bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A critical evaluation of event study approach using M&A events in the Indian banking industry
Authors: Rao Ullas
Published: December 2016

The present study seeks to critically evaluate the most extensively employed technique – event study methodology, employed to capture the returns generated from M&A events on the wealth status of shareholders. Notwithstanding the popularity of the technique, authors in this paper argue that conceptual bases on which the methodology is founded is flawed. In the light of the extensive limitations attributable to event study methodology, there exists an urgent need to suggest improvement in the conceptual framework of the traditional method capable of lending application to capture the wealth effects of M&A events. The authors believe that application of such a modified approach will be much more salvageable as the results derived therefrom will command greater credibility as well as reliability. In order to highlight the inherent limitation of the event study approach, the authors have used the sample of Indian Banking M&A events retrieved from the M&A data available at etintelligence.com . Given the conceptual flaws of the event study approach, the authors argue that researchers must exercise great caution while commenting on the t-statistic observed for CAR (Cumulative Abnormal Returns) values as the statistical insignificance could be arising more out of the conceptual deficiency of the event study approach than pointing towards the neutral impact of an M&A event on the wealth status of the shareholders.
Do Big 4 auditors improve the ability of goodwill to forecast future cash flows?
Authors: Al-Hiyari Ahmad , Latif Rohaida Abdul , Amran Noor Afza
Published: December 2016

The accounting rules prescribed in Malaysian Financial Reporting Standard (MFRS) 3, Business combination, and (MFRS) 136, Impairment of Assets, give managers considerable reporting discretion in allocating goodwill and estimating its actual value. Agency theory predicts that managers may use the accounting discretion granted by the new rules to pursue their own interests at the expense of shareholders. Hence, auditors are required to exercise professional judgement when investigating hard-to-verify management assumptions and valuations. We exploit this issue by examining whether predictive ability of goodwill improved in the presence of Big 4 auditors. We provide evidence that goodwill has a significant predictive ability for second and third-year ahead cash flows which exists only in the firms audited by the large international reputable accounting firms. This suggests that Big 4 auditors play an important role in ensuring appropriate implementation of the present accounting for goodwill.
Determinants for issuing international bonds by Brazilian firms
Authors: Valle Felipe , Carvalhal Andre
Published: December 2016

One of the most important topics studied in the finance literature is the capital structure of companies. This paper seeks to understand the determinants for the issuance of private debt securities (bonds) in the international market by Brazilian companies. We analyzed 472 non-financial listed companies from 2001 to 2009. We used probit and panel regression models to analyze the determining factors for the issuance of international bonds and estimate the probability for a Brazilian company to issue these securities. The results indicate that firm size and its exporting capacity are positively related to international bonds. There is a negative relation between the existence of foreign shareholders and the issuance of international bonds. Adopting good corporate governance practices, such as listing ADRs in the US or on Brazilian’s New Market, is positively related to international bonds in a few models.
Capital budgeting practices: an empirical study of listed small en medium enterprises
Authors: Hall John H. , Sibanda Thabani
Published: December 2016

There have been many studies on the capital budgeting practices of large listed companies, but relatively little research has been undertaken on the capital budgeting practices of small listed companies. The main purpose of this study was therefore to analyse the capital budgeting practices of small and medium South African listed companies and to compare their capital budgeting practices to the capital budgeting practices of large listed companies. The results of the study indicate that the primary capital budgeting techniques employed by small listed companies are based on the IRR and the NPV, resembling the practices used by larger companies. Furthermore, the use of discounted cash flow techniques amongst small listed companies had increased over the last decade.
Political connections, state owned enterprises and tax avoidance: An evidence from Indonesia
Authors: Jianfu Sun , Sudibyo Yudha Aryo
Published: December 2016

This study investigated the relationship between political connections and tax avoidance behaviour in Indonesian listed-firms in 2007-2013 year period. Some firms created links to government for obtaining benefits in various variables such import licensing, taxes, and supply-funds. We have manually managed to identify politically connected-firms from the annual reports and measure tax avoidance by using Cash Effective Tax Rate (CETR) as the proxy. Our observation indicated that politically connected-firms paid lower corporate income tax than non-politically connected-firms. Our study also examined how the status of State Owned Enterprise (SOE) correlates to tax avoidance. Firms hiring politically connected independent commissioners (INDCOM) in this study were more likely to show tax avoidance behavior. However, we have no strong evidence to prove our proposition regarding the type of political connections.
Corporate governance and risk management in GCC banks
Authors: El-Masry Ahmed A. , Abdelfattah Tarek , Elbahar Ehab
Published: December 2016

