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BLOODLESS
% w
MEDICINE
and
SURGERY
K ne Growing
6 a Demand
Average Printing 20,381,000
Published in 83 Languages
Bloodless Medicine
and Surgery
The Growing D em an d
3-11
Bloodless medicine and surgery
is now more common than ever.
Why is there such a demand
for it? Is it a safe alternative
to blood transfusions?
Pioneers in Medicine 3
The Amazing World Blood Transfusions A Long History
of Insects 15 of Controversy 4
The Growing Demand for
Instead of squashing every bug Bloodless Medicine and Surgery 7
that crosses your path, why
not learn something about the Do You Want to Learn
a Foreign Language? 12
amazing world of insects?
Is Coffee Raising Your
Cholesterol Level? 14
Mothers With AIDS Face a Dilemma 20
The Finest Magazines Available 22
A Balanced View of
Help for Victims of Torture 23
Popular Customs 26
Watching the World 28
Many customs are rooted in
superstitions and non-Biblical From Our Readers 30
religious ideas. How should a La Bambouseraie
Christian view such practices? A Dream Come True 31
He Cannot Keep His Copy 32
caRDIOLOGY
Blood Transfusions
A Long History of Controversy
Ifred blood cells were a new drug today, it would be very difficult to get it licensed.
-Dr. Jeffrey McCullough.
N TH E winter o f 1667, a violent madman dell. With his improved techniques and ad
I named Antoine M auroy was brought to vanced instrum entsand his insistence that
Jean-Baptiste Denis, eminent physician to only human blood should be used B lun
King Louis XIV of France. Denis had the dell brought blood transfusions back into the
ideal cure for M auroys m aniaa transfu limelight.
sion of calfs blood, which he thought would But in 1873, F. Gesellius, a Polish doctor,
have a calm ing effect on his patient. But slowed the transfusion revival with a fright
things did not go well for Mauroy. Granted, ening discovery: M ore than half the transfu
after a second transfusion, his condition im sions perform ed had ended in death. Upon
proved. But soon madness again seized the learning this, eminent physicians began de
Frenchman, and before long he was dead. nouncing the procedure. The popularity of
Even though it was later determined that transfusions once again waned.
M auroy actually died from arsenic poison Then, in 1878, French physician Georges
ing, Denis experiments with animal blood Hayem perfected a saline solution, which
provoked a heated controversy in France. he claimed could serve as a substitute for
Finally, in 1670 the procedure was banned. blood. Unlike blood, the saline solution had
In time, the English Parliament and even the no side effects, did not clot, and was easy
pope followed suit. Blood transfusions fell to transport. Understandably, Hayems saline
into obscurity for the next 150 years. solution came to be widely used. Strangely,
Early Hazards however, opinion soon favored blood again.
In the 19th century, blood transfusions Why?
made a comeback. Leading the revival was In 1900, Austrian pathologist Karl Land-
an English obstetrician named James Blun steiner discovered the existence of blood
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Unless otherwise indicated, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures With References is used.
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# Audiocassettes also available. St. Catherine Avondale
b eco m in g w ary o f a d m in iste rin g blood. treatm ent, and with good reason. Stephen
Blood transfusions are basically no good, Geoffrey Pollard, a British consultant sur
and we are very aggressive in avoiding them geon, notes that the m orbidity and m ortality
for everybody, says Dr. Alex Zapolanski, of rates among those who receive bloodless sur
San Francisco, California. gery are at least as good as those patients
The general public too is becoming aware who receive blood, and in many cases they
o f the dangers o f transfusions. Indeed, a are spared the postoperative infections and
1996 poll revealed th at 89 percent of Canadi complications often attributable to blood.
ans would prefer an alternative to donated How did bloodless medical treatm ent de
blood. N ot all patients will refuse homolo velop? In one sense the question is rather
gous transfusions as do Jehovahs Witness odd, since bloodless medicine actually pre
es, states the Journal o f Vascular Surgery. dates the use of blood. Indeed, it was not
Nonetheless, the risks of disease transm is until the early 20th century that transfusion
sion and im m unom odulation offer clear evi technology had advanced to the point where
dence that we m ust find alternatives for all it was routinely used. Nevertheless, in recent
of our patients. decades some have popularized the field o f
A Preferred Method bloodless surgery. For example, during the
Thankfully, there is an alternativeblood 1960s noted surgeon D enton Cooley p e r
less m edicine and surgery. M any patients formed some of the first open-heart opera
view it not as a last resort but as a preferred tions w ithout the use of blood.
