Empty spaces and the value of symbols: Estonia's 'war of monuments' from another angle

Taking as its point of departure the recent heightened discussion surrounding publicly sited monuments in Estonia, this article investigates the issue from the perspective of the country's eastern border city of Narva, focusing especially upon the restoration in 2000 of a 'Swedish Lion' monument to mark the 300th anniversary of Sweden's victory over Russia at the first Battle of Narva. This commemoration is characterised here as a successful local negotiation of a potentially divisive past, as are subsequent commemorations of the Russian conquest of Narva in 1704. A recent proposal to erect a statue of Peter the Great in the city, however, briefly threatened to open a new front in Estonia's ongoing 'war of monuments'. Through a discussion of these episodes, the article seeks to link the Narva case to broader conceptual issues of identity politics, nationalism and post-communist transition

Of all foods bread is the most noble: Carl von Linné (Carl Linneaus) on bread1

Carl von Linné was interested in dietetics, which in his time covered all aspects of a healthy life. As a utilitarian he understood the importance of private economy and paid attention to bread in many of his publications. Two texts, Ceres noverca arctoum and De pane diaetetico, were wholly devoted to bread and bread-making. Linné classified different types of bread, and described their nutritional value and health-related aspects, as well as milling, baking and storing, in detail. While discussing the food habits of social classes Linné accepted as a fact that the peasants and the poor should eat less tasty bread than the rich. The less palatable bread had, however, many nutritional and health advantages. Linné paid much attention to substitutes for grain to be used in times of famine, an important topic in eighteenth century Sweden. He regarded flour made of pine bark or water arum roots as excellent famine food, was enthusiastic about the new plant, maize, but considered potato only as a poor substitute for grain. Linné and his followers praised bread not only as the core component of diet, but also for its versatile role both in health and in disease

A case of hyperoxaluria

Purpose: Oxalosis is an unusual pathological condition with calcium oxalate deposits in soft tissue and bone, recognized as osteosclerosis on radiography. Osteosclerotic bone changes in patients treated with hemodialysis are in most cases due to secondary hyperparathyroidism, but several other diagnoses have to be considered Material, Methods and Results: We describe the case of a young woman with advanced renal failure treated with hemodialysis since her youth. She had skeletal pain and radiological examination showed: osteosclerosis with sclerotic vertebral bodies; irregular sclerosis and unsharp periostal outline in the tubular bones of the extremities; and acrolysis and calcifications of vascular and soft tissue in the hands. Histological examination showed changes typical of oxalosis. A liver biopsy excluded primary oxalosis type I, and she probably had a secondary oxalosis due to renal failure. This condition (as opposed to primary oxalosis) can be treated with renal transplantation Conclusion: Oxalosis is a rare condition but it should be considered in patients with radiological skeletal changes and chronic renal failure and should not be misinterpreted as renal osteodystrophy. the classification of oxalosis as primary or secondary is important for further treatment </jats:p

Methacycline hyperpigmentation: a five-year follow-up

A five-year follow-up is presented of a unique material of patients who acquired a greyish black hyperpigmentation during long-term methacycline therapy for chronic bronchitis. The melanosis disappeared in cases in which tetracycline therapy was discontinued during the observation period but not in those in which doxycycline had been substituted. In two autopsy cases pigment deposits were also found in cartilage and atherosclerotic lesions. Overall clinical and microscopic findings suggest a similarity to the pigmentation occurring in iatrogenic ochronosis.</jats:p

Hydrolysis of lactose in milk and whey with minute amounts of lactase

SummaryA method for lactose hydrolysis in sterile milk or whey with Saccharomyces lactis lactase is described. The properties and stability of this enzyme are very favourable for use in milk and neutral whey. The long shelf life of sterilized milk and whey products is utilized for a prolonged incubation time – one to several weeks – at room temperature. Thus, minimal amounts of enzyme are needed which makes enzyme costs very low.</jats:p