The current study examines the relationship between corporate governance and risk management in GCC banks. It aims to contribute to the literature by providing empirical evidence from the GCC’s banking industry of the association between risk management and corporate governance characteristics such as role duality, board size and percentage of nonexecutives.
Using sample of 900 observations from banks in the Gulf countries, non-parametric regression, Quantile and panel data analysis have been used to test the hypotheses and the proposed model. The study uses data from financial institutions in the Gulf countries over the period from 2003 till 2012.
Findings suggest that role duality and board size are negatively associated with the risk management. On other hand the percentage of non-executive members on the board was found to be insignificant. Moreover, findings indicate a positive significant relationship between governmental ownership and risk management.
The results suggest that Islamic banks have a positive significant association with risk management measured by capital adequacy ratio. The results suggest future research to explore the relationship between risk management and other types of ownership structure such as institutional ownership. Future research can focus on risk management framework and practices in Islamic banks as such banks have its own risk.
Determinants of the extent of forward looking information: Evidence from UK before financial crisis
Authors: Abed Suzan , Al-Najjar Basil
Published: December 2016

The study aims to propose a multi-theoretical framework based on information asymmetry and institutional theories by focusing on the OFR regulation changing period from 2004-2006. We carry out an empirical investigation to detect the extent of forward-looking information for a sample of 690 UK non-financial firm-year observations which are drawn from the top 500 UK. We show that the extent of voluntary disclosure of Forward Looking (FL) information is positively and significantly associated with growth opportunities, leadership, audit committee, competition rate, corporate size, and cross-listing. However, the extent of FL information is negatively and significantly associated with blockholders. This paper applies a multi-theoretical lens based on information asymmetry and institutional theories are employed in order to identify potential new determinants of voluntary disclosure in regards to forward-looking information in the UK context.
Corporate governance and innovation: A systematic literature review
Authors: Gonzales-Bustos Juan Pablo , Hernández-Lara Ana Beatriz
Published: December 2016

The main objectives of this study are two-fold. The first one is to determine the relevance that the academic world has given to the study of the relationship between corporate governance and innovation. The second is to identify the key aspects of this relationship that deserve further investigation, and the models in which the research is recently interested in order to advance in this field. To do so, a systematic literature review was conducted on the relationship between corporate governance and innovation. The findings show that the main topics discussed include ownership concentration and the composition and structure of boards of directors, whose impacts on innovation have been analyzed with scarce consensus. Many academic works have studied these elements of corporate governance separately; however, studies analyzing ownership and board together are becoming more frequent, highlighting the moderating effect of some aspects of government on others, and how their influence depends on contingent factors. To the authors’ best knowledge, no similar systematic review has been undertaken on this subject, although such reviews allow us to visualize better the evolution of topics with a long research tradition and identify the main findings and the lines of research open
Corporate governance in the Middle East – Which way to go?
Authors: Braendle Udo
Published: December 2016

The Interest in corporate governance is not a new phenomenon in the transition economies of the Middle East, but corporate governance is especially important in these economies since these countries do not have the long-established (financial) institutional infrastructure to deal with corporate governance issues. This article focusses on a cross-country analysis of the most important topics in corporate codes – shareholder rights, board systems and executive remuneration. By analysing three representative MENA countries, we discuss if codes based on directives or standards are better for these economies. The introduction of corporate governance codes for these economies seems useful but should not rely on broad standards but on legally enforced binding rules accounting for the discussion of directives versus standards. The paper argues against the blindfold implementation of corporate governance codes and argues for country specific solutions.
FATCA from the European Union perspective
Authors: Brodzka Alicja
Published: December 2016

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act requires foreign financial institutions to report to the US Internal Revenue Service the information about financial accounts held by US taxpayers, or by foreign entities in which US taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest. This aim of FATCA, which is to increase the ability of the American tax authorities to combat cross-border tax evasion by US persons, is reasonable. However, it imposes burdensome due-diligence, information reporting and withholding obligations on all foreign (non-US) financial institutions. It also raises legal concerns – notably data protection issues. The article analyses the main issues connected with FATCA, presents the pro and contra opinions, and looks at the reaction of EU Member States at the announcement of American provisions.
How the economic crisis in Greece affected the steps in applying e-government at the first degree self government of Greece
Authors: Goulas Dimitrios , Kontogeorga Georgia
Published: December 2016

