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PubMed2002

Defining the brain systems of lust, romantic attraction, and attachment.

Mammals and birds have evolved three primary, discrete, interrelated emotion-motivation systems in the brain for mating, reproduction, and parenting: lust, attraction, and male-female attachment. Each emotion-motivation system is associated with a specific constellation of neural correlates and a distinct behavioral repertoire. Lust evolved to initiate the mating process with any appropriate partner; attraction evolved to enable individuals to choose among and prefer specific mating partners, thereby conserving their mating time and energy; male-female attachment evolved to enable individuals to cooperate with a reproductive mate until species-specific parental duties have been completed. The evolution of these three emotion-motivation systems contribute to contemporary patterns of marriage, adultery, divorce, remarriage, stalking, homicide and other crimes of passion, and clinical depression due to romantic rejection. This article defines these three emotion-motivation systems. Then it discusses an ongoing project using functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain to investigate the neural circuits associated with one of these emotion-motivation systems, romantic attraction.

Affect↗
PubMed2004

Proof of paternity: historical reflections on an andrological-forensic challenge.

Throughout the history of medicine, there have been difficulties in forensic proving of unsolved paternities, making this a major andrological-forensic challenge. In the Roman empire, children procreated by incest, called 'incestuosi', had no rights at all and other illegitimates, e.g. children born of prostitutes or as a result of adultery, could not assert rights towards the father. Only through the 'corpus iuris civilis' of the Roman Emperor Justinian I (6th century ad) could claims of alimony be made in some cases. In later times, evidence of presumable impotence of a potential father was determined by the congressus, where defined juristical 'sexual fights' had to be held before official matrons, surgeons and priests. Men had to demonstrate their erectile and ejaculatory function. A special significance must be attributed to the microscopical discovery of spermatozoa by the medical student Johann Ham in 1677 and the further investigation by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. After centuries of personally biased and scientifically incorrect concepts of paternity determination, the discovery of the blood grouping system by Karl Landsteiner at the beginning of the 20th century paved the way for sophisticated techniques to prove or rather to disprove paternity. In 1921, Reuben Ottenberg from New York was the first to suggest the application of the system to medico-legal questions, but it was not before the 1950s that legal courts accepted this method. A famous example of disregarding clear blood grouping results was the case of the movie star Charles Chaplin in California in 1946. Modern DNA techniques, today the golden standard in forensic medicine, have also been applied recently for historical investigations. One of the very illustrious examples is the dispute about Thomas Jefferson, third President of the US, fathering a child of one of his slaves.

Andrology↗
PubMed2002

Diagnosis of urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections by home-obtained, mailed samples: do we need a telephone hotline for information and advice?

This study evaluates the use of dedicated telephone hotlines to provide advice to young individuals who were offered the chance to be tested for Chlamydia trachomatis by means of home-obtained samples that were mailed directly to a testing laboratory. In a school-based screening study, a population-based screening study and a partner-tracing study we established hotlines and registered the calls. The target groups for the 3 studies comprised 8,909, 9,000 and 4,622 individuals and 0.1% (8/8,909), 0.7% (66/9,000) and 2.7% (124/4,622) of the populations, respectively took the opportunity to call anonymously to receive advice. The number of calls per opening hour of the hotlines varied between 0.2 (8 calls/40 opening hours) and 0.4 (124 calls/300 opening hours). Major reasons for calling the hotlines included requests for more information about chlamydial infections, questions relating to the study and emotional concerns (e.g. problems relating to partner tracing, adultery or anxiety concerning infertility). Although only a small fraction of the target populations used the hotlines we conclude that there is a need for advice and counseling in connection with strategies involving home-obtained samples for C. trachomatis testing. The optimal setting for this, however, remains to be determined.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Reproductive issues from the Islamic perspective.

