled by her mother and aunts to achieve the tiny foot of ideal feminine beauty. Her toes were gradually folded under the sole, and by increasingly tight bandaging her heelbone and forefoot were brought closer together. Without Golden Lotuses, as the best-shaped bound feet were called, a girl was unmarriageable, nor was the life of a courtesan open to her, for tiny feet were a woman's most desirable feature.For a man, a bound-foot wife had profound sexual significance, but she was also a status symbol inasmuch as her helplessness indicated that he was wealthy enough to support a woman, or women, in idleness. There was also an advantage to him in her restricted mobility, for it kept her home and made illicit amorous adventures difficult. Although China's Manchu conquerors forbade the practice in the nineteenth century, it was not until the early twentieth that footbinding was completely abandoned. Diseases Some epidemic dise ases were understood well enough to allow the development of protective measures.In the eleventh century, inoculation against smallpox was effected by putting scabs from smallpox pustules into the nostrils, a method which may have come from India. Wearing the clothing of someone who had the disease was another means of prevention. The relationship of cowpox (as a protective) to smallpox may have been perceived, since ingesting powdered fleas from infected cows was also recommended to stave off smallpox. But other devastating pestilences were neither understood nor held in check. During the Han dynasty an epidemic of what appears to have been typhoid fever killed two-thirds of the population of one region.Precise descriptions of leprosy in the Nei Ching and later works attest to the diagnostic accuracy of the early Chinese healers, but their explanation of the disease's causes and their treatment follow preconceived notions of the time. â€Å"The wind and chills lodge in the blood v essels and cannot be got rid of. This is called li-feng. For the treatment prick the swollen parts with a sharp needle to let the foul air out. † Fourteenth-century writings referred to chaulmoogra oil, a pressing from seeds of an East Indian tree, as a specific for leprosy, and this oil remained the principal antileprous drug even in the West until recent decades.An illness that may have been tuberculosis was recognized as contagious: â€Å"Generally the disease gives rise to high fever, sweating, asthenia, unlocalized pains making all positions difficult and slowly bringing about consumption and death, after which the disease is transmitted to the relations until the whole family has been wiped out. † Venereal diseases, although not well differentiated, received a variety of therapies, including the use of metallic substances for internal medication.In the Secret Therapy for the Treatment of Venereal Disease, the seventeenth-century physician Chun Szi-sung reported us ing arsenic, which, until the development of penicillin, was the modern medication for venereal disease, in the form of Salvarsan and derivatives synthesized by Paul Ehrlich. There seem always to have been places in China where the sick poor could go for medical care. With the advance of Buddhism in the Han and T'ang dynasties, in-patient hospitals staffed by physician-priests became common.However, in the ninth century, when anti-Buddhists were in control, hospitals as well as 4,600 temples were destroyed or emptied. Nevertheless, by the twelfth century hospitals had again become so numerous that virtually every district had at least one tax-supported institution. The upper classes preferred to be treated and cared for in their homes, thus leaving public hospitals to the poor and lower classes. The Practitioners In the Institutions of Chou, compiled hundreds of years before Christ, the hierarchy of physicians in the kingdom was delineated.The five categories were: chief physician ( who collected drugs, examined other physicians, and assigned them); food physicians (who prescribed six kinds of food and drink); physicians for simple diseases (such as headaches, colds, minor wounds); ulcer physicians (who may have been the surgeons); and physicians for animals (evidently veterinarians). Physicians were also rated according to their results, and as early as the Chou and T'ang dynasties each doctor had to report both successes and failures—to control his movement up or down in the ranks.In the seventh century A. D. examinations were required for one to qualify as a physician, some four centuries earlier than the first licensing system in the West. Medical knowledge was thought of as a secret power that belonged to each practitioner. Whereas in other societies, both advanced and primitive, closely knit guilds might control the spread of medical lore, the Chinese physician kept his secrets to himself—passing them on only to sons or, sometimes, specially selected qualifiers.In early times, a physician gave his services out of philanthropy, for since the original healers were rulers, sages, nobles, and, perhaps, priests, economic and social incentives were absent. Later, direct fees or salaries were instituted, and the court and certain prosperous households kept physicians on retainer. Formal schools may have existed as early as the tenth century, and in the eleventh century an organization for medical education was set up under imperial auspices. Under the Ming dynasty in the fourteenth century, the school system became fixed. It changed little over the next centuries, xcept for a gradual decline, and by 1800 there was only one medical school left in Peking. Teachers were held strictly accountable for the performance of their students, and fines were imposed if the professor failed to enforce attendance or if his pupils did poorly on exams. The examination system was complex: a pyramidal structure provided a process of elimination which continued until those with the highest scores emerged. The top students could be heart doctors, the next level were assistant examiners, and lower scores could mean limited assignment in teaching.Specialization may have occurred early. While physicians and apothecaries were separate for a long time, they were both regarded as healers. In the Chou dynasty there were nine specialties, and they grew to thirteen by the Mongol period, early in the fourteenth century. The subdivisions became even more complex, with doctors for the great blood vessels, small vessels, fevers, smallpox, eyes, skin, bones, larynx, and mouth and teeth. There were also gynecologists, pediatricians, and pulsologists for internal diseases, external medicine, the nose and throat, and for children's illnesses.Some healers specialized in moxibustion, acupuncture, or massage. Even the experts in incantation and dietetics were considered medical specialists and were often held in higher regard than other doctor s; surgeons were generally of low rank. Furthermore, each of the practitioners in each category had assistants and students—all of whom had to qualify by examination. Obstetrics was in the hands of midwives for many centuries; it is not known when the first women doctors were in practice. One female physician is mentioned by name in documents from the Han dynasty (206 B.C. -A. D. 220), but women may have been doctors at an earlier date. By the fourteenth century women were officially recognized as physicians. Throughout the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the practicing medical theorists could be divided into six main philosophic schools. The Yin-yang group focused on insufficiencies of one of these forces. The Wen-pou doctors attributed illnesses to a preponderance of yang and frequently prescribed ginseng and aconite. The Radical group used drastic medication.The Conservatives relied entirely on the authorities of the past, reedited the classic works, and made no deviations from strict authoritarianism. The Eclectic physicians, as their name implies, used a variety of principles from the other sects. The sixth school based all therapy on bringing the five elements and six vapors into harmony. Spread of Chinese Medicine to Korea, Japan, And Tibet Ancient Chinese medicine was well-developed long before the beginning of the Christian era, and its influence appears to have spread into adjacent Korea by the sixth century A.D. At that time, after a severe epidemic had ravaged Japan, Korean doctors who were invited to counsel Japanese physicians introduced them to Chinese medical classics and commentaries. By the seventh century, Japanese scholars and doctors were going directly to China for their information and experience. In the eighth century, a Chinese Buddhist monk named Chien Chen came to Japan and achieved a prominent position in the imperial court at Nara, where, given the Japanese name Kanjin, he taught, practiced medicine, and translated Chinese materia medica.Late in that century, Chinese medicine was well-established in Japan, and a medical school based on its methodology was founded by the Japanese physician Wake Hiroya. Early in the next century (806–10), the Emperor Heijo vainly attempted to combat foreign influence and restore traditional Japanese medical practice, but the methods of Chinese healing were too firmly entrenched. In the tenth century, acupuncture reached Japan, followed by moxibusti on (the word moxa is Japanese), and the full complement of Chinese medicine was accepted in Japan.With medical training closely based on Chinese systems, the Japanese exacted exceptionally intensive and prolonged study before permitting entrance into the profession by governmental examination. As in ancient China, high social standing was a requirement for admission to medical school, but separate instruction by assigned teachers was apparently also arranged to accommodate the more lowly. The authority of Chinese medicine, no t to mention Chinese culture and philosophy, moved east as well as west by the seventh and eighth centuries.However, Arabic and Indian missionaries of Islam and Buddhism made influence a two-way exchange as they traveled to China seeking converts. Since their missions necessitated the translation of Sanskrit and Arabic writings into Chinese and vice versa, medical knowledge inevitably was passed back and forth. Consequently, the crossroads areas of Southeast Asia and Tibet developed a medical system combining aspects of Chinese, Indian, and Arabic practice. Arabic influence, which stemmed in part from Greek teachings, was evident in the doctrine of four