Greece, in the frame of appliance of e-Government, the last years has made significant steps which have changed the way its public services work and especially the local self government, which is represented by municipalities. Many countries, not only in the European Union but also throughout the world, are adopting decentralization reforms in order to empower local communities. In Greece specially, the economic crisis that started from 2009, gave one extra motivation to use decentralization to make local self government more efficient. Decentralization is the process of transferring authority, responsibility and accountability from central to local governments. To accomplish this, Greek government applied the Law 3852 «Kallikratis plan», instituted in 2010, reforming the local self administration and its duties. The purpose of this paper is to present the consequences of this change to the e-government steps that were done before «Kallikratis plan».
The impact of state guarantees on banks’ ratings and risk behaviour.
Authors: Kleinow Jacob , Horsch Andreas
Published: December 2016

State guarantees are supposed to have positive influence on banks’ ratings as they provide an additional safety net to depositors while lending the guarantor’s creditworthiness to the bank. Based hereupon, we research if and to what extent guarantees perceptibly affect market prices of securities issued by banks. Our results indicate that banks receive governmental rating subsidies of up to 7 notches depending on the region. Furthermore, literature suggests that guarantees and subsequent bailout expectations increase the risk appetite of banks enjoying this governmental support, as protected actors feel less incentivized to apply market discipline. Based hereupon, we consider the possibility of reversed causality: Is the probability of bailouts correlated to a bank’s risk taking? Analysing the drivers of governmental support for different types of banks, we find that governments are particularly willing to bail out (traditional commercial) banks with low returns on investment, or weak share performance, and a higher exposure to risk.
Independent board of directors and corporate sustainability: A South African and Nigerian perspective
Authors: Ngwakwe Collins , Ganda Fortune , Akinyomi Oladele John
Published: December 2016

This paper examined the stance of independent directors on corporate sustainable development initiative in South Africa and Nigeria. This has become apposite considering the role of independent directors in corporate strategic decisions and performance. It is believed that independent boards strive to direct corporate decisions to protect the investors and thus improve financial performance. Given that sustainability initiative is currently occupying a vital strategic position in protecting firms against inherent and imminent climate change and financial risks, the paper undertakes a survey of South African and Nigerian companies to ascertain the role of independent directors on corporate sustainable development initiatives. Using a mix method of primary and secondary data analysis, the paper finds that independent boards in both countries of study understand the importance of sustainability; however a pragmatic stance on sustainability is more visible in South Africa where independent boards are members of and/or participate in nominating corporate sustainability committees. The paper suggests the need for improved detailed disclosure on sustainability in the Nigerian corporate annual reports; the Nigerian Stock Exchange may boost this initiative by establishing a social and environmental reporting index supported by an annual survey of company sustainability disclosure. It also suggests the need to include sustainability awareness and interest in the metrics that are used in the appointment of independent boards in Nigerian companies
Government debt in Greece: An empirical analysis
Authors: Mah Gisele , Mongale Itumeleng , Mukuddem-Petersen Janine , Petersen Mark
Published: December 2016

Greek government debt has been increasing above the percentage stated in the growth and stability path from 112.9% in 2008 to 175.6% in 2013. This paper investigates the determinants of the general government debt in Greek by means of Vector Error Correction Model framework, Variance Decomposition and Generalized Impulse Response Function Analysis. The analysis showed a significant negative relationship between general government debt and government deficit, general government debt and inflation. Shocks to general government and inflation will cause general government debt to increase. Government deficit should be increased since there is gross capital formation included in its calculation which could be invested in income generating projects. The current account balance should be reduced by improving the net trade balance
Biomimicry: Descriptive analysis of biodiversity strategy adoption for business sustainable performance
Authors: Mashingaidze Sivave
Published: December 2016

Biomimicry is a novel interdisciplinary field that mimics nature’s best ideas and processes to solve human problems. The objective of this article was to do a descriptive documentary analysis of literature in biodiversity and to recommend for business adoption as a sustainable performance strategy. The research was however based on nine (9) Life’s Principles, which were candidly inspired by nature. The research findings indicated that most business theories and strategies can mimic perfunctorily from nature for them to achieve a sustainable performance. The research was quite a conceptual and therefore did not offer direct practical proposition because its value was a descriptive of the ideas and strategies from nature and to outline its fundamental principles since biodiversity has track record of sustainability without men’s interference which humanity can also mimic.
Implementing new public management in Zimbabwe: Challenges and obstacles
Authors: Chigudu Daniel
Published: December 2016