Su rgica l tools: S o m e d e v ic
Blood salvage: Salvaging m a es cu t and seal blood vessels si
c h in e s re c o v e r b lo o d th a t is m ultaneously. O ther devices can
lost during surgery o r trauma. The seal b le e d in g on la rg e areas o f
blood is cleansed and can be re tis s u e . L a p a ro s c o p ic and m in i
tu rn e d to th e p a tie n t in a c lo s e d m ally invasive in s tru m e n ts allow
circuit. In extrem e cases, liters of s u rg e rie s to be p e rfo rm e d w ith
b lo o d ca n be re c o v e re d u sin g out the blood loss associated with
such a system. large incisions.
Easier said than done! That is what many say about learning a
foreign language, especially after giving it a try. Granted, learning
another language is challenging, to say the least. But those who
have succeeded say that it is well worth the effort.
OFInsects
BY A W A K E ! C O R R E S P O N D E N T IN S P A I N
METAMORPHOSIS
A New Look, a New Life-Style
S om e in se cts to ta lly revam p th e ir a p p e a ra n ce pillar is d o rm a n t in th e chrysalis, m ost o f its previ
th ro u g h a process ca lle d m e ta m o rp h o sis lite ra l ous tis s u e s and body o rg a n s b re a k d ow n an d a
ly, change in fo rm . The changes can be quite dra w h o le s e t o f new a d u lt o rg a n s s u c h as w in g s ,
m atic. M aggots change into flies, ca te rp illa rs into eyes, and antennasdevelop.
b utte rflie s, and a q u a tic larvae into airb o rn e drag O fte n , th e tra n s fo rm a tio n in v o lv e s ta k in g on
onflies. H undreds o f th o u sa n d s o f insects undergo a new life -s ty le . For exa m p le , w h ile in th e la rv a l
m etam orphosis. s ta g e , th e d ra g o n fly c a p tu re s s m a ll fis h o r ta d
To produce such a tra n s fo rm a tio n com parable poles; b u t w hen it b ecom es a fre e -fly in g a d u lt, it
to co n ve rtin g a tra in into an a irp la n e huge m odi changes its d ie t to insects. This is th e e quivalent o f
fica tio n s m u st ta ke place inside th e in se cts body. a man spending his firs t 2 0 years sw im m in g in th e
C onsider th e butterfly, fo r exam ple. W hile th e cater sea and th e rest o f his life flying around like a bird.
them to locate the suns position in the sky weeks and prospective m ates are few and far
even when it is hidden by clouds. Thanks to between.
this ability, these insects can forage far from Female em peror m oths find a suitor by
their nests and still find their way home un emitting a scent that is so potent that a male
erringly. can home in on its source from nearly seven
Love Is in the Air miles away. His sensitive antennas can detect
In the insect world, sounds and aromas are a single molecule o f the scent.
often used to find a m ateno small achieve Crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas prefer
m ent if your life span is ju st a m atter of to make themselves heard. Even we humans
N ew ly e m e rg e d from Its
p u p a, th e s w a llo w ta il
s tre tc h e s Its w ings
Could evolution o rchestrate th e se incredi
b le tra n s fo rm a tio n s ? How c o u ld a c a te rp il
lar sim ply a p p e a r on th e scene, program m ed to
tra n s fo rm its e lf in to a b u tte rfly ? For th a t m a tte r,
w hich ca m e firs tth e c a te rp illa r o r th e b u tte rfly?
One cannot exist w ith o u t th e other, fo r only th e but
terfly breeds and lays eggs.
Surely, th e process o f m etam orph osis gives con
v in c in g e v id e n c e o f a M a s te r D e sig n e r, th e o n e
w hom th e Bible ide n tifie s as th e C re a to ro f all things,
Alm ighty G o d Psalm 1 0 4 :2 4 ; Revelation 4 :1 1 . 17
Above: P o lle n -e atin g b e e tle
Above right: A dew -covered
le a f b e e tle w arm in g up
F a r rig h t: R hinoceros b e e tle
can hear the amorous cicada, as it converts Flies and beetles are attracted to flowers
its whole body into a sounding board. Why, a or leaves th at bathe in the w arm th of the
large group of courting cicadas can create a sun during the early morning hours. Some
din that is louder than a pneumatic drill! In beetles frequent Australian water lilies that
contrast, some females make no sound at all. act like botanical stoves, heating up their
blossoms as m uch as 36 degrees Fahrenheit
Waking Up and Warming Up
higher than the surrounding tem perature.