humors (phlegm, blood, bile, and wind), whereas Indian deas were seen in the Yogic placement of the soul in the core of the spinal column and reliance on breathing exercises. Traveling Buddhist priests, who were quite successful in spreading their faith, for a long time also practiced medicine. During this early period, the two wives (one Chinese) of a Tibetan king converted him to Buddhism, and thereafter scholars were invited to bring Chinese writings into Tibet, which resulted in collections in Tibetan called Kanjur and Tanjur, the latter containing medical information.In the thirteenth century, the Mongol conqueror Kublai Khan wanted this body of knowledge available again in Chinese but was unable to carry through the translation. Nevertheless, his grandson in the next century arranged for scholars from Tibet, Mongolia, and Central Asia to accomplish the task. Ironically, while the Mongols were in control they allied themselves with non-Chinese such as Uighars, Jews, Christians, and Moslems, and they preferred Arabic medicine to Chinese. Essay of Ancient China Ancient China In ancient Chinese cosmology, the universe was created not by divinities but self-generated from the interplay of nature's basic duality: the active, light, dry, warm, positive, masculine yang and the passive, dark, cold, moist, negative yin. All things, animate and inanimate, and all circumstances were a combination of these fundamentals. The ultimate principle of the universe was the tao, â€Å"the way,† and it determined the proper proportions of yin and yang in everything. Anything that altered the natural relation of yin to yang was considered bad, and right living consisted of carefully following the tao.If one observed the tao by moderation, equanimity, and morality, as taught in the Tao-te Ching, by Lao-tzu (sixth century B. C. ), one would be impervious to disease and resistant to the ravages of aging; disregard of the tao led to illness, which was not so much a punishment for sin as the inevitable result of acting contrary to natural laws. However, illn ess also could be caused by forces beyond one's control: â€Å"Wind is the cause of a hundred diseases,† and atmospheric conditions could upset the harmonious inner balance of the yang and yin.One had to be alert to this possibility and combat its effects as well as modify internal imbalances of the vital forces. Longevity and health were the rewards. Chinese medicine, in league with Taoism, was focused on the prevention of illness; for, as the legendary Huang Ti, father of Chinese medicine, observed, â€Å"the superior physician helps before the early budding of disease. † Although Taoist hygiene called for temperance and simplicity in most things, sexual mores were governed by the yin-yang aspect of Chinese philosophy.Ejaculation in intercourse led to diminution of a man's yang, which, of course, upset the inner balance of his nature. On the other hand, one was strengthened by absorption of the yin released by the orgasm of one's female partner—unless she was over thirty, the point where female essence lost its efficacy. The tao was important in Confucianism also, as the path of virtuous conduct, and for centuries the precepts of Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu, 550-479 B. C. ) set the most prevalent standards of behavior. In early Chinese philosophy, there was a tendency to accept and combine aspects of all religions and to make way for new ideas.Nevertheless, the ancient Chinese were profoundly conservative once an institution, custom, philosophy, mode of dress, or even a furniture style was firmly established, and it remained relatively unchanged over centuries. As Confucius said: â€Å"Gather in the same places where our fathers before us have gathered; perform the same ceremonies which they before us have performed; play the same music which they before us have played; pay respect to those whom they honored; love those who were dear to them. † Although ancient China's development was relatively isolated, there was early contact with India and Tibet.Buddhism came to China from India, and medical concepts and practices were an important part of its teachings. The gymnastic and breathing exercises in Chinese medical methodology also came from India and were closely related to the principles of Yoga and to aspects of Ayurvedic medicine. There were also contacts with Southeast Asia, Persia, and the Arabic world. In the second century B. C. , the Chinese ambassador Chang Chien spent more than a decade in Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt, bringing back information on drugs, viticulture, and other subjects.Over the centuries, knowledge of humoral medicine and of numerous new medicaments filtered into China. The introduction of the wisdom of the Mediterranean world was greatly facilitated in the fifth century by the expulsion and wide dispersion from Constantinople of the heretical Nestorian Christians. The mother of Kublai Khan (1216-94), founder of the Mongol dynasty, was a Nestorian and asked the Pope to send European d octors to China. Early Medical Writings Classical Chinese medicine was based primarily on works ascribed to three legendary emperors. The most ancient was Fu Hsi (c. 2900 B. C. , who was said to have originated the pa kua, a symbol composed of yang lines and yin lines combined in eight (pa) separate trigrams (kua) which could represent all yin-yang conditions. This system is followed even today in the I Ching (Book of Changes), though as a game or superstition in the West. Shen Nung, the Red Emperor (Hung Ti), compiled the first medical herbal, the Pen-tsao (c. 2800 B. C. ), in which he reported the effects of 365 drugs, all of them personally tested. One legend explains that a magic drug made his abdominal skin transparent, so he could observe the action of the many plants he evaluated.Another story tells that he cut open his abdomen and stitched in a window. Shen Nung is also said to have drawn up the first charts on acupuncture, a medical procedure presumably even older than the legendary emperors. The fame of Yu Hsiung (c. 2600 B. C. ), the Yellow Emperor (Huang Ti), rests on his great medical compendium, the Nei Ching (Canon of Medicine). Transmitted orally for many centuries, this seminal work was possibly committed to writing by the third century B. C. Its present form dates from the eighth century A. D. when the last extensive revision was done by Wang Ping. The major portion of the Nei Ching, the Sun-Wen (Simple Questions), records the discourse of the Yellow Emperor with Ch'i Po, his prime minister, on virtually all phases of health and illness, including prevention and treatment. The section called Ling-Hsu (Spiritual Nucleus), deals entirely with acupuncture. Yu Hsiung also was said to be responsible for another great compendium, The Discourses of the Yellow Emperor and the Plain Girl, which thoroughly covered the subject of sex from the Taoist point of view.Among other notable sources for ancient medical lore, one might mention the Shih Ching (Boo k of Odes), which perhaps predates Homer's epics, and the Lun-yu, discourses of Confucius probably written down shortly after his death, which affected patterns of behavior for many generations. During the long Chou dynasty (c. 1050-255 B. C. ), a lengthy compilation of medical works, Institutions of Chou, was completed and became the criterion for subsequent dynasties on the duties and organization of physicians. In the Han dynasty (206 B. C. -A. D. 20), there was a noted clinical author named Tsang Kung, who pioneered in the description of many diseases, including cancer of the stomach, aneurysm, and rheumatism. Chang Chung-ching, the Chinese Hippocrates, in the third century A. D. , wrote the classic treatise Typhoid and Other Fevers. Ko Hung, a famed alchemist and a careful observer, wrote treatises describing beriberi (a vitamin B deficiency), hepatitis, and plague, and gave one of the earliest reports on smallpox: â€Å"As the New Year approached there was a seasonal affectio n in which pustules appeared on the face and spread rapidly all over the body.They looked like burns covered with white starch and reformed as soon as they were broken. The majority died if not treated. After recovery purplish black scars remained. † Sun Szu-miao (A. D. 581-682) wrote Ch'ien Chin Yao Fang (A Thousand Golden Remedies), which summarized in thirty volumes much of the known medical learning, and he headed a committee which produced a fifty-volume collection on pathology. An extensive codification of forensic medicine, Hsi Yuan Lu, was done in the Sung dynasty and became the prime source for knowledge of medical jurisprudence.Anatomy and Physiology Ideas of anatomy in ancient China were reached by reasoning and. by assumption rather than dissection or direct observation. Since the doctrines of Confucius forbade violation of the body, it was not until the eighteenth century, long after Vesalius, that the Chinese began systematic, direct anatomical studies. Even as l ate as the nineteenth century, in the Viceroy's Hospital Medical School, anatomy was taught by diagrams and artificial models rather than dissection.Physiological functions were constructed into a humoral system much like Greek concepts of the sixth century B. C. and Galenic views of the second century A. D. , except that there were five instead of four essential humors. (The number five had mystical value for the Chinese and was used for most classifications: five elements, five tastes, five qualities, five kinds of drugs, five treatments, five solid organs, five seasons, five emotions, five colors, etc. ) The medical compendium Nei Ching stated that each emotion had its seat in a particular organ.Happiness dwelt in the heart, thought in the spleen, sorrow in the lungs, and the liver housed anger as well as the soul. Ideas in the Nei Ching concerning movement of the blood (â€Å"All the blood is under control of the heart. † â€Å"The blood current flows continuously in a c ircle and never stops. â€Å") have been thought to approach an understanding of its circulation antedating Harvey by thousands of years; however, some body vessels were believed to convey air, and there is little evidence that commentators perceived the blood-carrying vessels as a contained system. DiagnosisThe Chinese methods of diagnosis included questioning, feeling the pulse, observing the voice and body, and in some circumstances touching the affected parts. In almost all times and cultures physicians