This paper is an exploratory study of the new public management (NPM)’s implementation in Zimbabwe. The data presented is a review of the government’s policy initiatives and research publications. Findings suggest fragmented implementation of NPM reforms without requisite administrative skills, lack of resources, ill timing, and political inertia. This research’s underlying significance is that it provides insights to improve NPM and future public sector reforms. It contributes to relevant literature by filling gaps in the research on NPM in Zimbabwe The paper provides policy recommendations necessary for addressing public sector reforms in developing economies particularly in African countries that have a history of political instability.
Examining the possible influence of societal violence on governance effectiveness in South Africa
Authors: Ngwakwe Collins , Netswera Fulufhelo
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the possible influence of violent protests on the effectiveness of governance in South Africa. South Africa continues to experience huge number of labour as well as popular municipal service delivery protests. The popular social view with ensuing protests has often pointed at governance inefficiency as the cause of violent protests. This paper adopts a slightly different view in its analysis of violent protests and instead looks at possible influence of violence as possible instigator of ineffective governance. The paper is conceptually rooted in reviews – combined with simple regression test of possible relationship between violent protest and governance effectiveness. The authors also present an examination of probable relationship between violent protests and governance effectiveness using observation of macro-economic data trends from the World Bank. The findings reveal a probable weakening in governance effectiveness or its perception thereof as a result of violent protests. Amongst others, violent protests produces a psyche of perpetual victimhood that leads to further violence resulting in less value attached to lives, destruction of economic property, increases pollution, production stoppages for goods and services and in turn depletes government revenue generation and frustrates international investors. We postulate that under condition explained above, government effectiveness in managing public resources becomes weakened and may lead to wastage and inefficiency as the resources and revenues employed in controlling violent protests are unplanned and do not often lead to constructive and sustainable public policy. We suggest that this condition therefore may result in reduction in economic growth which in turn perpetuates the same weaknesses that led to society protests and violence
An analysis of the effect of board characteristics and governance indices on the quality of accounting information
Authors: Gouiaa Raef , Zéghal Daniel
Published: December 2016

The objective of this study is to examine the effect on the quality of accounting information published by Canadian firms of board of directors’ characteristics compared to that of governance indices that measure board quality. We find that the majority of board characteristics have an important and significant effect on the levels of earnings management and accounting conservatism. On the other hand, in the case of the studied attributes of the quality of accounting information, we find that the effect of governance indices that assess the quality of boards of directors is not clearly established. Particularly, our results reveal that individual measures of the characteristics of boards of directors allow for a better detection and explanation of the quality of accounting information than do multi-factor commercial and academic governance indices.
Innovative management of finance and marketing at enterprises in Poland
Authors: Gołębiowski Grzegorz , Nowacki Robert
Published: December 2016

The purpose is to examine and present the possibilities and results of implementation of innovative solutions in the two functional, different from each other, but interdependent areas of management: finance and marketing management. The analysis concerns enterprises in the Polish market. The article identifies the scale and range of implementation of innovative solutions in finance and marketing management as well as effects of this process for enterprises’ competitiveness. In the article, based on the unique findings, there are shown the possibilities of implementation of innovative solutions in the sphere of finance and marketing. There are also shown benefits that activity in this respect may yield.
Customer experience management: New game strategy for competitiveness
Authors: Mashingaidze Sivave
Published: December 2016

The main objective of this article was to do an extensive literature review of articles on customer experience management to explain the relationship between customer experience management and its factors which are supply chain management, location experience, packaging and labeling experience, atmosphere, service mix experience, promotion, customer experience, brand experience, and price experience for recommendation to the banking sector in Zimbabwe. Five modules of customer experience management which are sense, feel, think, act, and relate have also been reviewed and explored in the literature review. Findings showed that customer experience management factors contribute very much as a strategy to competitiveness in business. The article concluded by suggesting and recommending the adopting of customer experience management as a new game strategy
Conceptual narratives, ecological heeds, social purposes and subjective ends of natural building movement
Authors: Sukalo Ognjen
Published: December 2016

Architecture built in materials colloquially named ?natural? represents one
of the most autonomous and most iconic branches of building practices with
high ecological considerations (i.e. ?green building?). However, specific
character of this architecture, its broad, consistent and coherent approach
has seldom been assessed. This research pinpoints broadest conceptual, social
and political positions of Natural Building movement - an informal movement.
Conditions are determined in which these positions have been formed, together
with reasons for which these practices have been ignored in scopes of
dominant architectural discourses. Special attention is given to cultural and
geographical origins (North America?s northwestern coast and its high arid
continental Southwest), to integration of ethical, esthetical and lived
experience, and finally to transformations of specialization, authorship and
division of labour. Closing parts of the paper also offer examination and
illustration of general range of explored phenomena. For this aim two
specific architectural approaches are analyzed: Oregon Cob and Earthship, as
well as findings and illustrations from construction of small experimental
building constructed by the author in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Perspective of sustainable social development and development of public services in Kursumlija municipality
Authors: Mitrovic Biserka , Mitkovic Petar , Mitkovic Mihailo , Djuric Jelena
Published: December 2016