The Islamic faith is regarded by its followers, Muslims, as a complete way of life. A multitude of nationalities practise Islam and also various sects, and as a result there are various interpretations of Qur'anic guidance relating to almost every matter. Only a fully qualified jurist of the highest rank can issue edicts on problems that are not already clearly addressed in the Qur'an. This applies to contemporary issues and any Muslim is at liberty to debate and dialogue with the religious leader to obtain a ruling on a specific question. Marriage is described as half the faith in Islam and to have children is seen as a great blessing. There is no religious objection to an infertile married couple pursuing any form of infertility treatment including in vitro fertilization, surgical sperm retrieval and micro-assisted conception methods. However, there must be strict control to ensure that the gametes belong to the husband and wife. This relationship is described as 'halal' (permitted), whereas any union of gametes outside a marital bond, whether by adultery or in the laboratory, is 'haraam' (forbidden). Therefore, donor sperm pregnancies are strictly forbidden in all schools of Islamic law. The advent of ovum donation and surrogacy has led some Islamic scholars to allow this procedure between co-wives thereby avoiding the 'haraam' relationship between sperm and egg, but there is still debate on the definition of the mother. Similarly, treating any other situation outside a marriage relationship, for example fertilization of an ovum from cryopreserved sperm after divorce of the couple or death of the husband would be 'haraam' and strictly forbidden. The Qur'anic guidance is quite clear that the couple can pursue all permitted treatments but may need to accept that they may not achieve a pregnancy. Adoption is encouraged in Islam with the specific rule that the child must be able to identify its biological father by keeping his name. It must be emphasized that Muslims will vary on their degree of adherence to the faith and the practitioner should present all the options to the couple without assuming which treatments they will or will not accept.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Infertility in Jewish couples, biblical and rabbinic law.

The Jewish religion is family orientated, and life is guided by 'Halacha', a code of conduct based on biblical and rabbinic law. There is a duty to have children, in view of the first biblical commandment 'be fruitful and multiply', which sanctions most treatments for infertility. Interpretations vary among Orthodox, Conservative and Progressive rabbis, but it is only rabbis who have authority to advise infertile couples on which procedures concur with Jewish law, and their appraisals tend towards leniency in the interests of domestic happiness. Prohibitions against 'wasting seed', and against marriage to a man with 'wounded testes or severed membrum', may be waived to allow semen collection for analysis and treatment for male infertility. All types of assisted conception are approved, including in vitro and micro-assisted fertilization, provided the gametes are from married couples. In short cycles, artificial insemination can be permitted in the post-menstrual week of 'niddah' when coitus is forbidden. Jewish descent from the mother is automatic but, for Orthodox couples, a technical violation of the law against adultery or incest can spoil the marriage prospects of a child or interrupt the paternal priestly line of Cohen or Levi. Donor gametes are largely unacceptable to Orthodox rabbis, since egg donation confuses the definition of the mother, and because sperm donation creates subterfuge in a child's genealogy and a risk of consanguinity. However, Progressive and Conservative rabbis place more emphasis on the social attributes of parents and frequently approve of gamete donation. The Jewish status of children resulting from surrogacy or adoption can be settled by religious conversion. Objections to treating unmarried couples, single or lesbian women, and to posthumous conception, arise because such households are not traditional families.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1990

Ethics and the law: the law and assisted human conception.

This article aims to provide no more than a brief summary and overview of some of the principal legal questions which arise in connection with assisted human conception. There is no requirement of legal suitability for natural parenthood, though a child may be removed from parental care at birth if its welfare is considered to be at risk. Where medical or other assistance is required, however, the law and social judgments may impinge on the freedom of individuals to procreate. Commercial surrogacy has recently been criminalized, but private surrogacy arrangements without reward are not illegal--although any contract would probably be unenforceable through the courts. If medical intervention is required to achieve assisted conception, the availability of resources for NHS treatment, the physical and mental health of the prospective mother and father, and the welfare (or lack of it) of any prospective child, may be factors in deciding whether an infertility unit will offer treatment. Such practices must not operate unfairly and must not discriminate on racial grounds. If treatment is provided, and a woman becomes pregnant, the ordinary abortion laws will apply and, it is thought, will extend to the selective reduction of a multiple pregnancy--there is no claim in English law for 'wrongful birth'. AID does not constitute adultery, and the law has recently been reformed to recognize children born following AID as legitimate to their social parents. A child may be regarded as the legitimate child of a surrogate mother's marriage, but where the baby is genetically distinct from the surrogate mother, the law, and is uncertain and as yet could be conflicting claims of parenthood without legislation. The storage and disposal of human gametes and embryos may raise problems of 'ownership'.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed1996

Partner consent for sperm donation.

