Die voedingsoorgang in Suid-Afrika : 'n uitdaging vir verbeterde voeding en die verligting van armoede : oorspronklike navorsing
Author Hester H. Vorster
Source: Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie 30, pp 1 –7 (2011)
Suid-Afrika, soos ander ontwikkelende lande in Sub-Sahara Afrika, bly in gebreke om die Verenigde Nasies se Millennium Ontwikkelingsdoelwitte te haal. In hierdie artikel word daar verduidelik dat hierdie onvermoë waarskynlik verband hou met grootskaalse wanvoeding in Afrika. Ekonomiese ontwikkeling en modernisering het 'n verandering in leefstyl en eetpatrone veroorsaak wat tot oorgewig en verwante siektes lei, voordat die probleem van ondervoeding opgelos is. In Suid-Afrika is 'n derde van die kinders nog steeds ondervoed terwyl byna 'n derde van volwasse mans en meer as die helfte van volwasse vroue reeds oorgewig of vetsugtig is. Hierdie dubbele lading van ondervoeding en oorvoeding lei tot hoë vlakke van beide oordraagbare (infektiewe) en nie-oordraagbare kroniese siektes, wat saam met die menslike immuniteitsgebrekkige virus (MIV) en verworwe immuniteitsgebrek sindroom (VIGS) epidemie verantwoordelik is vir die afname in lewensverwagting in Afrika. Armoede lei tot wanvoeding in swanger vroue, tot wangevoede fetusse, epigenetiese programmering van metaboliese paaie in 'n fetus, lae-geboortegewig babas en kinders met belemmerde fisiese en intellektuele ontwikkeling. Hierdie kinders ontwikkel in volwassenes met beperkte menskapitaal en het 'n verhoogde risiko vir oorgewig en kroniese siektes. Hulle vind dit moeilik om te ontsnap uit die intergeneratiewe siklus van armoede en wanvoeding. 'n Denkraamwerk word voorgestel as basis vir die beplanning van holistiese, transdissiplinêre en multisektoriale programme om ondervoeding en oorvoeding gelyktydig aan te spreek. Verder word daar aanbeveel dat Suid-Afrika meer openbare gesondheidsvoedingkundiges oplei en dat alle gesondheidswerkers beter toegerus word om die goeie voedingstrategieë van die Departement Gesondheid (Direktoraat Voeding) meer doeltreffend te implementeer.
Developing countries, including South Africa, are lagging behind in reaching the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These countries are at present experiencing a nutrition transition that is an outcome of economic development, urbanisation and acculturation. In this article, the nutritional situation in South Africa based on anthropometric characteristics of its population, is briefly reviewed. The vicious cycle between poverty, undernutrition and an increased vulnerability for over-nutrition and related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is explained and hypothesised to be a major determinant of the coexistence of under-nutrition and over-nutrition in developing countries. In South Africa the coexistence of under-nutrition and over-nutrition underlies a double burden of high morbidity and mortality from both infectious and noncommunicable diseases, which is further exacerbated by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic. Clearly, it would be difficult to escape this intergenerational vicious circle of poverty and malnutrition, without optimising the nutritional status of all women who plan to become pregnant. There are many psychological reasons, apart from nutrition transition, why people eat more than they need to, including an inherent partiality for refined, sweet, salty and fatty foods. A conceptual framework, based on the constitutional right to food and nutrition security, is proposed to guide policy makers to plan holistic, integrated, transdisciplinary and multisectorial interventions to address under-nutrition and over-nutrition simultaneously. Individuals should be empowered, facilitated and motivated by appropriate education and training programmes and by strategies to improve socio-economic situations to be able to buy or produce food and to make healthy choices. This food environment will be created only if there is a common agenda, or even legislation, to improve the nutritional status in multisectorial and transdisciplinary programmes. The Directorate of Nutrition in the South African Department of Health has an excellent integrated nutrition strategy, but lacks the required implementation capacity. More public health nutritionists should be trained and other health professionals should be better equipped to implement nutritional interventions in all poverty alleviation and health promotion programmes.
Relasiebegrippe in die lig van die vraag of Einstein in die eerste plek 'n 'relatiwiteitsteorie' ontwikkel het : oorspronklike navorsing
In die Duitse literatuur word daar dikwels van 'ideë-geskiedenis' gepraat. Dit is daarop gemik om die historiese agtergrond van die keuse en die gebruik van bepaalde terme te verduidelik. In hierdie studie word so 'n 'idee-historiese' benadering gevolg met die eintlike intern-vakwetenskaplike status en strekking van Einstein se bekende teorie (uit die jare 1905 en 1916). Sedert die vroeg-moderne tyd is die klem in die natuurwetenskappe van 'dingebegrippe' na 'relasiebegrippe' verskuif, terwyl verdere ontwikkelinge die invloed van die historistiese geestesklimaat van die 19de en vroeg-20ste eeu sou weerspieël. Daar word ook aandag gegee aan die wyse waarop Einstein se relatiwiteitsteorie die positiewe element in die verskuiwing na relasiebegrippe ontgin, hoewel die algemeen-bekende naamgewing van sy teorie (bewustelik of onbewustelik) die historistiese Zeitgeist [tydgees] aan die begin van die 20ste eeu tot 'n mate weerspieël. Tog blyk dit dat hy self die benoeming van die teorie bevraagteken het in die lig van die inherent-teenstrydige aard van die historisme. Hy het immers besef dat konstansie verandering veronderstel; verandering moet, of kan, dus nie beklemtoon word ten koste van konstansie nie. Terselfdertyd omvat die spesiale en algemene dele van sy teorie 'n insig in die onderskeiding tussen die kinematiese en fisiese aspekte van die werklikheid asook die funderende rol van uniforme beweging ten opsigte van fisiese verandering. Beide hierdie aspekte belig die relasiebegrippe waarvan Einstein gebruik maak, veral soos dit uitgedruk word in sy klem op energie-konstansie, waar die term energie die unieke sin van die fisiese aspek reflekteer en konstansie dié van die kinematiese aspek. Die beredenering van die hele artikel verwys deurgaans terug daarna dat konstansie die basis van dinamiek en verandering vorm en dat Einstein derhalwe in die eerste plek nie 'n teorie van relatiwiteit ontwikkel het nie, maar 'n teorie van konstansie. Sy teorie toon dus ook aan dat die historistiese gees van sy tyd inherent problematies is, want historisme beklemtoon verandering ten koste van konstansie: dit alles ten spyte van die feit dat die gees van sy tyd waarskynlik 'n rol gespeel het die in benoeming van sy teorie, naamlik as 'n relatiwiteitsteorie.