The paper deals with the planning basis, analysis and assessment of
developmental status and general trends of Kursumlija municipality, as well
as the status of development planning, resource management and the
constraints of social development and public services. Although not
considered as a prioritized development and planning choice, the local
sustainable social development represents a significant support to long-term
development strategies and to demographic stability. This segment of spatial
development planning is closely related to social values, political and
economic context, which perform a variety of effects on the constitution of
its concept. The aim of the paper is to show that different, and sometimes
conflicting concepts of the social development that are defined at higher
planning levels, need to be checked in relation to local specificities and
requirements. Based on that, it is possible to create a concept of public
services spatial development that will be applicable and will meet the
demands and potentials of the local community.
Influence of green algae Chlorella vulgaris on initial growth of different agricultural crops
Authors: Hajnal-Jafari Timea , Djuric Simonida , Stamenov Dragana
Published: December 2016

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of green algae Chlorella
vulgaris on the initial growth of wheat, maize, bean and lettuce and the
microbiological activity of rhizospheric soil. The experiment was conducted
in controlled conditions. The inocula were applied as foliar fertilizer by
spraying. Plant material was taken 30 days after plant emergance. Chlorella
vulgaris affected positively the length (28.5% increase) and fresh mass
(17.9% increase) of maize root, stem length of wheat (24.2% increase) and
stem mass of lettuce (56.34% increase). Application of Chlorella vulgaris led
to the increase of the total number of bacteria and the number of
aminoheterotrophs in the maize rhizosphere, total bacterial number in the
wheat rhizosphere, and the number of fungi in the rhizosphere of bean. The
number of other investigated groups of microorganisms did not change
significantly. The activity of dehydrogenase enzyme was not affected by
inoculation with green algae.
Vascular flora of the Prometanj site (Mokra Gora, northern Prokletije Mt.)
Authors: Radak Boris , Bokic Bojana , Preljevic Nusret , Rat Milica , Janjic Djurdjica , Knezevic Jelena , Anackov Goran
Published: December 2016

Floristic research of the Prometanj site, located in the northwestern part of
Mokra Gora Mt. along the right bank of the Ibar River, was conducted during
2011. A total of 340 species and five subspecies of vascular plant taxa were
registered. Families with the largest number of species were Asteraceae,
Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae, Ranunculaceae, while the most numerous genera
were Trifolium, Acer, Campanula, Geranium, Veronica, Ranunculus and Vicia.
Floral elements of analyzed plant taxa were grouped into ten areal types,
with domination of Central European and Eurasian and significant
participation of Mediterranean-Submediterranean. The biological spectrum was
characterized by the dominance of hemicryptophytes. Five strictly protected
and 43 protected species were registered. Prometanj is the only remaining
locality in Serbia for tertiary species Adenophora liliifolia. Floristic
research of Prometanj should be extended to entire area of Mokra Gora Mt.
together with the Ibar River gorge, in order to explore the whole botanical
richness of this area.
Phosphorus in lake sediments of Poland – Results of monitoring research
Authors: Bojakowska Izabela
Published: December 2016

In 2010-2013, 528 samples of surface sediments were collected from the profundal zone of lakes to determine concentrations of phosphorus, Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mn, Na and S, as well as trace elements (As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sn, Sr, Ti, V and Zn) using the ICP-OES method. Additionally, Hg concentration (by the TMA method) and organic carbon concentration (using the coulometric titration method) were also determined. Phosphorus concentration was found to range from 0.005 to 1.925% (0.109% on average). High phosphorus concentrations in sediments were reported in lakes located within and around urban areas, in lakes on which recreation centres and leisure facilities are situated, and in lakes adjoining special protection areas of birds. The phosphorus concentration in sediments shows a clear correlation with the contents of Al, Fe, Mn, S and TOC, which indicates the presence of phosphorus in both organic and inorganic forms. It also correlates with the contents of most of the trace elements examined for this study, including Zn, Hg and Pb. A certain regional variability was found; water sediments of lakes in the Masurian and Pomeranian lakelands, located in the area covered by the Pomeranian phase ice sheet, are characterised by a slightly higher phosphorus concentration compared with those from the Greater Poland Lakeland situated in the area of the Poznań phase glaciation.
The Milk Factor: The Ideology of Breast-feeding and Post-partum Illnesses, 1750–1850
Authors: Sherwood Joan
Published: December 2016

