Fatal diphenhydramine intoxication in infants

Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine available in numerous over-the-counter preparations. Often used for its sedative effects in adults, it can cause paradoxical central nervous system stimulation in children, with effects ranging from excitation to seizures and death. Reports of fatal intoxications in young children are rare. We present five cases of fatal intoxication in infants 6, 8, 9, 12, and 12 weeks old. Postmortem blood diphenhydramine levels in the cases were 1.6, 1.5, 1.6, 1.1 and 1.1 mg/L, respectively. Anatomic findings in each case were normal. In one case the child's father admitted giving the infant diphenhydramine in an attempt to induce the infant to sleep; in another case, a daycare provider admitted putting diphenhydramine in a baby bottle. Two cases remain unsolved; one case remains under investigation. The postmortem drug levels in these cases are lower than seen in adult fatalities. We review the literature on diphenhydramine toxicity, particularly as it pertains to small children, and discuss the rationale for treating these cases as fatal intoxications.     

‘First wave’ feminism in nineteenth-century France: Class, family and religion

The history of ‘first wave’ feminism in France raises several questions of relevance to the contemporary women's movement. Organized French feminism began during the struggle to replace a Catholic monarchy with a rationalistic, republican form of government. Because of the allegiance of most Frenchwomen to the church, however, even the republican and socialist supporters of feminist reform in educational institutions and in civil rights opposed political participation by women. Feminists, who themselves emphasized reforms in family law and economic opportunities, formed numerous organizations, published journals and held national and international meetings, but remained less a movement than a mosaic of leaders and groups divided by class, religion and personal rivalry. More importantly, they were estranged from the majority of Frenchwomen by questions pertaining to the relationship of women to the traditional patriarchal family, which continued to play a dominant role in the religious, economic and social life of the country. Internal conflict developed over protective legislation and women's ‘right to work’, while external opposition centered about the politically reactionary potential of religious women, and the alleged ‘anti-patriotic’ individualism of those who rejected motherhood as the ‘natural vocation’ and only career of women. By pitting feminism against a particular form of the family, antifeminists obscured the reality of women's oppression and succeeded in alienating the potential support for feminism of most Frenchwomen.     

Correlates of self-concept among black early adolescents

This study examines the self-concept of Black eighth-grade students from the Midwest in relation to Black acceptance, social intimacy, locus of control, and sex-role type. Twenty-eight students high in self-concept were compared with 31 students whose self-concept was low. As predicted, the high self-concept group scored higher than the low self-concept group in intimacy, internality, and acceptance of black identity. As also predicted, the high self-concept group had a significantly greater number of adolescents with masculine and androgynous sex roles than the low self-concept group; Black females with high self-concepts included a larger proportion of individuals with androgynous sex roles than low self-concept females. However, the prediction that high self-concept males would have a larger proportion of masculine sex roles than low self-concept males was not supported. The difficult situation of the low self-concept adolescents is discussed, along with the implications for intervention.On clinic internship at Smolian Psychiatric Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. Major interests are clinical psychology and Black identity.Received Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Colorado. Major interests are the development of intimacy and identity in adolescence and young adulthood.     

Career-marriage orientations in college youth: An analysis of perceived personal consequences and normative pressures

The present research was designed to examine factors associated with career and marriage orientations in male and female college students. The first phase of the research identified qualitatively different factors associated with variations in life structure. Respondents completed an open-ended questionnaire which elicited the perceived consequences and normative pressures concerning three life structure alternatives: (a) emphasizing career, (b) emphasizing marriage, and (c) placing equal emphasis on career and mariage. A set of 24 concerns was identified, and sex differences on several of these dimensions were noted. In general, the data were consistent with previous analyses of value structures in adults. The second phase of the research used a quantitative approach to examine the three life structure alternatives. Males and females did not differ in the relative emphasis they intended to give to career and marriage. However, sex differences in the perceived consequences of the life structure alternatives were noted.This research was conducted while the first author was a National Research Service Award (NIMH) trainee, Grant No. 1 T32 MH14593. A modified version of this paper was presented at the 87th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, New York, september 1979.Current research interest is psychosocial development during the adult years.Received Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, 1976. Current research interest is attitude theory and measurement.     

Tax Increment Debt Finance: An Analysis of the Mainstreaming of a Fringe Sector

Despite the persistent efforts of federal tax policymakers to place binding constraints on the economic development bond market in the United States, it has grown since the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and is a well established segment of the municipal securities market. This article provides an analysis of the development bond market by describing tax increment debt finance (TIF) in the United States and conducting an empirical analysis of California TIF debt. Our analysis indicates that tax increment debt finance (TIF) is no longer an obscure infrequently used financing tool, but for local governments in many states is a commonly used means of raising capital for multiple purposes. Our empirical analysis highlights the unique project-specific features of tax increment finance that bond issuers must understand and manage to enhance the credit quality and minimize the financing costs of tax increment debt.     

Competence to Stand Trial: A Neuropsychological Inquiry

Law and Human Behavior - How might the deconstruction of the legal theory of competence be related to modern neuropsychological models of cognition? To address this question, we examined...     

Coping with stress through the microcosms of home and family among arctic whalers and explorers

The essay examines an aspect of family life that has been ignored by many researchers: the role of representations of family and home for men whose work requires prolonged periods of separation and distance. Content analysis of diaries and correspondence (primarily written during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries) shows that Arctic explorers and whalers engaged in activities reminiscent of those popular at home. We hypothesize that such activities may have helped the men to bear with an environment characterized by danger, discomfort, uncertainty, remoteness, isolation, and lack of privacy. Constructing these microcosms also engaged the crews' creativity and energy in relieving long stretches of unfilled time, and may have prepared them for a smoother re-integration upon their return home. The diaries and letters also expressed the voyagers' longings for their family and their developing of surrogate emotional ties with their ships and shipmates.