For hum ans who live in a cool climate, In contrast, butterflies have a built-in heating
keeping warm is im portant. The same is true system. W hen they need to warm up, they
for cold-blooded insects that wake up each open their wings, which serve as efficient so
m orning virtually frozen stiff. The sun is lar panels, and incline them toward the sun.
their <Hly, and they make the most of it.
You Name It, Insects Do It!
A frican In the insect world, nearly every species
has a different role, some of which are quite
grasshopper
H orsefly
bizarre. Some moths, for example, seek life- tralia, which has become home to millions of
giving salt and m oisture by sucking the tears cattle. Herds inevitably scatter dung every
of buffalo. Other insects, equipped with a po where. Besides being unsightly, the m anure
tent antifreeze, inhabit freezing m ountain- provided a breeding site for the bush flya
tops and spend their lives scavenging bugs plague to both hum ans and cattle. So dung
that have succumbed to the cold. beetles were im ported from Europe and Af
As wise King Solomon observed thousands rica. The problem was solved!
of years ago, the ant is particularly industri
ous. Solomon wrote: G o to the ant, you lazy Friends or Foes?
one; see its ways and become wise. Although A dm ittedly, some insects eat crops and
it has no commander, officer or ruler, it pre carry disease. But only about 1 percent of
pares its food even in the summer; it has gath the worlds insects are considered pests, and
ered its food supplies even in the harvest. many of these do m ore damage because of
(Proverbs 6:6-8) The absence of a ruler is all the way man him self has altered the environ
the more remarkable considering that some ment. The malaria-carrying mosquito, for ex
colonies o f ants may nu m b er upw ards o f ample, rarely bothers the native people who
20 million! Yet, this insect metropolis func live in the equatorial forest. It does wreak
tions perfectly, with each ant performing its havoc, though, on towns bordering the for
specific task, so that the entire colony is sup est, where stagnant w ater abounds.
plied with food, protection, and housing. Often, m an can naturally control insect
Perhaps the m ost impressive example of pests th at attack crops, either by rotating
insect housing is the term ite mound. Some crops or by introducing or conserving natu
of them stand 25 feet tall.* These marvels ral predators. Lowly ladybugs and lacewings
of construction come with sophisticated air- effectively control plagues of aphids. And in
conditioning and underground fungus gar Southeast Asia, public-health workers dis
dens. Even more amazing, the termites that
covered th at a couple o f dragonfly larvae
build these towering pyramids are blind!
could keep a water-storage container free o f
Why We Need Insects mosquito larvae.
Insects play a vital role in our daily life. In Even with their drawbacks, then, insects
deed, about 30 percent of the foods we eat de are an integral part of the natural world on
pend on pollination by bees, most of which which we depend. As C hristopher OToole
are wild bees. But pollination is only one of points out, while insects can survive without
the useful labors perform ed by insects. In us, we cannot survive w ithout them .
sects keep the earth clean by means of an
efficient recycling system, as they reprocess
dead plants and animals. Thus, the soil is en IN OUR NEXT ISSUE
riched, and nutrients that are liberated can
make things grow. W ithout insects, writes
Life A P roduct of Design
entom ologist C h risto p h e r O Toole in his
book Alien Empire, we would be inundated How Can I Avoid Dangers
with dead plant and animal m aterial.
on the Internet?
Insects are sorely missed when their work
is not done. Consider what happened in Aus M apping the Heavens
* For humans, the equivalent would be a skyscraper that Then and Now
stands six miles high.
C
the West Indies, had a choice
b etw een breast-feeding or
bottle-feeding her newborn.
The decision might seem sim
ple. After all, for decades health experts have
been promoting m others milk as the ulti
mate health food for babies. Besides, bottle-
fed babies in poor com m unities are about
15 times more likely to die from diarrheic
disease th an those who are breast-fed. In
fact, the U nited N ations C hildrens Fund
(U NICEF) reports that some 4,000 children
die every day as a result of hazards associated
with breast-milk substitutes.