This article discusses how an ideology of the breast-feeding function, explained in terms of contemporary science, influenced the etiology and treatment of post-partum illnesses from 1750 to 1850. Such illnesses were generally attributed to a woman's rejection of Nature's laws. Concerned that a high infant mortality rate was directly connected to the practice of sending infants to hired wet-nurses, doctors couched their advice that mothers nurse their own offspring in contemporary scientific terms, which linked medical problems to a lack of harmony between the fibres and humors of the newborn and those of a stranger's milk. They castigated women who rejected their advice as unnatural mothers and pointed out that using wet-nurses could adversely affect the mother's own well-being as well: a "repressed" milk could wreak havoc on the woman's internal organs when it was not allowed its natural outlet through her breasts to her infant. This view of woman's constitution operating according to laws ordained by Nature contributed to doctors' resistance to accepting contagion as a factor in puerperal fever.
“Dr. Tumblety, the Indian Herb Doctor”: Politics, Professionalism, and Abortion in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Montreal
Authors: McCulloch Michael
Published: December 2016

By examining the Montreal activities of Francis Tumblety, the "Indian herb doctor" and "prince of quacks" in the fall of 1857, this article illustrates that institutional and political changes in the 1840s and 1850s are the necessary framework for an understanding of the move towards professional medical hegemony in the Atlantic world. In particular it focuses on Tumblety's arrest on the charge of attempting to procure an abortion for Philomene Durnas, a prostitute in the city, an arrest that elicited considerable discussion in the English-language newspapers of the city. Tumblety's background in Rochester, New York gives further insights into the connections among political, national and medical activism.
Physicians, Abortions, and the Law in Early Twentieth-Century Ontario
Authors: Backhouse Constance
Published: December 2016

This article studies the medical and legal responses to the abortionrelated death of Constance Ida Browne of Toronto, Ontario in 1924. The subsequent coroner's inquest led to a criminal prosecution of Browne's doctor and also her male lover on charges of illegally procuring a miscarriage. The legal proceedings and the detailed press commentary of the time offer an excellent opportunity to consider the interaction between medical and legal authorities jostling for position over the proper response to the demand for illegal abortions. The case also permits an examination of the social, psychological, economic, and medical circumstances which surrounded the procuring of illegal abortion in the first half of the twentieth century.
Western Medicine in Palestine, 1860–1940: The Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society and Its Hospital
Authors: Ziadat Adel A
Published: December 2016

This study considers the development of Western medicine in Palestine, focusing on the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society's hospital in Nazareth. This hospital—one of the earliest British medical institutions in the region—was created by the society in Palestine in 1866.
The Contribution of the Grey Nuns to the Development of Nursing in Canada: Historiographical Issues
Authors: Paul Pauline
Published: December 2016

The purpose of this article includes describing the current state of historical knowledge about the Grey Nuns of Montreal, identifying issues which shed light on this state of knowledge and proposing new avenues of scholarship. A review of the literature shows that the nursing role of the Grey Nuns and their national contribution to the development of health care services require examination. The small number of publications about the Grey Nuns, specifically in respect to their role in the development of nursing services, can be linked to issues in Canadian historiography and trends in women’s history, health science history, and nursing history.
Memories and the Memorial: Developing and Managing Nursing Archives for Canada
Authors: Craig Barbara L
Published: December 2016

Archives are a form of public memory comprising documents consciously preserved because of their vital links to contemporary experience. The purpose for keeping these materials is to provide the Future with roots in the Past. Memories are as important to society and to its various groups as they are to each of us as individuals. Bereft of a connection to what has gone on before, people soon lose a sense of their unique identity and with it their orientation to the uncertainties of the future. The fundamental importance of a remembered past is a truism acknowledged by psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and, of course, by historians. But while the need of groups for a knowable past is a simple fact to state, the complex processes of building a historical memory are, by contrast, little studied and imperfectly understood. Historians and archivists, among others, have important roles to play. Historians interpret the past; archivists, by contrast, are the midwives to the birth of a useable past. Without archives, history is cut off from its most important source.
A Divine Mission: Elizabeth McMaster and the Hosptial for Sick Children, Toronto, 1875–92
Authors: Young Judith
Published: December 2016

Elizabeth McMaster was born in Toronto in 1847. Like certain women of her class she sought meaningful volunteer work outside the home and, in 1875, with great drive, determination, and religious zeal led a committee of women who founded the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto (HSQ). The Ladies Committee managed HSC for 17 years but, when the hospital expanded in 1892, transferred control to a Board of Trustees. McMaster completed a nurse training program in 1891 and then assumed the position of Lady Superintendent. It was through the newly legitimized nursing profession that she sought to maintain her influence in the hospital. However, her career as Lady Superintendent was short-lived due to irreconcilable differences with John Ross Robertson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. This preliminary study, based on minutes of the Ladies Committee and HSC annual reports, describes McMaster’s role in the early development of HSC. It provides a case study illustrating the active role of women in the late nineteenth-century humanitarian movement and information concerning developments in the hospital care of the sick poor.
L’asile québécois et les obstacles à la médicalisation de la folie (1845–1890)
Authors: Paradis André M
Published: December 2016

