Watching the World
‘Prejudiced Thinking’
● Scientists who accept the theory of evolution often belittle the intelligence of those who do not. In this regard, Dr. William F. Duerfeldt of Ohio University writes, in the magazine “Hospital Practice,” that people have “been duped into believing that any intelligent person could not seriously consider creation as a viable alternative to the theory of evolution. . . . As an ex-geologist and a physician, I believe I speak with some knowledge when I say that the concept of evolution, both in the geologic development of the earth and in the biologic development of life, is fraught with multiple problems. Many of its precepts are based on very weak or, as yet, unfounded assumptions. Any honest geologist will admit that other concepts, such as the age of geologic strata or the dating of fossils, are frequently the result of ‘circular thinking’ and, as such, have an inherent potential for significant error.” He added: “Science has always prided itself upon its objectivity, but I’m afraid that we scientists are rapidly becoming victims of the prejudiced, closed-minded thinking that we have so long abhorred.”
Less Safe
● Small cars are popular in the United States now because they cost less and are generally more economical on fuel than are large cars. However, on American highways there are still more of the large cars, as well as increasing numbers of huge trucks. Having less physical structure, the small cars have proved to be more dangerous in accidents, especially with the larger vehicles. Whereas only 38 percent of the cars driven are subcompacts, they account for 55 percent of deaths where two vehicles are involved in an accident. The National Safety Council recommends that extra caution be exercised in driving small cars when so many other vehicles are large cars and trucks. For example, small cars often are built closer to the ground, so drivers have more trouble seeing over a hill or around a sharp bend. At higher speeds, they are more vulnerable to high winds. They are harder to see in the rearview mirrors of larger cars. Also, the use of the seat belt is more necessary, as without them the risk of death or injury is increased.
Babies for Sale
● Authorities in Bogotá, Colombia, uncovered a multimillion-dollar ring that sold hundreds of babies to childless couples from other countries. Birth certificates and adoption papers were forged. Some of the babies were obtained by nurses who told the mothers that their offspring had been born dead. Other babies were kidnapped or purchased from poor women. Conditions of poverty and immorality assure a large supply of such children, for, according to Juan Jacob Muñoz, director of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute, 600 out of the 2,000 babies born daily in Colombia are outside the normal family structure. He said: “The majority of them don’t have last names and don’t know who their father is. Because of this, we have hundreds of children abandoned on streets, in hospitals and schools every day.” He noted the case of one woman who could not remember the name of any of the fathers of her nine previous children.
“Pure” Hot Dogs?
● A Canadian Press dispatch from Windsor, Ontario, assures the public that they need not worry about the content of the wieners they consume, as the ingredients are clearly identified on the labels of the packaging. However, what is meant by the terms “by-products” and “fillers” on the labels? Persons who have conscientious reasons for eliminating some items from their diet ought to take note that these include: “Beef and pork tripe, the stomach lining which is washed and has several layers removed; liver, fresh blood and blood plasma, kidneys and partially defatted pork and beef tissue.” So the law of man may allow the use of blood and plasma to produce a cheaper food product. But the Christian will have to determine if the law of God to “abstain from . . . blood” allows him to consume these products. (Acts 15:20) Conscientious persons also will make personal inquiry about other foods that use animal “by-products” and “fillers.”
Surgery by Sound
● A new “knife” substitutes high-frequency sound for a scalpel’s cutting edge, reports Science Digest. While a smaller version of this instrument has been used in operations such as dislodging eye cataracts, this knife is a larger, more powerful version. The sound vibrations come from the tip of a hand-held, penlike instrument. The tip oscillates 23,000 times a second across a distance of less than half a millimeter. The high-frequency sound produced slices through soft tissue while leaving ducts and blood vessels intact; hence, it produces what is called “virtually bloodless operations.” Water is squirted out of the tip to irrigate the area being operated on. More than 1,000 operations have already been performed with the knife.
Antibiotic Abuse
● “Worldwide abuse of antibiotics has led to a dangerous increase in the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria, 150 physicians and scientists in 25 nations charged,” as reported in American Medical News. It noted the following abuses: prescribing antibiotics for ailments for which they are ineffective; using clinically useful antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feeds and on crops; dispensing antibiotics without prescription; and misleading consumers by advertising them as wonder drugs. An example cited: in England and Wales bacterial resistance to penicillin use in urinary-tract infections increased fivefold in the past decade, and 25 percent of the E. coli bacteria in these infections are now resistant to penicillin.