have used a similar approach, for all healers have sought to know as much as possible about a patient in order to understand his or her illness and advise treatment. However, in some respects ancient physicians saw each patient more completely as a reflection of his surroundings (indeed, the entire universe) than does the doctor of today. The Chinese doctor wanted to learn ow the patient had violated the tao, and to do this he took into account the patient's rank; changes in his or her social status, household, economic position, sense of well-being, or appetite; the weather; and the dreams of the patient and his or her family. Perhaps the most important diagnostic technique of the ancient Chinese was examination of the pulse. The physician felt the right wrist and then the left. He compared the beats with his own, noting precise time as well as day and season since each hour affected the nature of the pulsations.Each pulse had three distinct divisions, each associated with a specific organ, and each division had a separate quality, of which there were dozens of varieties. Moreover, each division or zone of the pulse had a superficial and deep projection. Thus literally hundreds of possible characteristics were obtainable. In one treatise, Muo-Ching, ten volumes were necessary to cover all the intricacies of the pulse. A patient had only to extend his or her arm through drawn bed curtains for the physician to determine the symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, a nd proper treatment by intensive palpation of the pulse.Whenever possible the examiner also felt the skin of the ill person. However, it was considered bad form for a man to intimately examine a woman, so special ceramic, ivory, and wooden dolls were pointed to by the invalid to indicate where discomfort was felt. Treatment According to the Nei Ching, there were five methods of treatment: cure the spirit, nourish the body, give medications, treat the whole body, and use acupuncture and moxibustion. The physician had to put the patient back on the right path, the tao.Assuming that specific mental states caused changes in specific organs, the healer linked certain objectionable behavioral and constitutional factors with illness and attempted to have the patient rectify these. For instance, dissolute and licentious ideas led to diseases of the lungs, but acting out such thoughts brought on heart trouble. A doctor had to determine the cause of disharmony in the body and act accordingly. Exercises were developed to keep the body fit and to restore well-being. Hua T'o, the great surgeon, worked out an ingenious system of physical therapy by advising mimicry of the natural movements of animals.Massage—kneading, tapping, pinching, and chafing—was also a regular method of treatment, as were the application of plasters and evacuation of the intestinal tract by cathartics. In nourishing a patient's body, the physician resorted to complex combinations of foods according to their potential amounts of yang and yin. Foods also had to fit the seasons, and each of the five tastes had benefits for a particular element of the body: sour for the bones, pungent for the tendons, salty for the blood, bitter for respiration, and sweet for muscle.Medications The Chinese pharmacopoeia was always rich, from the time of the Pen-tsao, the first medical herbal, to the later dynasties when two thousand items and sixteen thousand prescriptions made up the armamentarium. Drugs w ere considered more likely to be good if they tasted bad. As one would expect, they were classified into five categories: herbs, trees, insects, stones, and grains. The therapeutic minerals and metals included compounds of mercury (calomel was employed for venereal diseases), arsenic, and magnetic stones.Animal-derived remedies, in addition to â€Å"dragon teeth† (powdered fossilized bones), included virtually anything obtainable from living creatures: whole parts, segments of organs, urine, dung. Two plant substances especially associated with China may be singled out. One is ephedra (ma huang), the â€Å"horsetail† plant described by the Red Emperor, which was used for thousands of years as a stimulant, as a remedy for respiratory -diseases, to induce fevers and perspiration, and to depress coughs.Ephedra entered the Greek pharmacopoeia and eventually was disseminated throughout most of the world. It only became a factor in Western medicine in the late nineteenth cen tury after Japanese investigators isolated and purified the active principle, ephedrine, and established its pharmacologic action. A second medicinal herb, always highly popular among the Chinese, is ginseng (â€Å"man-shaped root†). To the Chinese, preparations containing ginseng were almost miraculous in delaying old age, restoring sexual powers, stimulating the debilitated, and sedating the overwrought.In addition it improved diabetes and stabilized blood pressure. In recent years this root has been under scrutiny by Western pharmacologists attempting to evaluate its true benefits. Multitudes in Asia, and even some Westerners, are so convinced of its effectiveness that high-grade wild roots have brought fabulous prices (even reaching thousands of dollars apiece). Although many items in the Chinese materia medica have either faded into bscurity or been labeled fanciful, others subsequently have been found to possess sound pharmacologic bases: seaweed, which contains iodine, was used in treating enlargement of the thyroid; the willow plant, containing salicylic acid, was a remedy for rheumatism; the Siberian wort has antispasmodics for menstrual discomfort; and mulberry flowers contain rutin, a treatment for elevated blood pressure. Whether opium was used as a drug before quite late in Chinese history is still in dispute. Acupuncture and Moxibustion These modalities have been an integral part of Chinese medical therapy for thousands of years.The Yellow Emperor is said to have invented them, but they may well have existed long before his time. The aim of these treatments was to drain off excess yang or yin and thus establish a proper balance, but external energy also could be introduced into the body. In acupuncture the skin is pierced by long needles to varying prescribed depths. Needles are inserted into any of 365 points along the twelve meridians that traverse the body and transmit an active life force called ch'i. Each of these points is related to a particular organ.For instance, puncture of a certain spot on the ear lobe might be the proper way to treat an abdominal ailment. Virtually every illness, weakness, and symptom is thought to be amenable to correction by acupuncture. Acupuncture spread to Korea and Japan by the end of the tenth century A. D. , to Europe about the seventeenth century, and recent years have seen a wider interest in this Chinese medical practice in the West. Individual paramedical healers and even some medical practitioners have been swamped with requests for acupuncture, especially for problems apparently little benefited by conventional practices.The eventual acceptability of this practice in standard Western medicine remains to be seen. Moxibustion is as old as acupuncture, and the same meridians and points govern placement of the moxa. However, in this treatment a powdered plant substance, usually mugwort, is fashioned into a small mound on the patient's skin and burned, usually raising a blister. Dentistry The treatment of tooth disorders was confined mainly to applying or ingesting drugs—pomegranate, aconite, ginseng, garlic, rhubarb, and arsenic, as well as animal products such as dung and urine.The Nei Ching classified nine types of toothaches, which included some obviously due to infections and tooth decay. Like the Mesopotamians and Egyptians, the ancient Chinese believed that worms were often responsible for dental problems. Toothpicks and tooth whiteners were used, and loose teeth were stabilized with bamboo splints. Gold was sometimes used to cover teeth, but the purpose was decorative rather than protective. Surgery Although surgery was not one of the five methods of treatment listed in the Nei Ching, the knife was known and used.Hua T'o, one of the few names mentioned in connection with surgery, treated an arm wound of the famous general Kuan Yu by cutting his flesh and scraping the bone. Physicians knew how to deal with wounds, and at least two classics we re devoted entirely to their treatment. The proper attitude toward pain was to bear it without a sign of emotion, and much was made of the insouciance of the general treated by Hua T'o; he played chess while the surgeon operated. Nevertheless, apparently some kind of anesthesia was often used.Wine and drugs like hyoscyamus were probably mainstays, but the use of opium and Indian hemp is still in question. Eunuchs and Footbinding Another surgical procedure, though hardly therapeutic, was the frequent castration of certain males seeking advancement at court. Though originally a severe punishment, the total removal of penis and testicles came to be a pledge of absolute allegiance to the monarch, since it released the eunuch from conflict with Confucian admonitions of first loyalty to family and the obligation of siring a son for posterity.Footbinding is also of medical interest, for it caused the development of artificially clubbed feet. Over a period of one thousand years, every young girl of proper family willingly permitted herself to be crippled by her mother and aunts to achieve the tiny foot of ideal feminine beauty. Her toes were gradually folded under the sole, and by increasingly tight bandaging her heelbone and forefoot were brought closer together. Without Golden Lotuses, as the best-shaped bound feet were called, a girl was unmarriageable, nor was the life of a courtesan open to her, for tiny feet were a woman's most desirable feature.For a man, a bound-foot wife had profound sexual significance, but she was also a status symbol inasmuch as her helplessness indicated that he was wealthy enough to support a woman, or women, in idleness. There was also an advantage to him in her restricted mobility, for it kept her home and made illicit amorous adventures difficult. Although China's Manchu conquerors forbade the practice in the nineteenth century, it was not until the early twentieth that footbinding was completely abandoned. Diseases Some epidemic dise ases were understood well enough to allow the development of protective measures.In the eleventh century, inoculation