En 1845, quelque 50 ans après la nomination de Pinel à Bicêtre, était créé, à Beauport, le premier véritable asile québécois pour les aliénés. C’était l’époque où la médicalisation de la folie était devenue irréversible et où émergeaient un peu partout en Occident les premières associations et les premiers périodiques spécialisés en psychiatrie. Malgré les apparences, et malgré ce qu’en disent certains historiens récents, ce processus rencontra de nombreux obstacles au Québec parmi lesquels il faut compter la privatisation de la propriété asilaire, la faiblesse structurelle de l’état, mais aussi les vices de tenue et de gestion. L’asile ne devint une institutions médicale que vers 1890 après une laborieuse gestation précédés de plusieurs fausses couches. Cet article fait le bilan des obstacles rencontrés. Il suit pas à pas les péripéties de l’état de crise permanent de l’asile et met surtout en relief le rôle marginal des médecins et l’inexistence de la clinique psychiatrique.
The Well-Ordered Body: The Quest for Sanity through Nineteenth-Century Asylum Architecture
Authors: Edginton Barry
Published: December 2016

Nineteenth-century somatic theories of madness required specific types of treatment that focused on the body of the afflicted. This treatment stressed the primacy of caring for the body as a route to curing the mind. Treatment through environment would facilitate a transfer of the salubrious nature of a well-ordered place of treatment to the body and the mind of the lunatic. Therefore, the design of this environment became important as a method of treatment. The architect was to construct a facility ensuring the ordering, in detail, of placement, movement, and perception of the incarcerated. Also, this facility would act as a technology to facilitate the limits and types of bodily activities that would define a person as mad or sane. This article focuses on the architectural discourse of building for sanity.
The Medical Profession in Upper Canada Reconsidered: Politics, Medical Reform, and Law in a Colonial Society
Authors: Baehre Rainer
Published: December 2016

This study explores some of the important questions raised but not answered in William Canniff’s standard century-old study, The Medical Profession in Upper Canada, 1783–1850. Primarily based on the original medical licenses issued between 1819 and 1841, an array of manuscript material belonging to the Civil Secretary of Upper Canada and the Colonial Office, and documents pertaining to the Medical Board of Upper Canada, this article argues that the disallowance of legislation for the establishment of a colonial College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1839 can only be fully understood in the context of demographic, political, and medical developments which included factors such as ethnicity, tensions between the colony and mother country, and rivalry between medical schools. It explains why the issues of the 1830s continued into the 1840s and undermined any possibility by the profession of forming a single, self-regulating, and unified medical body for licensing and educating practitioners.
L’art médical appliqué à l’étude des mentalités
Authors: Emch-Dériaz Antoinette
Published: December 2016

En 1758, le médecin-philosophe Johann-Georg Zimmermann (1728–1795) publia Vom Nationalstolze. Dans ce livre, Zimmermann transforma les données de l'analyse médicale, conçues pour l’examen de l'individu malade, en un instrument à observer la mentalité des sociétés. Cet article étudie les raisons qui poussèrent Zimmermann à disserter sur l’orgueil national et traite de ses réflexions sur différents types de tempérament national. Ses descriptions d’expressions saines ou malsaines d’orgueil national ainsi que ses suggestions pour en mitiger les conséquences sont expliquées par de nombreuses citations.
The Rise and Fall of Anticontagionism in France
Authors: Heaman E.A.
Published: December 2016

This article re-examines the anticontagionist controversy in nineteenth-century France. Erwin Ackerknecht attributed the discrediting of contagion theory to political opposition to quarantines and the rise of social medicine. Later scholars argue that he exaggerated the opposition between contagionists and anticontagionists. I argue that French doctors were genuinely divided on questions of knowledge and practice. Disease by disease, they battled it out. Anticontagionists gained the upper hand in the 1820s and 1830s, only to relinquish it again in the 1840s as contagionists revised their theories to be more progressive and tracked down evidence to which the Academy of Medicine lent its authority. At that point the majority of physicians rallied around to an attenuated theory of transmission and support for quarantines.
Promoting Good Health in the Age of Reform: The Medical Publications of Henry H. Porter of Philadelphia, 1829–32
Authors: Horrocks Thomas A
Published: December 2016

