Menstruation. Even the mention of the topic creates an air of discomfort. On pages 11, 12, and 14 (in Chapter I, Ironing it Out), Dr. Moalem explains how menstruation might have saved several teenaged and adult women from contracting the Bubonic Plague during the dire outbreak in the 14th century. As Dr. Moalem describes, menstruating women often become temporarily anemic, resulting in a brief iron deficiency. While this may have been a rare benefit, it was a benefit nonetheless.
Menstruation is a mammalian construct; no other animals do so. Menstruation, in humans, is the near-monthly shedding of the uterine lining, or endometrium. However, most mammals experience what is referred to as covert menstruation, where the endometrium is reabsorbed instead of pushed out of the body. While all primates (gorillas, lemurs, chimpanzees, etc.) have monthly menstrual cycles, other mammals, such as dogs and cats, do not.
First, briefly explain how menstruation, according to Dr. Moalem, helped protect women from the Black Death. Be sure to mention how the bacterium of the Bubonic Plague spreads and how this relates to the menstrual cycle. Secondly, hypothesize a possible evolutionary reason as to why primates might have a monthly menstrual cycle while other mammals do not (research is not necessary; however, it is not prohibited). Lastly, research another disease or situation in which menstruation might be beneficial and explain how.
This all relates to Big Idea 1 (the process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life) most, as evolution is the direct mechanism through which such a disparity in the mammalian order came to be. However, it also relates to Big Idea 3 (living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes), as such outside forces - be them olfactory, pathogenic, or otherwise - molded the process of menstruation over millions of years until it became what it is today.
(Justin Millman; jmillma4@students.d125.org)
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ReplyDeleteNormal macrophages that contain plenty of iron snatch certain infectious agents to protect the body; however, it allows infectious agents to grow stronger because many infectious agents, such as tuberculosis, can use the iron in macrophages to feed and multiply (Moalem 13). According to a new research, “the more iron in a given population, the more vulnerable that population is to the plague.” Adult women during Medieval Age were regularly iron depleted by menstruation; therefore, women were less likely to be affected by Yersinia pestis (Moalem 11). Accroding to Campbell text, “sex must enhance reproductive success or survival” (998). The cycles of reproductive activity of most animals are related to changing seasons so that they can conserve resources and reproduce only when there is sufficient energy for the survival of offspring (Campbell 999). Compared to most animals, primates have high intelligence, so primates are less likely to be held in bondage to changing seasons. In addition, the amount of offspring of primate at a birth is smaller than the amount of offspring of other animals. Therefore, primates enhance reproduction of species by having monthly menstrual cycle. The idea of reproduction is related to Big Idea 1 (The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life). Lastly, women are driven to eat healthy food to get right nutrients to avoid Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). PMS is a condition that women experience extreme change in emotion during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle. It includes fatigue, mood swings, irritability, nervousness, confusion, depression, tearfulness, and anxiety. The speculated causes of PMS include inappropriate diet. PMS symptoms may be relieved by avoiding caffeine, sugar, salt, white flour, and red meat. Also, green vegetables, salad, beans, grains, and fruit help to fight PMS (http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=astevenson&tabID=T003&searchId=R6&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=2&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3240100543&&docId=GALE|CX3240100543&docType=GALE)
ReplyDelete(Fabiola Yun, jooyun4@students.d125.org)