The current practice of demanding the consent of the spouse for sperm donation is analysed. Three aspects of marriage may be involved: (i) sexual exclusivity and adultery, (ii) family composition and (iii) procreational exclusivity. The different justifications for giving the partner the right to participate in the decision-making process are critically scrutinized. The perspective taken in this article is that the transfer of gametes must be understood and situated within the moral framework of the relationship between donor and partner. Depending on the kind of relationship the donor has with his partner, he may be morally obliged to consult his procreational partner. In a close relationship, all decisions concerning the use of one's reproductive faculties should be joint decisions. However, it is not the task of the clinic or the physician to see that donors honour their agreements and commitments. The clinic should not seek the partner's consent, although in the counselling sessions it should be pointed out to the donor that he may have a responsibility to inform his partner and to confer with her on his donation.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2000

The epilepsy of Emperor Michael IV, Paphlagon (1034-1041 A.D.): accounts of Byzantine historians and physicians.

PURPOSE: Presentation of epilepsy suffered by Byzantine Emperor Michael IV, Paphlagon (who reigned from 1034 to 1041 A.D.) and the attitude of his contemporary society to his disorder. METHODS: Research into the accounts of Byzantine historians and chroniclers referring to the case of the emperor and Byzantine medical texts revealing the opinion of official medicine about the disorder. RESULTS: Byzantine historians and chroniclers provide detailed clinical descriptions of the seizures of Emperor Michael IV. Nearly all, expressing popular opinion, considered his disease to be demonic possession that constituted a form of divine punishment for the emperor's adultery and act of murder; his royal entourage continually attempted euphemistically to present this condition as a psychic disease. On the contrary, research into Byzantine medical texts reveals that the physicians, already from the 4th century, following Hippocratic tradition, believed that epilepsy was primarily a brain-related disorder and based their treatment on this etiological principle. CONCLUSIONS: From the study of the Byzantine histories and chronicles, it can be deduced that Emperor Michael IV, Paphlagon, suffered from generalized tonic-clonic epileptic seizures. Despite the concept then held by well-educated Byzantine doctors, who considered epilepsy a brain disorder, information indicates the deep prejudices of his social environment.

Byzantium↗
PubMed1999

Crimes of reason, crimes of passion: suicide and the adulterous woman in nineteenth-century France.

The anxieties that determined the nineteenth-century French obsession with female behavior found symbolic expression in the adulterous and suicidal woman. We see this clearly in novels where both adultery and suicide feature prominently, but the anxiety these themes provoked was not limited to works of fiction. A striking number of moral essays and medical studies were devoted to the subject of feminine nature during this period, and it is here especially that the dangerous tendencies of independent and sexually active women were revealed. By analyzing the literary representation of the suicidal and adulterous woman in the works of male and female writer alongside the theories of physicians, critics, and moral reformers, the author demonstrates how this image came to symbolize much more than the violation of ethical standards. In literature as in life, unconventional women needed to be severely punished lest their defiant attitudes inspire further acts of rebellion.

Crime↗
PubMed1996

"Masculine love," Renaissance writing, and the "new invention" of homosexuality: an addendum.

