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Threefolding in medical therapy

The threefolding of the human being, the central basis of anthroposophical medicine, is presented in outline. From its anatomical, physiological and psychological aspects, the pharmaceutical requirements and therapeutic possibilities of medicines developed by Rudolf Steiner are indicated and clarified.… Read More

About 235 species of orchid bees (Euglossini) inhabit the rainforests of Central and South America. Of the five identified genera, three are nest building and two are brood parasites. They are distinctive amongst the bees for three unusual features: they have extremely long tongues; many species gleam with iridescent colours and the males of… Read More

Is nature cruel?

The author's aim was to challenge with some facts the view extending from Darwinism that regards the natural world as an endless cruel struggle. For this he collected over 66 reports in the latter part of the 19th century by or about people who had survived an attack by a large predator. The great majority of the… Read More

The ’typus’ between irrationality and rationality - or: the secret law of chickweed wintergreen (‘star-flower’, Trientalis europaea)

The theory of phyllotaxis, the positions of leaves on plants, describes the reciprocal 'annidation‘ of plant organs and thus the adaptation of the plant organism to itself so to speak. In this respect it… Read More

Vataireopsis amroba. A plant for treating skin diseases

The wood of the tropical tree Vataireopsis araroba produces an exudate containing anthranoids (Goa powder, chrysarobin) which was used for topical treatment of psoriasis and other skin diseases. However, today it is larger obsolete and has been replaced by the synthetically… Read More

Archetypal experiments for conceptualising both the polarisation of light and the optical activity of a substance while staying close to the phenomena

In the 17"‘ century, C. Huygens described the 'phénornéne merveilleux', a 'wonderful' optical experiment with two calcite (Iceland spar) crystals. ln connection with this, a series of… Read More

Through the. specific anatomy of their lungs enclosed in the shell, the rhythtmic system of turtles is less autonomous than in other reptiles, higher animals or the human being. This correlates with an openness to the influences of annual rhythms in the environment. Such openness is at its most extreme in the North American Freshwater turtles,… Read More

Continuous movement - ocean currents between sun and earth

Ocean currents develop in the energy fields between sun and earth‚ between the heat that comes from the sun and the salt that comes from the earth. They serve to balance out the heat of the climatic zones and transport gases and nutrients. The biggest ocean current, the… Read More

The upright position in the evolution: ‘Why is the fluke of the Whale shaped horizontally?’

Dolphins and whales are water-based mammals and differ in various characteristics from fish, the predominant water species. A comparison of those two animal groups provides helpful insights into basic concepts of evolution. Evolutionary research… Read More