The curious death of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783–1840): the case for the maidenhair fern

@article{Ambrose2010TheCD,
  title={The curious death of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783–1840): the case for the maidenhair fern},
  author={Charles T Ambrose},
  journal={Journal of Medical Biography},
  year={2010},
  volume={18},
  pages={165 - 173}
}
  • C. Ambrose
  • Published 1 August 2010
  • Medicine
  • Journal of Medical Biography
Constantine Rafinesque, a French émigré to America in the early 19th century, was a forerunner of Charles Darwin and a zealous field naturalist who identified thousands of new species of plants and animals. His career was controversial in part because of his unfocused ambition to gain scientific recognition. In his later years he published in many areas apart from biology. His polymathic life ended in 1840 with his death (aged 57) from stomach cancer. In 1826 he had developed an illness he… 
View on SAGE
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Figures from this paper

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 20 REFERENCES
New Names for Ferns and Fern Allies Proposed by C. S. Rafinesque, 1806-1838
there was noted an extraordinarily high percentage of names appertaining to the vascular cryptogams that have remained in the category of overlooked ones for more than a century. It is suspected that…
Darwin's historical sketch - an American predecessor: C.S. Rafinesque.
TLDR
How Darwin learned of Rafinesque and his views on species is the focus of this essay, which also mentions briefly the two other American naturalists cited by Darwin in his sketch, which seems the likely informant through his correspondence with Darwin or his close associates.
Aquilide A, a new mutagenic compound isolated from bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn)
TLDR
The instability of aquilide A under conditions normally encountered during analytical chemical procedures may explain why so many efforts to elucidate the carcinogenic factor(s) present in bracken have been unsuccessful.
Aquilide A, a new mutagenic compound isolated from bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn).
Should we be frightened of bracken? A review of the evidence.
TLDR
Bracken is a common plant worldwide and is toxic to many animal species and to several organ systems, but studies of human populations do not establish a clear risk of bracken to human health, largely because of methodological problems.
Ecological strategies in fern evolution: a neopteridological overview
Ptaquiloside, the major toxin of bracken, and related terpene glycosides: chemistry, biology and ecology.
TLDR
This review concentrates mainly on the results of the scientific investigations into ptaquiloside, and cites 133 references.
Carcinogenic effects of ptaquiloside in bracken fern and related compounds
TLDR
An unstable glucoside named ptaquiloside, containing a reactive cyclopropane ring, has been isolated from the fern and its potent carcinogenicity proven and the role of cysteine alkylating agents in apoptosis is discussed.
Napoleon Bonaparte's gastric cancer: a clinicopathologic approach to staging, pathogenesis, and etiology
TLDR
Analysis of the available historical documents indicates that Napoleon's main risk factor might have been Helicobacter pylori infection rather than a familial predisposition, and suggests thatNapoleon's illness was a sporadic gastric carcinoma of advanced stage.
Miscellany
  • J. H.
  • Political Science, History
    Nature
  • 1929
THE thesis of M. Benda's book is that the European intelligentsia have gone over to the enemy; that is to say, they have deserted the idealist ranks and joined the great army of the Philistines. It…
...
1
2
...