In Cynthias case, however, the decision re
garding breast-feeding involved another dan
ger altogether. Her husband had infected
her with the hum an immunodeficiency vi
rus (HIV), which causes AIDS. After giving
birth, Cynthia learned that a child of an HIV
positive m other stands a l-in-7 chance of be
coming infected through breast milk.* Thus,
she had to make an agonizing choice: expose
her baby to the risks of breast-feeding or sub
ject it to the hazards of bottle-feeding.
In parts of the world where the AIDS epi
dem ic has h it th e h a rd e st, 2 or 3 o u t of
M o th e rs W ith
every 10 p reg n an t w om en are H IV p o si
tive. In one country, more than half of all AIDS Face
p re g n a n t w om en te ste d w ere infected.
These alarming figures, reports U N Radio,
have had scientists racing to find a rem e
a D ilem m a
dy. To respond to this threat, six UN organi
W H O /E . H o o p e r
zations have pooled their experience, efforts,
and resources to form the Joint United N a that the solution to the AIDS dilemma is not
tions Programme on H IV /A ID S, known as so simple.
UNAIDS.A But what UNAIDS has found is
Complex Obstacles
* Not her real name. Blocking a Simple Solution
# According to UNICEF, about 500 to 700 infants per day According to Edith White, a specialist on
are infected by the breast milk of their HIV-positive mothers.
AThe six organizations are UNICEF, the United Nations breast-feeding and m other-to-child tra n s
Development Programme, the United Nations Population mission of HIV, health workers are advising
Fund, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and
the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Or HIV-positive women in industrialized coun
ganization. UNAIDS was established in 1995. tries not to breast-feed their babies, since this
YOUNG man strolls down a peace sound in the air, I rem em ber the rod going up
what happens to you when you criticise the gov problems can sometimes be treated readily, but
ernm ent. not so the psychological. In the beginning we
To m any people the idea of inflicting to r thought, All right, well put their bones togeth
ture on fellow hum ans is strictly reminiscent erthen they can walk home, admits Dr. Ge-
of the Dark Ages. After all, in 1948 the Unit nefke. But we soon learned that it was the pain
ed Nations adopted the Universal Declaration in their hearts that was eating them up. Never
of Hum an Rights, which states: N o one shall theless, Dr. Genefke notes: It has been a sur
be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman prise to learn that it is possible to relieve and to
or degrading treatm ent or punishm ent. (Arti help victims, even if many years have passed.
cle 5) Some experts believe, however, that up to In 1982, at Copenhagens National Hospital,
35 percent of the worlds refugees have been Dr. Genefke along with other D anish physi
tortured. Why is torture so widespread? How cians set up a small unit for treating refugees
are victims affected, and what can be done to who were victims of torture. From these small
help them? beginnings grew a global netw ork under the
name International Rehabilitation Council for
The Aftermath
Torture Victims (IRCT). From its headquar
N ot surprisingly, many victims of torture flee ters in Copenhagen, the council is directing re
their homeland to start a new life elsewhere. lief work through more than 100 centers world
But while the locale may change, the suffering wide. Over the years, the council has learned
both physical and psychologicalcontinues. much about treating victims of torture.
For example, the victim may experience feel
ings of guilt because of being unable to protect How to Give Support
friends or relatives from m istreatm ent. He may It is often helpful for victims to talk about
also develop a profound m istrust of others, fear their experiences. Some 20 years ago, says a
ing that each person he meets could be an in presentation sheet from the IRCT, torture vic
former. The torture victim is forever going to tims were often victims in a double sense. First
be a stranger, says w riter Carsten Jensen. He by being exposed to the physical/psychological
has forever lost his trust in the world. act of torture, and then second by not being able
The result is a mixture of physical and men to talk about it.
tal traum a th at can baffle the victim and any Granted, it is not pleasant to talk about a top
one who sets out to help him. The physical ic as dismal as torture. But if a sufferer wishes to
confide in a friend and the friend refuses to lis
ten, the sufferer could sink deeper into despair.
Therefore, it is im portant for the victim to
be assured that someone cares. O f course,
no one should pry into the personal affairs
of another. Ultimately, it is up to the victim
to decide if, when, and in whom he or
she wants to confide.Proverbs 17:
17; 1 Thessalonians 5:14.