Joseph Cady's recent article, "Masculine Love," Renaissance Writing, and the "New Invention' of Homosexuality," Journal of Homosexuality 23.1-2 (1992): 9-40, did much to shed new light on the controversial issue of whether homosexual identity is a relatively late phenomenon (late seventeenth- or early eighteenth-century at the earliest according to scholars of the "constructivist" persuasion) or already existed in the age of the Renaissance and before. Cady argues that homosexual identity is at least as old as the Elizabethan age, and cites from widely divergent sources several early modern instances of the term "masculine love," a term that seems to have been used exclusively to refer to the sexual preference of men for members of their own gender. The present note adds a further example to buttress Cady's case-namely the term "masculine conversation" from Arthur Wilson's History of Great Britain (1653), an account of the reign of James I (who was widely recognized to be sexually attracted to men). The term "conversation" often referred to sexual intercourse, being used in legal discourse to define adultery, and therefore constitutes an even more explicit example of denotative language than those Cady cites. Since Wilson discusses Sir Francis Bacon as well as James I, this brief article explores the historically documentable sexual preferences of these two figures in addition to that of the dramatist Christopher Marlowe and of Bacon's brother Anthony, a diplomat, all of whom seem to have been strongly oriented to "masculine love" and "masculine conversation".

Historiography↗
PubMed2005

Suicide among animals: clues from folklore that may prevent suicidal behaviour in human beings.

Knowing the most likely reasons for suicide might increase the chances to identify the early signs of suicide. Folkloric tales on suicide among animals are a possible source of such information, since people probably explain animal suicide using the same reasons they would apply to their kin. Modern naturalistic studies ave found little evidence of self-harming conduct among nonhuman species. Nevertheless, mythological accounts often report suicidal behaviour among animals. Claudius Aelian's De natura animalium, a classic in its genre, written in the 2nd century AD, reports 21 cases of suicide among animals. In Aelian's tales, the severing of social ties emerges as an important motive for suicide, together with incest and rage caused by adultery. Paying attention to the mechanisms leading to suicide described in ancient mythology may help us understand unusual and uncommon motives for suicide and the reasons people feel suicidal.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Prospective study of eye burns at the Fort de France University Hospital].

PURPOSE: We report the results of a three-years prospective study focusing on ocular alkali burns conducted in the University hospital of Fort de France (French West Indies). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This case record survey included all alkali burns evaluated by ophthalmologists in the emergency unit of the Fort de France hospital. All recruited patients were either called to identify the alkali (pH determined with a Prolab pH-meter) or underwent an anterior chamber puncture showing evidence of an aqueous humor pH above 8. The recorded data were: age, gender, cause of burn, in case of aggression the relation between the victim and the aggressor, initial clinical findings, Ropper Hall classification. The therapeutic protocol was initiated according to this classification. The course of the ocular burn was noted. Economical and medicolegal consequences were assessed from duration of off work time and from information provided by the public prosecutor respectively. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients who had 39 burned eyes were included. Most ocular burns (18) were caused by aggressions with Alcali (ammonia, pH = 12.8). Most victims were men accused of adultery. In the West Indies, Alcali is thought to have power to drive away evil spirits. Most victims were young men (mean age 42 years). Eight court suits have been filed and in 5 cases the judge dismissed the charge. In 13 eyes, the delay to the first ocular wash was 30 minutes and resulted in serious ocular burn (Ropper Hall class 3 or 4). After application of the therapeutic protocol, 6 of these eyes recovered in an average 55 days; 3 required limbal autograft, 2 were successful. Three of these severe burns were complicated by spontaneous perforation (1 eye), atrophy (1 eye), and leucoma (1 eye). One patient was lost to follow-up. All minor ocular burns (Ropper Hall class 1 and 2) healed within an average 12 days (range 3-38 days). CONCLUSION: Particular circumstances of ocular alkali burns in Martinique (French West Indies) have been indentified in this study which established the seriousness of these burns and their social and sometimes legal consequences. The importance of prevention is emphasized. It would seem that minor ocular alkali burns do not require a treatment duration longer than 15 days. Finally, the clinical data reported in this study show that a delay of several minutes is required for the development of severe ocular alkali burns.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Theology versus AIDS.

