Testing the reproductive hypothesis: or what made working-class women sick in early Victorian London

Using patient case records from University College Hospital in London in the 1830s and 1840s, this article re-evaluates the reproductive model of Victorian women's health. The women who were admitted to UCH were working-class women, and the evidence from the patient records suggests that their understandings of their bodies both conflicted with and supported the Victorian medical model of women as biologically fragile and delicate as a result of their reproductive functions. The female patients represented their bodies as essentially strong, but also recognized that this strength was very tenuous. Rather than concentrating solely on internally induced causes of ill health, the patients stressed socio-economic reasons for becoming sick.     

Nato Bombing of Kosovo: Humanitarian Intervention or Crime against Humanity?

For 78 days in 1999, NATO forces led by theUnited States bombed Yugoslavia, killinghundreds of its civilians and devastating itsinfrastructure. NATO spokesmen justified thebombardment as ``humanitarian intervention'aimed at halting President Slobodan Milosevic's``ethnic cleansing' of non-Serbs in Yugoslavia. This essay deconstructs NATO's rationalizationsand analyzes other more sinister motives forthe bombing. By containing Yugoslavia, andmaintaining a permanent presence in Kosovo, theUnited States seeks to ensure its access toCaspian Sea oil, and to maintain economichegemony over Europe. U.S. activities inother countries, such as Turkey, corroboratethe non-``humanitarian' motives for the bombingof Yugoslavia. Finally, the essay analyzes whyNATO's so-called ``humanitarian' bombardment ofYugoslavia was rather a ``crime againsthumanity' undertaken in violation ofinternational law.     

Measuring the success of HIV/AIDS NGOs among Nairobi's youth

NGOs receive praise and criticism for their international development efforts, but more work is needed to measure their contributions. This article lays out the contributions of local NGOs to HIV-prevention efforts. It draws on data from a survey of young people's experiences with NGOs to demonstrate the reach of several local HIV-prevention NGOs in Nairobi, Kenya. It argues that even small NGOs are capable of making measurable contributions to development in their fields. It also shows how factors such as education levels, religiosity, and discussions about HIV/AIDS can support NGO efforts by encouraging youth to participate in HIV-prevention programming.