M ost experts recom mend consid
ering both the physical and the m en
tal aspects of torture. For some vie-
IF YOU ARE ACQUAINTED WITH SOMEONE WHO IS RECOVERING FROM THE
H O W EFFECTS OF TORTURE, THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS MAY PROVE HELPFUL:
Show empathy. You m ight say: I know there is a lot of trouble in the country you
Y O U come from . How are you coping?M atthew 7:12; Romans 15:1.
Do not pry or be too insistent about providing help. Rather, be kind and consid
erate. Let the victim know that you are w illing to listen.James 1:19.
C A N Avoid being overly helpful. Do not deprive the sufferer of his self-respect or his
privacy. The idea is to share the burden with the sufferer, not to attem pt to carry
H K L P it completely.
tim s, reh ab ilitatio n req u ires professional cam p survivors have had to cope with the
help. Approaches to treatm ent include exer traum atic aftereffects o f their ordeal. In do
cises in breathing and in communication.* ing so, they have been greatly strengthened
Feelings of shame are usually among the first by following the counsel o f the apostle Paul.
to be addressed. One therapist told a woman While Paul languished in a Rom an prison, a
who had been repeatedly raped and beaten: situation that m ust have brought him con
The shame you feel is normal and under siderable anxiety, he wrote to fellow believ
standable. But rem em ber that it is not yours. ers: Do not be anxious over anything, but in
The shame belongs to the people who did everything by prayer and supplication along
this to you. with thanksgiving let your petitions be made
Concentration Camp Survivors known to God; and the peace of G od that
During World War II, millions of people excels all thought will guard your hearts and
suffered horrible indignities in H itlers con your m ental powers by means o f Christ Je
centration camps. Among these were thou sus.Philippians 1:13; 4:6, 7.
sands o f Jehovahs W itnesses who were per Through Bible study, these integrity keep
secuted because they refused to renounce ers have learned that G od has promised to
their religious beliefs. T heir faith undeniably make the earth a paradise, where the pain
helped them to endure such trialsome cir ful effects of indignities such as torture will
cumstances. How? eventually be erased.
Long before th e ir in ca rce ra tio n , these J e h o v a h s W itnesses are sh a rin g th is
C h ristian s h ad b een c a re fu l stu d e n ts o f B ible-based h o p e w ith th e ir n e ig h
G ods Word. Thus, they were not puzzled bors in m ore th a n 230 lands. Turbu- A
when trials arose, nor did they blame G od lent world conditions bring them into
when their suffering did not im m ediately contact w ith m any w ho have su f
come to an end. T hrough a study of the Bi fered because o f m ans inhum an
ble, the W itnesses had learned why G od per ity to man. W hen they m eet vic
mits wickedness and how he will put an end tim s o f to rtu re , th e W itnesses
to it in his due time. Bible study had taught endeavor to share with these in
them th at Jehovah is a lover o f ju stice dividuals the Bibles promise o f
and that he is outraged when men m istreat a bright future. How happy
their fellow hum ans.Psalm 37:28; Zechari- they are to spread the glad
ah 2:8,9. tidings of a future time
O f course, m any o f these concentration when torture will be
a thing o f the past!
*Awake! does not endorse any particular treatment. Chris Isaiah 65:17; Rev
tians should be sure that any treatment they pursue does not
conflict with Bible principles. elation 21:4.
TH E B I B L E S V I E WP O I N T
A Balanced View
of Popular Customs
T h e r e is n o p o s s ib l e l in e o f c o n d u c t w h ic h h a s n o t a t
SOME TIME AND PLACE BEEN CONDEMNED, AND WHICH AT SOME
OTHER TIME AND PLACE BEEN ENJOINED AS A DUTY.
Som e a n c ie n t custom s, such as covering the m outh w hile yaw ning and
giving flow ers to the bereaved , have lost th e ir o riginal significance
was used to discourage demons from enter of Bible principles, Jehovahs W itnesses do
ing a wom ans m outh and possessing her. not create a hard-and-fast rule. Instead, each
Even a custom as innocuous as covering the Christian m ust weigh the circum stances at
m outh while yawning may have arisen from hand and make a personal decision.
the idea that ones soul could escape through
Seek Others Advantage
a wide-open m outh. Over the years, however,
Does this mean that it is always proper to
the religious associations have faded, and to
participate in a certain custom as long as it
day these practices and customs have no reli
does not directly violate Bible teachings? No.
gious significance.