In the early 1830s, the Philadelphia publisher Henry H. Porter rapidly published five journals, six books, and an almanac, works having a particular emphasis on health and personal hygiene. Porter’s health publications linked the traditional message about the importance of personal hygiene to health to the messages conveyed by the flourishing American reform movements at the time, and his Journal of Health was among the first American medically oriented periodicals published for the layperson. Yet Porter did not survive in the intensely competitive and financially unstable book trade. This study examines Porter’s health publications, attempting to explain why he chose to publish what he did, the message(s) his works contained, the audience(s) he tried to reach, and the failure of his business.
Medical Books: For Information or Learning? Reflections on the Books of Three Newfoundland Physicians, c. 1860 to c. 1970.
Authors: Crellin J.K
Published: December 2016

This study describes the medical books of three physicians in rural Newfoundland who followed each other chronologically. Spanning the years c. 1860 to c. 1970, the nearly 300 books prompt a variety of questions about the physicians themselves, their practices, and their reading habits. These enquiries raise further questions about the extent to which medical books are read for factual information or for contemplating more general issues about the nature of disease and the nature of the individual.
“Who’s on First?”: Garrison-Morton-Norman at the End of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Teigen Philip M
Published: December 2016

In the 83 years since its first publication in 1912, Garrison and Morton's Medical Bibliography has become the most authoritative work in the history of medicine. The authority derives from its age, from its practicality, and, most of all, from its celebration of origins and priority in the history of medicine. Indeed, until recently, the Medical Bibliography was governed by its own myth of origin which held that Sir William Osler inspired Garrison’s work. Preoccupied with origins as such, it serves more as a node in the reward system of twentieth-century medical science and practice than as a work of sound historical scholarship. It is chiefly for those interested in the commemorative voice of medical history rather than for those undertaking the disciplined study of the historical record (the forensic voice). Tragically, because the compilers have worked alone in surveying the specialized and fragmented literature of medical history — a literature which has grown exponentially over the past three centuries — they have produced a work which cannot do justice to the profession it celebrates.
Artifacts and Archives/ Archives et artefacts de la pratique médicale: Early Modern English Medical Wills, Book Ownership, and Book Culture
Authors: Cerdeira Christine
Published: December 2016

The last wills and testaments of early modern English medical practitioners have been undervalued as a primary source for their contribution to historical knowledge of book ownership and culture. Many of these wills, primarily those of physicians, contain multiple references to specific book titles and serve as an indicator of the intellectual climate among a university-educated professional class. It is precisely the type of information contained within the wills which is often unavailable elsewhere due to losses of relevant documentation and the relative dearth of sixteenth-century book catalogues. Rather than viewing the last will as a supplementary genealogical source document, understanding its historical usefulness necessitates a change in attitude. As a source, the will provides unique personal, educational, financial, and intellectual information that would be difficult to locate otherwise. When used in conjunction with other sources, for example, the Alumni Oxonienses or Alumni Cantabrigienses, last wills and testaments provide evidence of a medical or intellectual circle that often began at university and continued during private practice. The bestowing of gifts, remembrance, and bequests upon fellow physicians illustrates this aspect of medical life. Within this context, the specific gifts of books to friends, family, and associates demonstrate the relative importance and value of an educated book culture in late sixteenth-century England.
Pharmacy Records at the Archives of Ontario: Their Form, Content, and Value for Research
Authors: Francom Stephen
Published: December 2016

This report provides a brief and very general introduction to pharmacy records at the Archives of Ontario, and to additional sources for research in Ontario pharmacy history. The recently completed processing of pharmacy records themselves involved the arrangement and description of six fonds created between 1833 and 1964 by 15 private retail pharmacies in Ontario. There now exists a descriptive inventory/finding aid for each of the six fonds, and a comprehensive thematic guide including capsule descriptions of all pharmacy-related materials held at the Archives of Ontario and in other Ontario archives and collections, a chronology of Ontario pharmacy history, and bibliographies of relevant published materials. The pharmacies, two of which remain in business under the management of descendants of their early proprietors, were situated throughout southern Ontario, in villages such as Watford and Tavistock, small-to medium-sized towns like Niagara, Stratford, Guelph, Markham, and Belleville, and large cities, including London, Toronto, and Ottawa. The fonds include records created as early as 1833 by one of the first druggist's businesses established in Upper Canada, the Niagara Apothecary in Niagara-on-the-Lake, as well as records created by three of the longest surviving, continuously operated retail pharmacies in the province: Geen's Prescription Pharmacy in Belleville, established in 1833; McLaren's Drug Store in Watford, established in 1869; and the Pharmacie Desjardins in Ottawa, established in 1871.