Theologians in Tanzania are joining hands in the fight against the disease Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Spiritual teachings aside, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) has launched a 5-year control program. The program, estimated to cost US$3.5m (Tsh254m) involves public education and blood screening at all ELCT dispensaries throughout the country. Part of the cost is the screening of equipment worth Tsh75m (US$1m). Aware that 97% of AIDS cases in the country were heterosexually infected, the ELCT said the situation warranted "spiritual care emphasizing the prohibition of adultery among christians", hence the need for theologians to join in hands to combat it. The program, and especially the screening equipment is perhaps the best news for Tanzanian health authorities who have been longing for such facilities since AIDS was 1st reported in Kagera Region in 1983. An ELCT report issued in December, 1987, showed that 308 men and 217 females had contracted the disease, of whom 145 and 119 died respectively. The new availability of the blood screening facilities would help to identify the extent of the spread of the disease. At present there are fewer than 6 screening machines in the country, which had made it difficult to diagnose AIDS in remote areas. Tanzania is among 4 African countries which the World Health Organization reports to have many cases of AIDS cases of AIDS. others are Uganda, Zaire and Zambia.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

The Charter of Rights Amendment Act, 1988, 8 July 1988.

This Newfoundland Act does the following, among other things: 1) equalizes the status of men and women in The Adoption of Children Act, 1972, The Child Welfare Act, 1972, The Children of Unmarried Parents Act, 1972, The Memorial University (Pensions) Act, and The Social Assistance Act, 1977; 2) removes the word illegitimate from sections of The Children of Unmarried Parents Act, 1972; and 3) deletes a provision of The Maintenance Act that authorizes a judge to rescind an order for payment of money to a wife if it is subsequently proved that she has committed adultery.

Americas↗
PubMed1987

Evidence Act 1983.

Among other things, this Act provides that only male witnesses are judicious witnesses. It also provides that one way the offence of fornication may be proved when there are not witnesses is by the husband repeating his testimony as to the fact of adultery five times, on the fifth time calling for Allah to curse him if he is lying. Criminal Court Circular 97/83 of 24 November 1983 specifically requires that witnesses be male Muslims.

Africa↗
PubMed2005

[Involutional hysteria as a form in dynamics of personality disorder].

Forty patients (37 women, 3 men, age 47.3 +/- 3.4 years) with diagnosis of involutional hysteria (IH) have been studied. Two variants of IH have been identified. The first one, hystero-hypochondriac, is characterized by a prevalence of conversions, asthenia and hypochondria; the second--by hysterical depression, overvalued erotomania with premorbid histrionic personality disorder. The hypochondriac variant of IH is triggered by somatogenic disorders (gynecological surgeries, cardiovascular diseases) as well as various psychogenic factors (conflicts in professional and family life). Manifestation of the second variant is realized by the mechanism of key feeling, with trigger factors related to the objects of overvalued events (adultery, break-up of love affairs).

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Multiple-fetus pregnancies. I. Myths and reality].

Pregnancies with many fetuses (triplets and more) have at all times been found interesting and unusual. Their rare and spectacular characteristics have for long been considered as divine punishment for the sin of adultery or bestiality or on the other hand as a mark of fertility and a gift from God. The authors report several legends (the Porcelets, the Trazegnies, la Dame de Montigny...) as well as the celebrated cases of fraud. Since techniques have been developed for medical handling of assisted reproduction, multiple pregnancies have become much more frequent. There is no case of survival of all fetuses when there have been more than six born at a time.

Europe↗
PubMed1990

[AIDS: is it an indication for artificial insemination with anonymous donor sperm?].

Such demands raise difficulties, as the physician has to consider (and has to be the defender of) the coming child. A thorough psychological investigation must be conducted, as the couple's motives and those of each partner considered separately are not necessarily in agreement. Most important for the couple are the persistence of common projects and the strengthening of the bonds. The husband wants to survive through a child, to give an ultimate present and to increase the chance of keeping his partner. The wife shows her faithfulness and diminishes her partner's guilt feelings. She is, anyway, in a difficult situation if trying not to become pregnant, especially if she had already expressed a wish for maternity in normal circumstances. Unconscious mechanisms can intervene, such as fantasmatic adultery (through IAD) which reequilibrates the couple: the husband who brought the HIV has to be forgiven, or punished. Also, and most importantly, one has to analyze the prospects for the child, who is at risk of loosing his father, and also his mother: a later transmission of the virus to her cannot be excluded. The child will be confronted by illness and death of his father, and by heavy family secrets. The attitude of the medical team remains problematic: no clearcut attitude prevails.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