(Galatians 5:13) Paul indicated that a Chris
The Concern of Christians tian should seek not only his own advan
W hen a Christian m ust decide whether or tage but that of the many. He should do
not to follow a certain custom, his main con all things for G ods glory and not become
cern should be, W hat is G ods viewpoint as a cause for stumbling. (1 Corinthians 10:31-
expressed in the Bible? In the past G od con 33) So a person seeking G ods approval would
demned certain practices th at may have been want to ask himself: How do others view this
tolerated in som e com m unities. These in custom? Does the com m unity attach any ob
cluded child sacrifice, the misuse of blood, jectionable meaning to it? Would my partic
and various sexual practices. (Leviticus 17: ipation imply that I am in agreement with
13,14; 18:1-30; Deuteronom y 18:10) Likewise, practices or ideas that are displeasing to God?
certain customs that are comm on today are 1 Corinthians 9:19,23; 10:23,24.
clearly not in harm ony with Bible principles. Though generally innocuous, some cus
Among these are non-Biblical traditions con toms may be practiced locally in ways that are
nected with religious holidays such as C hrist contrary to Bible principles. For instance, on
mas and Easter or with superstitious prac specific occasions the giving of flowers may
tices related to spiritism. take on special meaning that conflicts with Bi
But w hat about custom s th at may once ble teachings. So, what should a Christian pri
have been linked to questionable practices marily be concerned about? Although there
but that today are prim arily viewed as so may be reason to examine the origin of a par
cial etiquette? For example, many popular ticular custom, in some cases it is more im por
wedding customsincluding the exchanging tant to consider whatthe custom means to p
of rings and the eating of cakemay have ple at the time and in the place where one now
pagan origins. Does this m ean that Chris lives. If a custom has unscriptural or otherwise
tians are forbidden to observe such customs? negative connotations during a particular pe
Are Christians required to scrutinize meticu riod of the year or under certain circumstanc
lously each custom of the com m unity to see es, Christians may wisely decide to avoid it at
whether somewhere or at some time it had that time.
negative connotations? Paul prayed that Christians continue let
Paul points out that where the spirit of ting their love abound with accurate knowl
Jehovah is, there is freedom . (2 C orinthi edge and full discernment. By keeping a bal
ans 3:17; James 1:25) G od wants us to use anced view of popular customs, Christians
this freedom, not as an inducem ent for self make sure of the more im portant things, so
ish cravings, but to train our perceptive pow that [they] may be flawless and not be stum
ers to distinguish right from wrong. (Gala bling others. (Philippians 1:9,10) At the same
tians 5:13; Hebrews 5:14; 1 Peter 2:16) Hence, time, they will let their reasonableness be
in a m atter where there is no clear violation come known to all men.Philippians 4:5.
Vasco da Gama I enjoyed tremendously Thank you for the informative article. I
the article The Remarkable Voyage of learned m ore a b o u t C om enius from four
Vasco da G am a. (M arch 22, 1999) It was pages of Awake! than I had from ten lectures
well illustrated and informative. You state during my course of study at the university.
that he had three little ships on his voyage, H. R, G erm any
but there were actually four. Also, you say
that D a G am a returned to Lisbon on Sep Native American Bible W hen I read the
tem ber 8, 1499. However, he arrived to article Native Am ericans and the Bible
ward the end of August. (May 8, 1999), my interest was especially
P N., Kenya stirred by your references to John E liots
Bible for the M assachusett Indians. My
It is true that Da Gamas journey began with husband and I saw a copy o f th at Bible on
four ships. However, the part o f the voyage de a visit to the H untington Library, in San
scribed in the introduction took place after M arino, California. It was opened to the
the fourth ship was destroyed. As to the date book of Psalms, and the name Jehovah
o f his arrival in Lisbon, most sources place it could be seen repeatedly. W hat a thrill it
in early September. Interestingly, Portugal and was for us to see G ods name in this 17th-
the Discoveriesstates: Vasco da Gama arrived century Bible!
on or near August 29th, being received by the B. J., U nited States
King with all due ceremony on September 8th.
