/oss/taxonomy/term/1234/all en /oss/article/medical-history/jawing-about-french-king-louis-ixs-jawbone <p>Pathologists study the causes and effects of disease mostly through laboratory examination of samples taken from body tissues. But what does a paleopathologist do? Given that “paleo” comes from Greek for “ancient,” it makes sense that a paleopathologist studies ancient diseases by examining mummified tissue and skeletal remains. For example, the jawbone of Louis IX, King of France from 1226-1270.</p> Wed, 22 Mar 2023 22:25:26 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9447 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/funny-bone-not-bone <p>With spooky season in full swing, houses are adorned with carved pumpkins, bedsheet ghosts, and decorative skeletons. The latter always catch my eye due to their poor anatomical accuracy. Even worse are some of the names that people give the bones in the body — for example, the ‘funny bone’ which is often used when referring to the long bone in the arm.</p> Fri, 28 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Cat Wang, B.Sc. 9276 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/fantastic-creatures-and-where-find-them-london-museum <p>Halloween is breathing down our necks, and with the holiday come frightful creatures. Horror literature is replete with fantastical hybrids and gargantuan beasts, but the real world itself may just trump our collective imagination. We can think of Earth’s own bestiary as shadowy predators, grisly giants, and unnamable pests… or we can take inspiration from zoologists and put aside our fears to study these magnificent creatures.</p> Wed, 31 Oct 2018 19:06:36 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7424 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-news-quackery/people-who-opt-craniosacral-therapy-should-have-their-head-examined <p style="text-align:justify">A while ago I wrote a little piece on "craniosacral therapy," which I'll share with you here. I never thought I would encounter this muddled piece of woo in Montreal. But it's here. You can check it out below.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">"You should have your head examined!" We've all heard that expression at some time after expressing some thought that was perceived as being ridiculous. Of course this is not meant to be taken literally. Nobody believes that mental increpitude can be diagnosed by physically examining the head. But there are people who believe that various medical conditions can be diagnosed in this way; in fact, not only diagnosed but treated. We're talking about something called “Craniosacral therapy.” This rather unusual regimen can be traced back to Dr. William Sutherland, an American osteopath who introduced the practice in the first half of the last century.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Osteopaths believe that physical manipulation of the skeleton can alleviate many health problems. But Dr. Sutherland added a further twist. He contended that manipulating the bones of the skull was the key to curing illness. Why? <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/10/15/people-who-opt-for-craniosacral-therapy-should-have-their-head-examined">Read more</a></p> Wed, 16 Oct 2013 01:39:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2021 at /oss