against smallpox was effected by putting scabs from smallpox pustules into the nostrils, a method which may have come from India. Wearing the clothing of someone who had the disease was another means of prevention. The relationship of cowpox (as a protective) to smallpox may have been perceived, since ingesting powdered fleas from infected cows was also recommended to stave off smallpox. But other devastating pestilences were neither understood nor held in check. During the Han dynasty an epidemic of what appears to have been typhoid fever killed two-thirds of the population of one region.Precise descriptions of leprosy in the Nei Ching and later works attest to the diagnostic accuracy of the early Chinese healers, but their explanation of the disease's causes and their treatment follow preconceived notions of the time. â€Å"The wind and chills lodge in the blood v essels and cannot be got rid of. This is called li-feng. For the treatment prick the swollen parts with a sharp needle to let the foul air out. † Fourteenth-century writings referred to chaulmoogra oil, a pressing from seeds of an East Indian tree, as a specific for leprosy, and this oil remained the principal antileprous drug even in the West until recent decades.An illness that may have been tuberculosis was recognized as contagious: â€Å"Generally the disease gives rise to high fever, sweating, asthenia, unlocalized pains making all positions difficult and slowly bringing about consumption and death, after which the disease is transmitted to the relations until the whole family has been wiped out. † Venereal diseases, although not well differentiated, received a variety of therapies, including the use of metallic substances for internal medication.In the Secret Therapy for the Treatment of Venereal Disease, the seventeenth-century physician Chun Szi-sung reported us ing arsenic, which, until the development of penicillin, was the modern medication for venereal disease, in the form of Salvarsan and derivatives synthesized by Paul Ehrlich. There seem always to have been places in China where the sick poor could go for medical care. With the advance of Buddhism in the Han and T'ang dynasties, in-patient hospitals staffed by physician-priests became common.However, in the ninth century, when anti-Buddhists were in control, hospitals as well as 4,600 temples were destroyed or emptied. Nevertheless, by the twelfth century hospitals had again become so numerous that virtually every district had at least one tax-supported institution. The upper classes preferred to be treated and cared for in their homes, thus leaving public hospitals to the poor and lower classes. The Practitioners In the Institutions of Chou, compiled hundreds of years before Christ, the hierarchy of physicians in the kingdom was delineated.The five categories were: chief physician ( who collected drugs, examined other physicians, and assigned them); food physicians (who prescribed six kinds of food and drink); physicians for simple diseases (such as headaches, colds, minor wounds); ulcer physicians (who may have been the surgeons); and physicians for animals (evidently veterinarians). Physicians were also rated according to their results, and as early as the Chou and T'ang dynasties each doctor had to report both successes and failures—to control his movement up or down in the ranks.In the seventh century A. D. examinations were required for one to qualify as a physician, some four centuries earlier than the first licensing system in the West. Medical knowledge was thought of as a secret power that belonged to each practitioner. Whereas in other societies, both advanced and primitive, closely knit guilds might control the spread of medical lore, the Chinese physician kept his secrets to himself—passing them on only to sons or, sometimes, specially selected qualifiers.In early times, a physician gave his services out of philanthropy, for since the original healers were rulers, sages, nobles, and, perhaps, priests, economic and social incentives were absent. Later, direct fees or salaries were instituted, and the court and certain prosperous households kept physicians on retainer. Formal schools may have existed as early as the tenth century, and in the eleventh century an organization for medical education was set up under imperial auspices. Under the Ming dynasty in the fourteenth century, the school system became fixed. It changed little over the next centuries, xcept for a gradual decline, and by 1800 there was only one medical school left in Peking. Teachers were held strictly accountable for the performance of their students, and fines were imposed if the professor failed to enforce attendance or if his pupils did poorly on exams. The examination system was complex: a pyramidal structure provided a process of elimination which continued until those with the highest scores emerged. The top students could be heart doctors, the next level were assistant examiners, and lower scores could mean limited assignment in teaching.Specialization may have occurred early. While physicians and apothecaries were separate for a long time, they were both regarded as healers. In the Chou dynasty there were nine specialties, and they grew to thirteen by the Mongol period, early in the fourteenth century. The subdivisions became even more complex, with doctors for the great blood vessels, small vessels, fevers, smallpox, eyes, skin, bones, larynx, and mouth and teeth. There were also gynecologists, pediatricians, and pulsologists for internal diseases, external medicine, the nose and throat, and for children's illnesses.Some healers specialized in moxibustion, acupuncture, or massage. Even the experts in incantation and dietetics were considered medical specialists and were often held in higher regard than other doctor s; surgeons were generally of low rank. Furthermore, each of the practitioners in each category had assistants and students—all of whom had to qualify by examination. Obstetrics was in the hands of midwives for many centuries; it is not known when the first women doctors were in practice. One female physician is mentioned by name in documents from the Han dynasty (206 B.C. -A. D. 220), but women may have been doctors at an earlier date. By the fourteenth century women were officially recognized as physicians. Throughout the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the practicing medical theorists could be divided into six main philosophic schools. The Yin-yang group focused on insufficiencies of one of these forces. The Wen-pou doctors attributed illnesses to a preponderance of yang and frequently prescribed ginseng and aconite. The Radical group used drastic medication.The Conservatives relied entirely on the authorities of the past, reedited the classic works, and made no deviations from strict authoritarianism. The Eclectic physicians, as their name implies, used a variety of principles from the other sects. The sixth school based all therapy on bringing the five elements and six vapors into harmony. Spread of Chinese Medicine to Korea, Japan, And Tibet Ancient Chinese medicine was well-developed long before the beginning of the Christian era, and its influence appears to have spread into adjacent Korea by the sixth century A.D. At that time, after a severe epidemic had ravaged Japan, Korean doctors who were invited to counsel Japanese physicians introduced them to Chinese medical classics and commentaries. By the seventh century, Japanese scholars and doctors were going directly to China for their information and experience. In the eighth century, a Chinese Buddhist monk named Chien Chen came to Japan and achieved a prominent position in the imperial court at Nara, where, given the Japanese name Kanjin, he taught, practiced medicine, and translated Chinese materia medica.Late in that century, Chinese medicine was well-established in Japan, and a medical school based on its methodology was founded by the Japanese physician Wake Hiroya. Early in the next century (806–10), the Emperor Heijo vainly attempted to combat foreign influence and restore traditional Japanese medical practice, but the methods of Chinese healing were too firmly entrenched. In the tenth century, acupuncture reached Japan, followed by moxibusti on (the word moxa is Japanese), and the full complement of Chinese medicine was accepted in Japan.With medical training closely based on Chinese systems, the Japanese exacted exceptionally intensive and prolonged study before permitting entrance into the profession by governmental examination. As in ancient China, high social standing was a requirement for admission to medical school, but separate instruction by assigned teachers was apparently also arranged to accommodate the more lowly. The authority of Chinese medicine, no t to mention Chinese culture and philosophy, moved east as well as west by the seventh and eighth centuries.However, Arabic and Indian missionaries of Islam and Buddhism made influence a two-way exchange as they traveled to China seeking converts. Since their missions necessitated the translation of Sanskrit and Arabic writings into Chinese and vice versa, medical knowledge inevitably was passed back and forth. Consequently, the crossroads areas of Southeast Asia and Tibet developed a medical system combining aspects of Chinese, Indian, and Arabic practice. Arabic influence, which stemmed in part from Greek teachings, was evident in the doctrine of four humors (phlegm, blood, bile, and wind), whereas Indian deas were seen in the Yogic placement of the soul in the core of the spinal column and reliance on breathing exercises. Traveling Buddhist priests, who were quite successful in spreading their faith, for a long time also practiced medicine. During this early period, the two wives (one Chinese) of a Tibetan king converted him to Buddhism, and thereafter scholars were invited to bring Chinese writings into Tibet, which resulted in collections in Tibetan called Kanjur and Tanjur, the latter containing medical information.In the thirteenth century, the Mongol conqueror Kublai Khan wanted this body of knowledge available again in Chinese but was unable to carry through the translation. Nevertheless, his grandson in the next century arranged for scholars from Tibet, Mongolia, and Central Asia to accomplish the task. Ironically, while the Mongols were in control they allied themselves with non-Chinese such as Uighars, Jews, Christians, and Moslems, and they preferred Arabic medicine to Chinese.