This may reconcile the seeming discrepancy. Child Labor T hank you for the series
ED. Child LaborIts End in Sight! (May 22,
1999) W hen I first saw the cover, my hon
Crossword Puzzles I want to write you est opinion was that the articles had noth
about the crossword puzzles in Awake! I en ing to do with my country. But once I
joy them because they keep my brain occu started reading, I couldnt stop. To put it
pied, and at age 78, one needs to keep the more plainly, I was horrified. I recently
mind active. W hen we read the Bible, our bought a hand-sewn teddy bear for a frac
m inds do not usually store such detailed tion of what it would have cost if it had
inform ation as is presented in the puzzles. been made in Japan. It is heartrending to
So I take the time to look up all the cited think that behind its cheap price may be
scriptures. T hank you for this feature. the heartless treatm ent o f small children.
J. W., U nited States S. O., Japan
Comenius I am teaching a group of Weight I am ten years old. Thank you for
adults to read. Your excellent article Co the article Young People Ask . . . How Can
m eniusThe G randfather of M odern Ed I Conquer My Obsession W ith Weight?
ucation (May 8, 1999) helped me to un (May 22, 1999) I have always thought that
derstand why some have difficulty learning. I was too heavy. By reading this article, I
The inform ation in the accompanying box, came to understand that a persons figure is
Some Teaching Principles of John Come not the main thing. More im portant are a
nius, will be very useful. persons qualities.
N. A. F., Brazil M. S., Russia
A LM O ST 1 5 0 y e a rs a g o in th e s o u th
/% o f France, Eugene M azel, an im p o rte r
I j L o f Asian spices, s e t o u t to m ake w h a t
w ould becom e th e la rg e st b a m b o o n u rs e ry in
th e w o rld , c o n ta in in g n e a rly 2 0 0 v a rie tie s o f
th is fa st-g ro w in g , v e rs a tile grass. U ntil 1 8 5 5 ,
M a z e ls a m b itio n w as blo cke d by a m a jo r o b
sta cle : B am boo did not grow in Europe.
A tte m p ts to im p o r t th e g ra s s fro m A s ia
p ro v e d fu tile . W h ile b a m b o o is q u ite s tu rd y
in its ow n h a b ita t (c e rta in v a rie tie s can w ith
s ta n d te m p e r a tu r e s a s lo w a s -1 1 d e g re e s
F a h re n h e it and can grow a t an a ltitu d e o f up
to 1 6 ,0 0 0 feet), it w as im p o s s ib le to keep th e
roots alive d u rin g th e long jo u rn e y a cross con
tin e n ts . W ith th e a d v e n t o f fa s te r s h ip s , how
e ve r, b a m b o o s p e c im e n s w e re s u c c e s s fu l
ly im p o rte d to E ngland in 1 8 2 7 a n d , la te r, to
France. M a ze ls dream w as one ste p clo s e r to
reality!
M a z e ls n e x t c h a lle n g e w as fin d in g a s u it
a b le lo c a tio n fo r h is n u rs e ry . In 1 8 5 5 he
purch a se d an 8 4 -a cre e s ta te n e a r A nduze, in
th e s o u th o f France, w hich b e n e fite d fro m th e
M e d ite rra n e a n c lim a te and w as ble sse d w ith
s u ita b le soil. Extensive w ork w as n e ce ssa ry to
d ire c t w a te r fro m a n e a rb y river. B u t M a z e ls
p a in s ta k in g e ffo rts m e t w ith success.
S a d ly , by 1 8 9 0 , M a z e l w a s b a n k ru p t a n d
h a d to s e ll h is p re c io u s g a rd e n . H a p p ily ,
th o u g h , o th e rs c a rrie d on w h e re he le f t o ff,
so th a t now each year an e s tim a te d 3 5 0 ,0 0 0
p e ople v is it La B a m b o u s e ra ie M a z e ls d re a m
com e tru e .
All p ic tu re s : La B a m b o u s e ra ie de P ra fra n c e
Cannot Keep
His Copy
A businessm an w rote to the Slovenia
branch office of Jehovahs Witnesses:
Thank you for regularly sending me the
Awake! and Watchtower magazines. I take them
with me when I travel, as I read them during
the trip and while waiting for business m eet
ings.
I would also like to request that you
send me the following publications
that have been mentioned in your
magazines: There a Creator Who
Cares About You?, What Is the Purpose
o f Life? How Can You Find It?, and Book
for All People.
I would like to have two copies of each
publication. This is because every time I read
one of your publications when I am traveling, someone is
very interested in what I am reading. Despite the fact that
I would like to keep it for my own library, I give the
my copy.