TV Affects Children
● In TV Guide magazine researchers Jerome and Dorothy Singer state: “In our own research we studied approximately 350 children for several years. We have consistently found a link between heavy TV viewing—especially of more violent shows—and the tendency for both boys and girls to be unnecessarily aggressive at home as well as nursery school or day-care center. . . . The tie between TV violence and aggressive behavior is not limited to early childhood. Research with older children and adolescents carried out by teams of investigators in the U.S., England and other European countries generally tends to support the link between heavy TV viewing, especially of action shows, and unnecessary aggressive behavior. We can’t avoid the conclusion that with all of its constructive possibilities, television can also be hazardous. Every family can take steps to ensure that children exposed to TV will not develop tendencies toward excessive aggression.” They advise strict control of TV by parents, prohibiting children from viewing violent shows, including cartoons of that nature. And they suggest that parents should explain to the young just why they do not allow them to view such programs.
Highway Deaths Climbing
● Motor-vehicle deaths in the United States again have passed the 50,000 mark in recent years. Preliminary figures indicate that the toll will be about 53,000 for 1981. This continues the reversal of the downward trend that began in 1974 and that saw a low of about 45,000 fatalities in 1975. Those two years were affected by the introduction of the 55-mile-an-hour (89-km/h) speed limit in 1974, after the Arab oil embargo. Since then, the number of deaths has been climbing and is now approaching the record level of 1972, when 56,278 persons died on U.S. highways. Why the increase? Says U.S. News & World Report: “An epidemic of drunk driving. Mass disregard of speed limits. Widespread failure to use seat belts and other restraints. The mix of smaller cars with ever bigger trucks. Lagging highway maintenance.” Autopsies show that more than 50 percent of drivers killed in accidents were legally drunk at the time. In the past 10 years more than 250,000 people have died in alcohol-related accidents. Worldwide, close to 300,000 people are killed in traffic accidents annually.
Help for Diabetics
● Medical World News reports that “with diet and exercise alone, hundreds of thousands” of persons might no longer need medication for adult-onset diabetes. Several different programs suggest that the diet-exercise approach has reduced or delayed diabetic complications. One diet program provides 13 percent of total calories in protein, about 7 percent in fats, and 80 percent in carbohydrates, with a high proportion of fiber. Refined carbohydrates are not allowed, and cholesterol is limited to 15 mg a day. Another program provides patients with 19 percent protein, 11 percent fat, and 70 percent carbohydrates initially, then a maintenance diet of about 20 percent protein, 20 to 25 percent fats, and 55 to 60 percent carbohydrates. Still another diet is lower in carbohydrates, and higher in fats. For best results, patients must be motivated to change their life-styles and stay on strict regimens.
“Handgun Madness”
● In an editorial entitled “The handgun madness goes on,” the New York Post said: “Last year [1980] handguns killed 8 people in Britain, 21 in Sweden, 42 in West Germany, 48 in Japan, 52 in Canada and 58 in Israel. In the United States, over the same period, handguns killed 10,728 people. How long, how long, before we come to our senses in this country?”
Swimming Before Walking
● According to information from the International Amateur Swimming Federation, about seven or eight million babies know how to swim. In the past two decades, much experience has been accumulated about teaching tots how to swim before they learn to walk. What benefit is there in this? It is claimed that these children learn to stand much earlier; the majority of them begin to walk when they are six months old; they are not as prone to illness, better withstand cold and changes of weather, have fewer temper tantrums, sleep more soundly, and become better coordinated.
Antarctic Palms
● “The Antarctic and the Arctic had a climate similar to the modern subtropics” in the distant past, reports the Soviet newspaper Udmurtskaya Pravda. That conclusion was reached by the Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences after studying samples of deep-sea sediments and ocean currents in Antarctica. “Evergreen jungle rather than lifeless ice could have delighted the eyes of seafarers if they had approached the Antarctic shores,” the publication said.
Telephones Double
● The number of telephones in use throughout the world doubled between 1970 and 1980, to 472 million at present. World population rose about 20 percent during that time, to 4.4 billion. Thus, telephone use grew about 5 times as fast as population. The latest figure means that there are 11 phones for every 100 people on earth. But distribution is very uneven, as the United States, for example, has 79.1 phones for 100 persons, while the Soviet Union has only 8.4.