Greek Mythology View’s of Creation Essay

The story of the creation of the universe has many different versions. In some cultures it is believed that the universe was created by the procreation of the Deathless Creatures. Other cultures believe that the creation of the universe resulted from a big bang in which all of the elements in the world gathered together to create a huge mass and then burst to create life. Lastly, and the most believed version, is that the creation of the universe came from a God who would create the world and everything in it. In the ancient cultures, the Greeks and Romans had many different versions of how the universe was created but most looked to the versions by Hesiod and Ovid. Hesiod was a famous oral poet in Ancient Greece. He is thought to have lived between 750 and 650 BC, but no one knows for sure. Along with Homer, Hesiod is believed to be the earliest of the Greek poets. But it is hard to prove which one had come first. Not only did his writings serve as entertainment, but they were also used in other aspects of Greek living. He taught them farming techniques and is believed to have been the first economist. Not only was he a businessman but he also was keen in astronomy and ancient time keeping. Hesiod is a very important man in Greek History and his early writings showcase his abilities. Theogony by Hesiod gives a Greek version of the creation of the universe. In this book, Hesiod describes how the entire universe was created from the Deathless Creature, Gaia. But he described that before Gaia came, the only thing that was in existence was Chaos. â€Å"In truth at first Chaos came to be† (Hesiod, Theogony 116). According to Theogony, Chaos suddenly rose out of nothing. Hesiod talks about how me might have been created from the area between Gaia, earth, and Tartarus, a massive pit in the earth below the underworld. After Chaos, Gaia was the next creature to be created. It was created as a place for the Gods and mortals to live in peace and harmony. With Gaia came the terrain of the world. The next Deathless Creature that came was Tartarus, a massive pit in the earth below the underworld. Ironically, Tartarus is where Zeus would banish all of the Deathless Creatures. What interested me is that the next Deathless Creature from Hesiod’s story of creation is Eros. Eros is the personification of love. I started to wonder how all of the other gods were created if there was no such thing as procreation at the time. And then I did some research and learned that before Eros the Gods were created through parthenogenesis. According to Webster’s Dictionary, Parthenogenesis is â€Å"development of an egg without fertilization†. This occurs when a male and female specimen is not needed to create an embryo. Just like the hammerhead or the blacktip shark, which can procreate without a male being. Eros changed the ways of the world with love. Chaos had many children, including Erebus and Nyx. Erebus and Nyx were born roughly around the same. Erebus was the male personification of the darkness while Nyx was the female personification of the night. Erebus and Nyx then went on to have children, Aether, the atmosphere and Hemera, the day. â€Å"From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night Nyx; of Night were born Aether being the bright upper atmosphere and Day Hemera, whom she conceived and bore from union with Erebus her brother† (Hesiod 11. 116-138). The next lines in Theogony talk about Gaia giving birth to two children, Pontus and Uranus. All of the creatures represent something, this trend continues with Gaia’s children. Pontus represents the sea and Uranus represents the heavens. She created them so that she would be covered. Finally, after all of the deathless creatures were created, Gaia and Uranus came together to make the first real gods, which were known as the Titans. There were twelve Titans in all and are referred to as the second generation. The male Titans were: Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius, and Lapetus. The female Titans were: Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea, and Themis. Along with the twelve Titans, there were also three Cyclopes and three Hekatonkheires born. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Uranus was so disgusted by his children, the Hekatonkheires, that he banished them somewhere in Gaia. Gaia was so upset that she told her Titans to punish their father. The only one that was willing to do so was the youngest, Cronus. He castrated his father as revenge. From the castration many more creatures were born. For example, the furies were born from the blood that was spread all throughout the Earth and Aphrodite was born when Cronus threw the severed private parts into the Sea. The third and final Generation to be born from the deathless creatures was the children of Cronus and Rhea. It was prophesized to him that one of his children would over throw him. Cronus took preemptive measures and thought out an ingenious plan of swallowing his children after they were born. He had six children and one-by-one he would swallow them. His first-born child was named Hestia who was subsequently eaten. Soon to follow in her path were Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. Zeus was the last child to be born, but Rhea could not stand to see another one of her children eaten so she replaced him with a stone. The poem does not state how, but Cronus puked up the remaining five children and they all waged war on their father. Zeus would eventually win and become king. He would then do what many of the other gods had done and banish his father. He sent them all to the bottom of Tartarus where they would never be able to escape. Hesiod’s Theogony first starts off the creation process by bringing darkness, Chaos, and creating things from that. Then it gets into the procreation of the brothers and sisters, and mothers and sons. From that point, the Olympic gods mate with each other and mortal humans as well. This is one version of the Greek story of the Creation of the Universe. Ovid is a Roman poet and in his poem, Metamorphoses, it also speaks of the creation of the universe. In his poem, he splits up the human race into Four Ages: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages. They tell of different times in the universe’s history. At first, there is nothing. Then a god comes and organizes everything and puts it where it’s supposed to be. For example, he puts fire in the farthest part of the universe and so forth. Ovid then gives 3 stories of how mankind was created recreated. First, It then talks about how the god, Prometheus, created the human race as a replica of the God. Then Ovid talks about a war that goes on between the gods and the Giants. During that war the giants stack mountains on top of each other to reach Mount Olympus. But Zeus then knocks over the pile of mountains and all of the Giants are crushed under the rubble. Meanwhile, their blood seeps through the earth. From the blood, humans arose. The final form of creation that Ovid speaks of occurs after the flood. Zeus is upset with the Humans and wants to kill all of them. He sends a massive flood to the earth to wipe them all out. When he comes to a hill he sees two pious people and decided to let them live. The two survivors, Deucalion and Pyrrha, are the ones with recreate the human race. They take the mother bones and throw them over their shoulders. From each bone, a human would sprout up. In the Bible, the story of Genesis talks about the creation of the universe. It states the God created the universe in sex days and rested on the seventh. On each day God creates a different thing. The last thing he creates was the human race. He created them last and they were created as an image of God. According to the two poems and the chapter in the Bible, the story of the creation of the universe happened it three very different ways. In Hesiod’s version, the world and nature around it all came from Mother Earth, Gaia. And the human race came from the love that was spread by Aphrodite and Eros. In Ovid’s version, the world was a chaotic mess and it was an unknown god that restored order into the world. The bible is the only version to give a time of how long it took to create the world and everything in it. Even though there are many differences in the stories, there are also a lot of similarities as well One similarity that all of the accounts of creation hold are the human race was last to be created in all versions. Mankind came after everything in the world was created for them. Another similarity is that the humans were created as an image of God. Lastly, the final similarity that comes from all the versions is; the universe started off as nothing (pure darkness) and then a god came and began the process of creation. In conclusion, Hesiod’s version of creation takes about the promiscuous ways of the gods and titans. Their promiscuity is what created the world and everything in it. According to Ovid’s version, an unknown god created the world and everything in it and gives stories of how the humans were created and recreated. In the Book of Genesis, God created the world in seven days; as well as everything in it. All three versions of creation did have some differences in their stories, but in they all ended with the creation of mankind. Works Cited Hesiod, and Norman Oliver Brown. Theogony;. New York: Liberal Arts, 1953. Print. â€Å"Hesiod’s Creation Myth. † Women in Greek Myths. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. . Ovidius, and Mary M. Innes. The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 1985. Print. Separating, By. â€Å"Xeno. ovid2. † Larryavisbrown. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. . â€Å"SparkNotes: Metamorphoses: Plot Overview. † SparkNotes: Today’s Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. . â€Å"Theogony. † Free Book Reviews | Book Summaries | Shvoong – Summaries & Reviews. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. . â€Å"The Theogony of Hesiod. † Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. .

Issued of the ligalization of drugs Research Paper

Issued of the ligalization of drugs - Research Paper Example Illegalization of various drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin creates a major social problem and conflicts in the society thus making the government lose substantial financial resources annual. The government should therefore legalize the use of drugs and create effective systems that are easy to manage in order to curb the menace s the discussion below portrays. Legalizing drugs has more advantages than the current state of affairs has. Some of the illegal drugs have medicinal value a feature that continues to enhance their usage. A drug like marijuana is among the most commonly abused dug in the United States. Users of such rugs cite its medicinal value. As such, the government should make marijuana a prescription drug a feature that would ease access to such drugs thus limiting the violence and crime often associated with the illegal outfits that peddle the drugs. â€Å"Decriminalization of drugs would lower the cost of regulating the use of the drugs in the society since it creates systematic structures for the supervision of the industry† (Leuw and Marshall 89). Legalizing the drug would lower the cost of sustaining the various law enforcement agencies in the country. As stated earlier, the government spends billions of taxpayers’ money in running various police outfits and correctional facilities most of which are strained by the high number of drug offenders â€Å"most of the inmates in penitentiaries have drug related cases. Marijuana is the most common case in the prisons† (Husak 121). This implies that by legalizing such a simple drug as marijuana, the government would save billions of dollars for use in other sectors of the economy thus enhancing the economic growth in the country. The reduction in the pressure in such facilities would create room for the effective and efficient management of the prisons thus enhancing the creation of a cohesive

Tips for Action For Single Parents Health Education Essay

Tips for Action For Single Parents Health Education - Essay Example I have chosen 4 of the guidelines to discuss in this paper based on my experience with my parents. They are: set fair ground rules and discipline with love, be positive, give the child responsibility commensurate with maturity levels, and be a good role model. As am I not yet a parent myself, the only personal experience I have with parenting is by observing my own parents. Our household had a set of rules that were strong as iron. An infraction, or breaking of one of these rules was akin to a slap in the face. The rules were elegant in their simplicity. #1 Respect - above all else. Each person in the household was entitled to respect as a person. Our parents respected our opinions, and listened to what we had to say as long as it was in a correct tone of voice and in turn, we respected our parents because they seemed less dictators than guides. #2 Work hard, and work together. This meant if there was a job to be done, we were all to assist in completing it. Mom might have assigned individual tasks to us, but it was based on who was available at the moment, not who's "job it was".. Often, we were all working on different tasks at the same time in order to ensure everything got done in the least amount of time. These two simple rules governed our daily lives, and it worked to bring easy harmony. When one of the rules wasn't followed, my parents were believers in "reality discipline". This meant that we had to accept the reality of the outcome of our decisions. "Reality itself is conditional: If you do certain things, you face certain consequences" (Leman 27). This meant that the time I forgot to pick my clothes up off the floor, I didn't have any clean socks to wear. My parents were experts at this type of discipline. They were not being mean to me, I did not feel unloved. I only felt that the decision I had made was the wrong one and since I made the decision I was forced to accept the consequences. In this way, there was love - not anger- in my parent's discipline. In my opinion, this method of discipline was most effective for me and would be useful for most parents. Single parents would find this method particularly useful, as it allows the natural course of action to assist in teaching their children; acting in a fashion as an additional parent. Conversely, when we did something exceptional, or just noticeable, my parents rewarded our good behavior. Single parents would find this tip most helpful because it encourages the children to do right, in effect making them more helpful to the parent. Single parents are at a disadvantage when it comes to time with their children. In a traditional dual-parent home, there are two adults to share the responsibilities of maintaining a household; whereas in the single parent home the parent must shoulder the burden of everything. The single parent is the primary provider and caretaker, the gardener and the cook, the cheerleader and the coach. When the children are rewarded and encouraged, they feel that they can make a difference and are more willing to help around the house. This is a tremendous help to the overwhelmed single-parent. Children who are rewarded for picking up their toys, folding clothes, or any number of chores will remember that praise and will actively look for another opportunity to receive it. This will enable the single-parent with a wiling, helpful support