In the German literature the history of 'ideas' is often mentioned. Its aim is to account for the historical background of the choice and use of certain terms. In this instance such an 'idea-historical' approach is connected to the truly intrinsic scientific status and intention of the well-known theory of Einstein (from the years 1905 and 1916). The emphasis within the natural sciences switched since the early modern era from thing-concepts to relation-concepts, whilst the forthcoming developments eventually revealed the influence of the historicistic spiritual climate of the 19th and the early 20th century. It was also investigated in which way Einstein's theory of relativity explored the positive element in the shift from thing-concepts to relation-concepts even though the generally known designation of his theory (consciously or subconsciously) reflected something of the historicistic Zeitgeist [spirit of the time] at beginning of the 20th century. Nonetheless it would turn out that he was not convinced of the intrinsic antinomic nature of historicism, precisely because he realised that constancy underlies change and for that reason it cannot be emphasised at the cost of constancy. At the same time the special and general parts of his theory embody an insight into the distinct nature of the kinematic and physical aspects of reality and of the foundational role of the kinematic in respect of the physical aspect. Both these aspects underly the relation-concepts employed by Einstein, particularly as they are embodied in his emphasis on energy-constancy, where the term energy reflects the unique meaning of the physical aspect and constancy that of the kinematic aspect. The argumentation of the entire article is focused on the insight that constancy forms the basis of dynamics and change and that Einstein consequently did not develop a theory of relativity, but rather a theory of constancy. It follows that his theory at once demonstrates that the historicistic Zeitgeist of his time is intrinsically antinomic in its emphasis on change at the cost of constancy. This, moreover, is true in spite of the fact that the spirit of his time probably played a role in the designation of his theory, namely as a theory of relativity.
Asklepios : sy rol in die evolusie van die Geneeskunde : oorspronklike navorsing
Source: Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie 30, pp 1 –5 (2011)
Asklepios word vir die eerste keer deur Homeros as aanvoerder en geneesheer genoem in die Trojaanse Oorlog. Later, gedurende die 5de eeu v.C. het Asklepios bekend geword as die god van genesing. Dit was ook in hierdie tyd dat die Asklepeïese kultus van genesing in Epidaurus onstaan het. Hierdie helingskultus, wat geakkommodeer is deur die empiriese geneeshere van die tyd, het vir bykans 10 eeue voortbestaan in Asklepieia, waarvan daar meer as 400 in die Mediterreense seegebied en omstreke was. Asklepieia was van verskillende ontwerp, maar het gewoonlik 'n tempel ingesluit wat aan die god gewy is, asook inskripsies [iamata] met inligting van pasiënte wat genees is, 'n heilige bad, 'n put en 'n slaapvertrek [abaton] waar die pasiënt 'n nag van sogenaamde inkubasieslaap deurgebring het. Tradisioneel het Asklepios aan hulle verskyn in 'n nagtelike visioen, en het daar 'n onmiddellike wondergenesing plaasgevind, of is daar raad gegee in verband met die toekomstige behandeling van die siekte, wat daarna deur die tempelpersoneel bespreek is. Daar word beweer dat die Asklepeïese kultus, 'n godsdienstige genesingsprogram, sekulêre behandeling gekomplementeer het deurdat die tempelpersoneel wel in kontak was met die tydgenootlike Hippokratiese geneeskunde. Die emosionele impak van die inkubasieslaap en drome kon 'n genesingsimpak op kwale met 'n sielkundige basis gehad het. Die finale verdwyning van die Asklepeïese kultus was die gevolg van die opkoms van die Christendom as staatsgodsdiens, eerder as die agteruitgang van sy genesingsdoeltreffendheid.
Asclepius is first mentioned by Homer as leader and physician in the Trojan War. Later, during the 5th century, he became known as the god of healing, and in this century the Asclepian cult of healing became established in Epidaurus. This healing cult, which was accommodated by empiric (Hippocratic) physicians of the time, endured for close on ten centuries in Asclepieia, of which there were more than 400 in the Mediterranean area and surrounding countries. The Asclepieia were of different design, but usually included a temple dedicated to the god, as well as inscriptions [iamata] with information on the patients who were healed, a sacred bath, a well and a room [abaton] for so-called incubation sleep where the patient would spend the night. Asclepius traditionally appeared to the patients in a vision in the course of the night and an immediate miraculous healing could take place, or advice was given regarding the future treatment of the patient, which was in the morning thereafter discussed by the temple personnel. It is said that the Asclepian cult, a religious healing programme, complemented secular treatment since the tempel personnel were in contact with contemporary Hippocratic medicine. The emotional impact of the incubation sleep and dreams could have had a healing impact on ailments with a psycological basis. The final disappearance of the Asclepian cult was the result of the rise of Christianity, rather than the decline of its healing effectiveness.