Three hominid molars were recovered from a depth of 7.0-7.1 meters in the Mumba Shelter at Lake Eyasi, northern Tanzania. Geological context of the finds and archaeological data indicate that people with a Middle Stone Age technology were using the Mumba locality intermittently whenever retreat of lake waters allowed access to the site. Uranium series dates suggest an age on the order of 130,000 years bp for the teeth and stone tools. Based on morphological analyses, the dental remains probably belonged to one individual and appear to be the crowns of two upper permanent M2s and one lower permanent M2. Crown areas are very small, even in comparison to the variation exhibited by recent African populations. Crown patterns have no archaic features. These teeth are smaller than any verifiable archaic Homo sapiens examples; thus, they may represent early anatomically modern Homo sapiens.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Encouraging donation of organs for transplantation by requiring request.

Requiring hospitals to request permission from next-of-kin to harvest organs from a deceased patient is a positive step toward reducing the shortage of organs for transplantation. The "required request" laws, however, should rely on immunity from liability rather than criminal sanctions to encourage compliance.

Informed Consent↗

PubMed1987

Rationing expensive lifesaving medical treatments.

In the last fifteen years, medical technology has made significant and spectacular advances. Hemodialysis, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, CT scanners, and organ transplants are among the treatments now available to patients. In recent months, in fact, the media has reported the increased use of artificial hearts, heart transplants, and liver transplants. These technological advances, however, have been accompanied by troublesome legal and ethical issues. For example, someone must decide which patients will receive a medical resource when demand exceeds supply. Similarly, and more commonly, someone must decide whether the significant number of patients who cannot afford an available treatment should receive it despite the cost. In response to these troublesome issues, hospitals, doctors, and commentators have either proposed or implemented rationing systems based on criteria such as the social worth of the patient, likelihood of survival after the operation, and ability to pay. In this Article, Professor Mehlman examines the possible systems for rationing expensive lifesaving medical technologies. First, he concludes that the costs of any rationing system probably exceed its benefits. Consequently, he rejects the rationing of expensive but available lifesaving medical technologies. Second, he argues that the increased availability of the technologies and the recent expansion of patient rights to sue will result in a substantial number of judicial challenges to rationing. Finally, he suggests detailed criteria to aid the courts in deciding whether a resource has been improperly rationed.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed1985

The artificial heart: is it a wise option for health care?

Through Interdisciplinary Grand Rounds we hope to analyze new directions in the organization and delivery of health and medical care. Discussion will focus on current trends, their impact on the health care field and attempts to find solutions to the problems they present. These discussions are selected from the interdisciplinary conferences held at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Prepared from transcriptions, they are edited by the presenters and by the Health Matrix editorial staff. The following presentation was co-sponsored by the CWRU Medical School Committee for Student Representatives and the Student Bar Association of the CWRU Law School.

Ethics, Medical↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The Human Genome Project and the courts: gene therapy and beyond.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Child↗