Postmodernity and Five Fundamental Theological Issues Essay

Postmodernity and Five Fundamental Theological Issues - Essay Example Post-modernism developed as a concept in the mid-1980s and has received increased following over the years. As a concept, post-modernism defies definition because in this moment it means different things to different observers. (Guarino, Thomas, 2009). â€Å"Postmodernism is hard to define, because it is a concept that appears in a wide variety of disciplines or areas of study, including art, architecture, music, film, literature, sociology, communications, fashion, and technology. It's hard to locate it temporally or historically, because it's not clear exactly when postmodernism begins. â€Å"Perhaps the easiest way to start thinking about postmodernism is by thinking about modernism, the movement from which postmodernism seems to grow or emerge. Modernism has two facets, or two modes of definition, both of which are relevant to understanding postmodernism. â€Å"The first facet or definition of modernism comes from the aesthetic movement broadly labeled "modernism." This movement is roughly coterminous with twentieth century Western ideas about art (though traces of it in emergent forms can be found in the nineteenth century as well). Modernism is the movement in visual arts, music, literature, and drama which rejected the old Victorian standards of how art should be made, consumed, and what it should mean.

TV Makes People Dumber Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

TV Makes People Dumber - Essay Example This essay generally believes that TV is bad for the youth. TV makes people dumber because it teaches racial prejudice and discrimination, it may boost memory, but not critical thinking skills, and it may be too complex for their cognitive and emotional levels, thereby limiting their ability to maximize potential learning from it. TV shows, even those with complex narratives, contains ideas that promote racial prejudice. Steven Johnson, in his essay, â€Å"Watching TV Makes You Smarter,† maintains that TV is good for people’s brains because many shows, including bad ones, have complex narratives with multiple-occurring plots. The complexity of TV stories compels people to think deeply, and this thinking makes them smarter. This paper opposes this argument because 24 may have a complex narrative, but it promotes racial stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims. It turns race into a literal black-and-white plot of morality, disabling people from realizing that TV is just a stor y, not a valid generalization of racial identities. Furthermore, some reality TV shows suggest that racial prejudice is fun and entertaining. Scholastic Scope explores the dangers of watching reality TV shows in â€Å"Is Reality TV Making You Stupid?† ... ho are negatively portrayed on TV and movies, such as what Dana Stevens highlights in â€Å"Thinking outside the Idiot Box.† Teenagers might think that racism is nothing serious and become discriminatory to minorities. Moreover, Reality TV might be making people stupid because it portrays negative values and conduct. It teaches selfishness. Most shows are about â€Å"me† than about â€Å"we.† In addition, reality TV teaches materialism. Shows such as My Super Sweet 16 underscore the negative effects of TV on the young mind. They might learn that materialism is good for their lives. Aside from potentially forming negative conduct, TV may improve memory, but not critical thinking skills. Susan Smith presents some evidence that TV is good for the brain in â€Å"TV Makes You Smart.† She mentions a study which provides findings that watching TV, especially comedy, can enhance memory. Johnson agrees with Smith and says that TV is a memory-booster because people have to memorize plots and characters to understand what they are watching. However, this essay argues that comedy and complex dramatic narratives might be good for the memory, but they are not true cognitive workouts as Johnson claims. It may produce short-term memory enhancement, but it does not train young minds to challenge what they watch. Moreover, watching TV makes people want to watch more TV only because it captures attention. Stevens believe that instead of making people smarter, TV merely conditions people to watch more. Watching more TV, if it does not make people smarter and can even make them dumber, will only make matters worse for people’s ability to think critically. In addition, watching TV trains people to be sensitive to changing actions and social relationships, but not how to question these

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Literature review - Essay Example Man has its own structure according to his responsibilities, woman posse’s different structure as per her responsibilities. Men and women both created in couples but both posses different attributes and different lifestyles. Woman posses some traits completely different from man and man owns some characteristics entirely different from woman. Still, there is a competition lies between man and woman. No matter in which part of the world, they live but it’s so easy to find a tight competition between man and woman. Gender plays an important role in both human beings. Gender helps creating special traits in every man or woman. It is generally considered that men are strong and women are weak, there are thousands of differences on the basis of which it is usually said. Regardless of strength, there are many other factors that make woman different from man. Man are usually strong in feelings, they do not take care lots of small things in their life, while on the other hand, woman are always possessive about their relationship, their belongings etc. The word docility states the trait of being agreeably manageable and submissive. Docility can also be defined as the willingness and readiness to fulfill other wishes without considering own’s wish. ... The term docility also points Judith butler’s (1990) theory of gender performance. She points that individuals must constantly perform defined gender actions, in order to get away the social discipline that is experienced against queer sexuality. In the repetition of gender actions, actions are usually ignored and the avatar is usually considered as an internal identity. In this way, gender seems a docile body. For instance, Miroslaw Filiciak (2003) argues that the developing of identities in cyberspace is not so much in plenty from a self as it is a longed for chance of showing one’s self beyond physical limits. These expressions might not move beyond the gender actions and sexual norms that make the â€Å"self†. In the eyes of many sociologist, docility in the main concept of performance. Docility usually helps in identifying personal traits as per their gender specification; it also helps in understanding why individuals authorize with the agency to develop th eir own sexual world rather to perpetuate the identified norms of gender and sexuality. Conformity is the action of relating attributes, concepts, and actions to what human gender considers is usual of their community or social group. This determination appears in small units and society as a whole, and normally output from elusive unconscious shapes, or direct and overt social force. Conformity can appear in the presence of others, or when an individual has no one around him. For instance, people incline to obey social values when eating or watching their favorite plays, even when they have no one around them. A number of people normally conform from a wish of being safe within a unit generally in a group of a similar religion, unit,

Role of Economic Factors Behind Neo-imperialism Phenomenon Essay

Role of Economic Factors Behind Neo-imperialism Phenomenon - Essay Example This paper aims to evaluate whether neo-imperialism is a political or economic phenomenon by evaluating its origins and consequences. The paper provides not only an understanding of neo-imperialism as a phenomenon but also gives insight into its current influence in the global arena. To understand neo-imperialism, it is essential to valuate its validity as either a political or economic phenomenon. Many of the activities and strategies employed in neo-imperialism resulted to or were caused by political measures to preserve influence and power in the home regions of the nation involved. Marxist and socialist critics point out the underlying economic motivation driving imperialistic movements. Regardless of the stated and actual motivations, neo-imperialism both has political and economic rationales. In the resolution of conflicts during the imperial period territories were the central issues while in neo-imperialism, trading rights were seen as more important than physical occupation. The intimacy of government and economics allows for both economic and political elements in neo-imperialism. Thought the economic rewards remain at the core and purpose of neo-imperialism, political will acted its arm in enforcing its objectives.Its mechanism was to exploit markets and trade to establish presence in the global community. Its costs also find its justification in the financial rewards. Neo-imperialism proves itself to be a dynamic economic force that has helped shape the global economy as we know it today.

Race and the Death Penalty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Race and the Death Penalty - Research Paper Example In every modern society, there are authorities to impose punishments on wrongdoers and the nature of authorities varies with the kind of offenses. For example, a child who breaks the rules of a family at home is punished by his parents or the other elderly members. But, in the society when someone gets involved in illegal activities is punished by the criminal judicial system. There are two major reasons for inflicting punishment on criminals: one belief is that it is fair that people who break the law be punished according to the level of his offence, and the second belief is that punishments will discourage offenders from repeating their wrongdoings in the future and will also put fear in the minds of others from doing wrong. These two beliefs are universal in every human society. The debate surrounding the necessity of punishments including capital punishment, therefore, does not focus on the â€Å"basic principles but on the fairness, appropriateness, and effectiveness of specif ic punishments for specific offenses.†1 Because of the irrevocable nature of the death penalty, it is the most criticized form of punishment. In the United States, racial prejudices were pervasive and played an important role in the decision of the jury in regard to death penalties as â€Å"the color of a defendant and victim’s skin plays a crucial and unacceptable role in deciding who receives the death penalty in America.†2 It has been seen that an offender is more likely to get the death penalty if the murdered victim is a white man. This paper focuses on the racial prejudices surrounding death penalty in the United States. Before studying the death penalty from the angle of racial prejudices it is important to note that racism is a major part of the American society.

