ABSTRACT
Based on a content analysis of treatments of the funnel web spider in the Sydney Morning Herald between 1955 and 1985, this paper argues that negative attitudes towards the funnel web were encouraged throughout this period in news stories, commentary, and advertisements and were demonstrated in the reported words and actions of members of the general public. Despite this opprobrium, research into a funnel web antivenom was able to proceed because of the willingness of individuals to collect the spiders and forward them to researchers. Negative attitudes towards the funnel web were able to be directed to a positive action which eventually helped to bring about the development of an antivenom, lessening the real threat posed by the spider.
Subject(s)
Antivenins/history , Biomedical Research/history , Newspapers as Topic/history , Public Opinion/history , Spider Bites/history , Spiders , Animals , History, 20th Century , Humans , New South Wales , Spider Bites/psychologyABSTRACT
Misidentification of harmless or nearly benign arachnids as Loxosceles spiders by medical personnel and other authorities proliferates misinformation in regard to alleged loxoscelism and leads to decreased health care. This is especially true in areas of North America where Loxosceles spiders are rare or non-existent. A diverse assemblage of such misidentified arachnids is presented here. It is hoped that authorities will honestly assess their arachnological limitations and, instead, seek qualified arachnologists for spider identifications.
Subject(s)
Spider Bites/diagnosis , Spiders/classification , Animals , Communication , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , North America , Physicians , Spider Bites/psychologyABSTRACT
This paper deals with the conceptions, knowledge and attitudes of the inhabitants of the county of Pedra Branca, Bahia State, on mygalomorph spiders locally known as 'caranguejeiras' (bird-spiders). It is launched here a new filed within ethnozoology: ethnoarachnology, which is defined as the transdisciplinary study of the relationships between human beings and bird-spiders. Data were collected from February to June 2005 by means of open-ended interviews carried out with 30 individuals, which ages ranged from 13 to 86 years old. It was recorded some traditional knowledge regarding the following items: taxonomy, biology, habitat, ecology, seasonality, and behavior. Results show that bird-spiders are classified as "insects". The most commented aspect of the interaction between bird-spiders and inhabitants of Pedra Branca is related to their dangerousness, since they said these spiders are very venomous and can cause health problems. In general, the traditional zoological knowledge of Pedra Branca's inhabitants concerning these spiders is coherent with the academic knowledge.
Subject(s)
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Medicine, Traditional , Social Perception , Spider Bites , Spiders , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Animals , Birds , Brazil , Feeding Behavior/ethnology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Spider Bites/psychology , Spider Venoms , Spiders/classification , Spiders/physiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Differences between phobic and normal subject perceptions of danger were examined. Nineteen spider-fearful subjects and a matched set of controls gave danger ratings before and during a spider-avoidance test. When detached from the phobic stimulus, spider-fearful subjects: (1) gave higher estimates of the probability of being bitten than did controls, (2) gave higher estimates of the injuries that would result from being bitten, and (3) believed their high levels of anticipated anxiety were more reasonable and appropriate to the demands of the situation than did controls. These findings are inconsistent with both the traditional account and Beck and Emery's (1985) more recent view that, when detached from the phobic situation, patients can accurately evaluate the danger of potential phobic encounters. The present results question the view that phobic individuals have complete insight into the inappropriateness of their own distress.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Fear , Phobic Disorders/diagnosis , Set, Psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Avoidance Learning , Female , Humans , Male , Phobic Disorders/psychology , Risk Factors , Social Environment , Spider Bites/psychology , Students/psychologyABSTRACT
This study questions the widely held assumption that the phenomenon known as mass psychogenic illness (MPI) exists per se in nature as a psychiatric disorder. Most MPI studies are problematical, being descriptive, retrospective investigations of specific incidents which conform to a set of pre-existing symptom criteria that are used to determine the presence of collective psychosomatic illness. Diagnoses are based upon subjective, ambiguous categories that reflect stereotypes of female normality which assume the presence of a transcultural disease or disorder entity, underemphasizing or ignoring the significance of episodes as culturally conditioned roles of social action. Examples of this bias include the mislabelling of dancing manias, tarantism and demonopathy in Europe since the Middle Ages as culture-specific variants of MPI. While 'victims' are typified as mentally disturbed females possessing abnormal personality characteristics who are exhibiting cathartic reactions to stress, it is argued that episodes may involve normal, rational people who possess unfamiliar conduct codes, world-views and political agendas that differ significantly from those of Western-trained investigators who often judge these illness behaviours independent of their local context and meanings.