Modern techniques and methods of management Term Paper

Modern techniques and methods of management - Term Paper Example Mark uses an automobile dashboard to bring out the point that the system should be able to predict the result of the score prior to the daily keeping of records. According to the article, the clarity and dynamic relationship is clearly illustrated between the process measures and result measures. Pertinently, it is not only important to identify the process of the final score but also the final score in its exact outcome at the end of the process. The measured process is vital in the evaluation of the whole process and procedures in an organization, which is pertinent since one, is capable to change the direction of the process to suit his or her expectations. In conclusion, Mark Henderson rates the accuracy of the dashboard as follows (Doshi, 2008.p.123). He says, the dashboards are not accurate machines to prompt the user on the specific problem. Rather it gives directions or assumptions on what might be wrong. On the other hand, Gary Lockwood directs his arguments still on the das hboard as the measurement of effective management. Therefore, the article argues that the dashboard is the best system in the measurement of the organizational profit. ... He adds that, with its consistence use, the dashboard shows the weakness of the organization’s operation (Drucker, & Maciariello, 2008.p. 321). In summary, Gary Lockwood recommends the above phenomena to the entrepreneurs in that, he urges them to use dashboard consistently in order to coerce their business directly. According to Jim Clemmer, he affirms that currently there are too many measures formulated to solve the internal needs of an organization. In one way or another, the above measures can be used to serve satisfactorily the management’s control and command paranoia. Notable is the fact that many measures are used to gauge several departments including the human resource as well as other supportive departments. Despite the fact that many managers rely on the measurement of finance in an organization, as the basic indicator of the health of an organization, it is advisable to base on history, which is the bottom line for a healthy organization. Here, history mea ns the today’s consequences, results from yesterday’s decision of management (Epstein, 2004.p.201). He argues that what is expected to be measured is the usefulness of the information and not data, as argued by Mark and Gary above. In summary Jim puts it that, regular measurement does not in any way change the situation, in addition, he takes his own example and demonstrates that when he weighs himself ten times daily, that alone wont change his current weight. Therefore, the measurement is only indicators of what is happening but not a way of evading the reality. Moreover, with correct data, one is capable to further improve and transform of the organization effectively. Therefore, it is advisable to first choose the right tool, then

The length of a wire affects its resistance Essay Example for Free

The length of a wire affects its resistance Essay I predict that by keeping the voltage the same, the amp measurements will have a strong relationship, but by using only one voltage might be the subject of ohms law not to work. It may also be proven that by raising the length of the piece of wire the relationship between the resistance will be that, the longer the wire the less resistance happening. Equipments used   Amp meter   Volt meter (set at 4 volts)   Power pack (also set at 4 volts) Experiment After setting up the equipment, I set out the circuit provided on the board. I then drew a result table to record my results and began my experiment. I set the voltage on the power pack to 4 and clipped a crocodile clip on one end of the wire, reading 0 cm on the ruler. Then I put the other crocodile clip on the piece of wire that read 10 cm on the ruler. To get my result though I still had to move my resistor to get the se3t voltage on my volt meter (which is 4 volts). Once I achieve this voltage, I looked at the amp meter to see what amp measurement I had achieved. After writing my reading down in my table, I move the moved the crocodile clip at the reading of 10cm on the ruler and moved it to 20 cm then repeated the whole process I had just done to get the reading for 20cm. Then I did the same process for 30cm to 90cm. once I had done this I looked at my results table to see if I could form a relationship between my results, but after looking them I couldnt really think of a positive relationship with out any other results to compare with, but with saying that I could see a small relationship there, that the resistance goes down when the length of wire goes up. Length of wire (cm) Number of experiment 1 2 3 Resistance. So to make sure that I had a relationship I redid the experiment again (twice) to see if my theory was try on all three tests. Length of wire (cm) Number of experiment 1 2 3 Resistance By looking at my results I came to the conclusion that my little theory was the longer the piece of wire the smaller the resistance true but that wasnt the end of my test. I had to find out how many ohms were in each measurement. But first I took my table and found the average measurement for the resistance. Length of wire (cm) Number of experiment 1 2 3 Resistance Average Then I moved to do Ohms law, in order to do this I had to take the equation V=IxR and turn I round to get the number of ohms, so the end equation was R=V/I so I did this to all of my results in my table, to get Length of wire (cm). Number of experiment 1 2 3 Resistance Average   then put these results in to a graph to get one looking like figure 1. 2. Conclusion By looking at my graph I would say that my prediction is correct because the length of a piece of wire does affect the resistance of the voltage going throw it. Evaluation. I would say that I could improve investigation by adding more detail on what I did and how I did it. I could also research more information on how to conduct my investigation further. I should have spent more time collecting information and results, which would have made my test fairer than it was all though I did do my test 3 times because I still dont think that my test was fair enough. Kassandra McDonald Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Gas Solid Chromatography And Gas Liquid Chromatography Chemistry Essay

Gas Solid Chromatography And Gas Liquid Chromatography Chemistry Essay Gas chromatography mainly consists of Gas solid chromatography and Gas liquid chromatography, in both types gas is used as mobile phase and either solid or liquid used as stationary phase. Gas solid chromatography is not used widely because of limited number of stationary phases available. In Gas solid chromatography, the principle of separation is adsorption. Its mainly used for solutes which having less solubility in stationary phase. Principle and criteria required for gas chromatography Principle of separation in Gas liquid chromatography is partition only.  Gas is used as mobile phase and the liquid is coated on a solid support used as stationary phase. Hence those compounds can be separated according to their partition-coefficients. Criteria for the compounds to be analysed by gas chromatography are volataility and thermostability. Liquid Chromatography Liquid chromatography is a separation technique in which the mobile phase is a liquid. Liquid chromatography can be carried out either in a column or a plane. Liquid chromatography it utilizes very small amount of particles and relatively high pressure is applied called as high performance liquid chromatography. Liquid chromatography mainly described as non-instrumental method. Since sample doesnt need to vaporize as like in gas chromatography. Potentially any compound can be analysed by this method. Elution can be done by surface adsorbtion , solvent partitioning, ion-exchange , relative solute size , and relative solubility. Both solute and solvents are attached to the polar sites on stationary phase Selection of solvent Its is depend upon various factors such as Solvent strength , polarity index. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Using of more than one column in gas and liquid chromatography : The significant advantage over single column system rather than one or two dimensional systems are coupled in such a way that individual or group peaks are transfer from one column to another column for increase in resolution. Various things supporting for using of multidimensional systems are by observing results from various journals such as- Increase in resolution better separation Shortly analysis time Faster results Avoidence of column and detector contamination Increase of volume lifetime and reliability Increase in sensitivity improved detection by removal of overlapped peaks. Using of combinational approach for the improvement of conditional probabilities. To improve the analyte signal probability, nothing but Application of hyphenation. To minimize model residual error. The main approaches for using more than one or two columns in chromatography or analytical seperations are as follows: 1.Enrcihment 2.Heart-cutting 3.Back-flushing 1. Enrichment : This is the main approach that to identify or increase in amounts of trace components. Initially pre-concentration of trace elements can be packed on a column, and then more samples can be placed on packed column than a capillary. 2. Heart-cutting : For a complex mixture containing not only single column to resolve the all components of interest and very large peaks may appears those may masks the other components , by passing the resolved area to second column can be used to treat heart-cutting or cut and transfer. The main use of heartcutting inmulti dimensional chromatography either gas or liquid is the physical separation of a few trace target compounds in the presence of major interferences. The complete multi dimensional characterization of a sample requires a different approach.The arrangement of the adjacent heartcuts are performed within the samerun. By this we able to find out the maximum peak capacity of a system averagely. The second column using also must having different polarity from first column. 3.Back-flushing: If the sample contains both volatile and non-volatile substances respectively, the total experiment should have to done in one direction only. For this reason only one column is needed. In normal operations flow normally occers , after all faster eluting species has resolved. The value is switch, reversing the flow. In reverse phase For high moleculer weight species it would evolves and finally first portion of column to done the separation. Back-flushing reverse mode: Background work for Multi Dimensional Chromatography: It represents a powerfull tool and an alternative procedure to classical one dimensional High performance liquid chromatography. To obtain multiheartcut, 2-D GC has been developed. Narrow slices of effluent are periodically injected through a primary column into a short, high-speed secondary column. Components which are not resolved in the first dimension undergo a second separation step. The process is analogous to routine GC/MS and is also known as comprehensive 2-D GC. In both processes, the entire sample is sliced into narrow packets for further analyzation. The practical implementation of comprehensive 2-D GC is done by brainchild of Phillips who invented a thermal modulator as a sample introduction device. The main origin of multi dimensional gas and liquid chromatography is lies in planar chromatography i.e., partition between a liquid moving by capillary action across a strip of paper presented with second liquid. Most of the devolepments in past two decades, how ever, The multi dimensional chromatography is using for quantitative measurements. Introduction to Multi Dimensional Gas and Liquid Chromatography: Multidimensional chromatography is also known as coupled column chromatography or column switching chromatography or multiphase chromatography or boxcar chromatography or sequential analysis. Multidimensional chromatography includes the separation of complex mixtures by using multiple columns with different stationary phases. Those columns are coupled orthogonally, that the fractions from first column can be selectively transferred to the other columns for additional separation. This enables separation of trace elements from complex mixtures that cannot be separated by using a single column. Multi dimensional systems in chromatography: A chromatographic dimension is determined as a constant value of the distribution constant of an analyte within the same analysis. The experimental arrangements leading to its change within one run (such as different stationary phases, different temperatures) belong to multidimensional chromatography systems. Multi dimensional switching in chromatography: A switching dimension is sample inlet-separation part-detector within one analysis run. An experimental arrangement leading to multiplication of any part of the path of the moving object belongs to multi-dimensional switching systems. In multidimensional chromatography, the distribution constant is diferent in each part, and thus the analytes will behave different by them. Therefore, the separation in a one-dimensional system will be enhanced in proportion to the number of chromatographic dimensiones. It is describes that the multidimensional chromatography without mulditimensional switchning (temperature or program modes) and multidimensional switching without multidimensional chromatography. Hyphenated techniques can be both multidimensional separation systems (HPLC-GC) and multidimesional switching systems (FID-MS). Interfaces of different techniques (GC-FTIR) are very often considered as hyphenation but they are not necessarily multidimensional. In multidimensional chromatography, the distribution constant is different in each dimension, and thus the analytes will behave differently in them. The separation will be enhanced in proportion to the number of chromatographic dimensions. Instrumentation: Multi dimensional Gas and liquid chromatography : Mainly those injecting of samples via: Gas injector Liquid injector 1.Gas injector : This instrument is a controlled analyzer chamber which contains 6-way diaphragm valve and an injector loop in switching position A)clear path of the value the sample flows continuously over connections 5,6,3,4 through the injector loop, while the carrier gas supplies the separation column via the path1 and 2. In switching position B) dotted path samples is shorted via 5,4 the carrier gas flushes the samples which was measured in the injector loop to the separation column via 1,6,3,2 after the completion of the injection , time of injection will takes nearly 1 to 10 sec. Switching back to switching position A occurs . For gas injection , volume between 0.5 and 3ml are used depends upon analytical needs. 2.Liquid injector : Liquid samples can be introduced in liquid form. The required amount of liquid is the vapourized and supplied to the separation coloumn as a gas by using liquid gas injector valve which consists of 3 sections the pneumatic drive , sample through the vapourization system. Those techniques can be available with the multi dimensional gas and liquid chromatography are: Multi dimensional Thin Layer chromatography Multi dimensional Gas Chromatography Multi dimensional High Performance Liquid Chromatography Multi dimensional by using on-line coupled HPLC and capillary gas chromatography Multi dimensional super critical fluid chromatography Ultra high pressure multi dimensional liquid chromatography Interpretation of results : Chemometric study may useful for study of highly fused peaks, when multi channel detectors are used , this chemometric analysis is successful when they having potential peaks may occering with in chromatographic peaks , the chemometric methods automated so as to defuse regions of a chromatogram. Only problem with this technique when having one dimensional data and its mainly applicable for proteomics. Advantages of Multi dimensional chromatography Over one dimensional and two dimensional systems In both gas and liquid chromatographic systems: Mainly includes the separation of complex mixtures those cannot be separated by using a single column. Some of the separations can be done by multi dimensional chromatography are given below those are the main advantages for the multi dimensional liquid chromatography. Increase in resolution Shorter analysis system Extended column life Decrease in detection limits Preventing detector contamination Disadvantages of multi dimensional chromatographic systems: Detection through liquid chromatography may have limited sensitivity and thus for dilute analytes . Its necessary to introduce a concentration step. Requirements for multi dimensional systems (Both Gas and Liquid chromatographic systems) Those requirements for collaborative study or validated things for multidimensional system is Rapid analysis: If the samples having like high boiling point range , necessary to backflush the all components eluting from the first column after the components of interest have been transferred. This ensures an exact analysis and this end as well as clean analysing path for the next analysis. Precission: The measured things should be separate entirely from any interfearing ones are coupling columns and using heart cutting technique those can be estimated quantitatively. Reliability: By these pre-separation with first column and by transferring only the peak interest into second column that is the main analytical column and detector contamination can be prevented that may interrupt analysis. Wide range of analysis: Those components of different techniques having different techniques and having different characteristics such as boiling point , polarity and by using the same analytical system and the analytical method can be selected for optimum separation. Applications for multi dimensional gas and liquid chromatography: Common applications for Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Proteins and peptides à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Drug isolation from urine and plasma à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Polysaccharides à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Homopolymers, oligomers, copolymers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Surfactants à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ DNA fragments The most important application and the recent trend for this multi dimen sional chromatography is proteomics, The complex protein is separated by multi-dimensional liquid chromatography instead of using the two dimensional gel electrophoresis. Recent results obtained from journals through Multiple dimensional chromatography system: Identification of selenium species in urine by ion-pairing HPLC-ICP-MS Elemental Speciation by LC-ICP-MS: A Practical Tool for Environmental Analysis Effect of metal ions on the molecular weight distribution of humic substances derived from municipal compost: ultrafiltration and SEC with spectrophotometric and ICP-MS detection Environmentally friendly sample treatment for speciation analysis by hyphenated techniques. Green Chemistry. Trace humic and fulvic acids determination in natural water by cloud point extraction/ preconcentration using non-ionic and cationic surfactants and a FI-system with spectrophotometric detection. Liquid Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Sequential extractions of selenium soils: total selenium and speciation measurements with ICP-MS detection. Elemental Speciation. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Elemental Speciation Studies, New Directions for Trace Metal Analysis. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Preliminary Studies on Selenium-Containing Proteins in Brassica juncea by Size Exclusion Chromatography and Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography Coupled to ICPMS. Additives in polymers Large scale analysis of yeast proteome by multiple dimensional protein identification technology Phosphorous speciation in functional foods Applications in industrial analysis Environmental analysis solves complex problems in environmental analysis Used to study peptidones and peptidomics by selective protein degradation turnover of enzymes can be studied We can list the following areas prime targets e.g essential oil and natural products analysis, chiral analysis (e.g fragrances) trace multi residue analysis, pesticide monitoring, petroleum products application, in fact any separation simply and greater resolution and sensitivity is mainly required. Determination of PCBS (Poly chlorinated bi-phenyls) Rapid determination of isoprenes. Proteome analysis of low-abundance proteins using the global profiling of endogenous small proteins and peptides of Selective protein degradation and to study turnover of enzymes e.g Ubiquitin-proteasome , endosome-lysozome.etc. Solid phase, synthesis reagents and automated scrrening systems by multi dimensional chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. In environmental analysis it might be used for solving of complex problems in environmental analysis. Multi dimension chromatography is used as bio-marker for discovery Especially for ovarian cancer and brest cancer Recent trends in Multi dimensional gas and liquid chromatography: With respect to multi dimensional chromatography lots of applications in bio-technology, earlier many electrophoresis techniques were used to analyze the DNA or such compounds. And now the major analytical separations are going through the multi dimensional chromatography and analysis of petroleum in Egypt also and for purification of proteins. Coupled multi dimensional chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry systems for complex peptide mixture analysis. SCX-RP/MS/MS SCX/RP/MS/MS HPLC using monolithic silica columns RP-RP 2D HPLCusing two different columns RP-RP 2D HPLCusing two similar columns Ion-exchange reversed phase 2D-HPLC using a monolithic column for two dimensional. IEX-RP 2D HPLC using a monolithic RP capillary column for two dimensional. SCX/RP/MS/MS MUDPIT Proteome analysis or Proteomics: Its a biochemical method which is using instead of two dimension gel electrophoresis, its mainly require very low flow rates in combination with small inner diameter columns for its high detection sensitivity. The micro valve, with low internal volume, can be positioned closely to the mass spectrometer for highest separation performance. In the first dimension, fractions of the peptide mixture elute from an ion exchange column by using a salt step gradient. Then each fraction is trapped on a small reversed-phase trapping column and then separated after the valve switches to a reversed column (the second dimension). Then the trapping column is first used to prevent salt from entering the mass spectrometer (ion suppression). Second, the column allows an enrichment step, which together with the low flow rate in the 2nd dimension provides high detection sensitivity. Conclusion: For the growing importance and to determination of various analytes like those present in complex mixtures such a techniques like multi dimensional chromatography are being proposed and those techniques having importance because of their precission and reliability and rapid analysis of samples , now-a-days these techniques might be used as bio-markers and also through such a improvement we achieved by this multi dimensional chromatographic systems are more advanced than orthogonal systems and two dimensional systems. This technique having various applications in industrial analysis and environmental analysis and as well as bio-markers and useful to identify trace amounts in complex mixtures.