Book Description
After the phenomenal success of his first novel Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier described his next novel as being based on the life of a white man who was made an Indian chief, served in the government in Washington D.C., fought on the side of the South in the Civil War by leading a band of guerilla warriors, and eventually wound up dying in a mental institution.That man was William Holland Thomas.Thomas, a Southerner, has a story that embodies much of the dark side of the American dream in the 19th century. At an early age he was adopted by a local Cherokee tribe as he engaged in trade to support himself and his mother. As the "frontier" moved further west, he acted on behalf of the tribe in their negotiations with the U.S.government. Part Indian agent, part politician he negotiated their treaties and was named a chief. During the Civil War he organized them into a fierce counterinsurgent guerilla band responsible for protecting the mountain passes of North Carolina from Union infestation.And then after the war it was all down hill.The government continued its enforced debilitation of the Indian nations, reneged on their previously negotiated treaties, leaving the tribe no choice but to hold Thomas legally responsible. His own business holdings "went south", and pressed by debts and personal hardships he was committed to an asylum until his death years later.His life serves as a perfect backdrop to the government actions around the border states of the Civil War as well as the programs involved against the American Indian.It is indeed a fascinating and unseemly part of the American story.
Customer Reviews:
Cherokee Agent and Chief Will Thomas: A Speculative Study.......2005-12-30
5 stars for Thomsen's study of Indian Agent William Thomas
3 stars for his research regarding senator and Cherokee chief Thomas
1 star for his research on Colonel Thomas's American Civil War service / latter years
Paul A. Thomsen, in his research "Rebel Chief: The Motley Life of Colonel William Holland Thomas, C.S.A," offers a basic study regarding the Cherokee Agent and Cherokee Chief Will Thomas and briefly covers the history of the William Holland Thomas Legion (North Carolina's only American Civil War legion and it recruited Cherokees and mountaineers). There are, however, flaws in Paul Thomsen's research; Thomsen states that William Thomas frequented the "Red Light District" and most likely contracted and died with "syphilis." Thomsen's speculative proposition, based totally on Thomsen's opinion and 113 years after the death of Chief Thomas, would be scorned in a debate and dismissed in a court of law. His proposition is a "supposition" and is stated without one source or fact and is the weakest argument based only on sheer speculation.
Chief Thomas's violent emotional outbursts were initially recorded during the Civil War and based on a present-day diagnosis may have been attributed to: A "Nervous Breakdown," Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or Clinical Depression, senility or dementia, or perhaps a combination of maladies, etc. Paul Thomsen omits any of these possibilities and simply states "syphilis."
How would anyone relate and cope with the following nightmarish and traumatic situations, experiences, and conditions?
Cherokee Chief William H. Thomas endured the most horrible series of various traumatic stressors:
Cherokee Agent Thomas had spent numerous stressful years lobbying Washington to secure the right for a number of Cherokees to remain in North Carolina, Senator Thomas experienced years of constant political infighting with rivals, his beloved Cherokees were starving by 1864, Colonel Thomas witnessed death and dismemberment of several comrades, he handled dead bodies, absorbed the traumatic loss of comrades, the Colonel faced imminent death, he had killed during the Civil War--and was helpless to prevent others' deaths, and he endured several court-martials. Furthermore, by 1865, William Thomas was a defeated Rebel of the "Lost Cause," and how would the Victor, the United States, respond to Thomas and his rebellious Indians? Would his many exhaustive but fruitful years as mediator and voice of the Cherokees be crushed as the Rebellion was crushed? What will become of the rebellious Indians? Chief Thomas and his Cherokees faced a very uncertain and questionable future. He also witnessed mumps, measles, and smallpox kill hundreds of Cherokees. His selflessness and profound generosity kept him in debt and on the constant brink of bankruptcy, and Thomas also endured several lawsuits. His father had died months before his birth and while Will was in Washington conducting business his adopted father died. His mother and wife also preceded him in death. Mental illnesses, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), pervaded many Civil War veterans during the Reconstruction.
During the American Civil War, there was no shell shock, battle fatigue or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to help explain and legitimize a mysterious condition.
In concluding: Thomsen has not proven his argument that Will Thomas frequented any "Red Light District" or contracted and died with "syphilis." Thomas was, however, diagnosed with Dementia and Will's violent emotional outbursts were initially recorded during the Civil War. And in 1867, at the age of 62, he was admitted to the North Carolina Insane Asylum at Raleigh. An argument can easily be made stating that Thomas had PTSD, MDD, dementia or senility, or a combination of aforementioned maladies. Subsequently, on May 12, 1883, Thomas was admitted to the Western North Carolina Insane Asylum at Morganton (currently Broughton Hospital, it catered to western North Carolina, and is approximately 200 miles west of Raleigh). In 1883 and 1884 the North Carolina Insane Asylum diagnosed only one patient with syphilis and the patient wasn't Will Thomas (one patient constitutes less than one percent of total admissions). Moreover, during the Reconstruction, asylums were filled with Civil War veterans that exhibited PTSD and MDD. Please see North Carolina Insane Asylum: Patient Admission and Diagnosis Facts. As a defendant in the 1870s, the courts even allowed the elderly Thomas to testify (reflecting a sound mind). On December 8, 1875, Sarah Love Thomas (Will's wife) wrote to her sister Maria Love Stringfield and stated that her husband Will had "mental anxiety." Why state that Thomas most likely contracted and died with syphilis? Why make a proposition based on one opinion 113 years later? One may also ask, why didn't Mr. Thomsen further speculate "why" Sarah Love Thomas died at the age of 45? Was Thomas also suffering from syphilis and insanity? There is no definitive answer and, until any facts surface, it should only be viewed and stated as an opinion.
Unfortunately, based on Thomsen's flawed conclusion, editors are now stating that Chief William Holland Thomas died from syphilis. Please see Editorial Reviews: Rebel Chief: The Motley Life of Colonel William Holland Thomas, C.S.A.
With the title "REBEL, COLONEL, and CSA," Paul Thomsen offers a less than impressive study on Colonel Thomas's American Civil War service (1861-1865). There is very little explanation or exploration into Will's "military service and Confederate strategy." For example, Thomas's military strategy clarifies or defines why he was court-martialed. There are also minor errors regarding the Thomas Legion. On one page Thomsen even refers to the Sixteenth North Carolina Infantry "Regiment" as the Sixteenth North Carolina Infantry DIVISION (there wasn't a Sixteenth North Carolina Infantry Division). Thomsen further states, "Lieutenant Colonel Major Stringfield." There is, however, no said rank. It is either Lieutenant Colonel or Major.
Moreover, regarding William Holland Thomas and the American Civil War, this study lacks "primary sources and references" and is considered a freshman study at best.
Consequently, there is not one picture or map in this study. How can the reader envision, interconnect, and relate to western North Carolina, East Tennessee, the Thomas Legion or its field officers, the legion's skirmishes and battles, William Holland Thomas (with the exception of the cover picture), Sarah Love Thomas, the Qualla Boundary, Stekoa Fields, the discussed cities, towns, counties and regions, and the Cherokees without one picture or map? What is western North Carolina and what counties are included? How does western North Carolina relate to East Tennessee and northern Georgia? Including one cartographic era map would have been a start.
Chief William Holland Thomas: A Summary
"Cherokee Chief, Confederate Colonel, Lawyer, Entrepreneur, and Politician: William Holland Thomas."
William Holland Thomas never knew his father, was raised by a single mother in a lowly mountain home, lacked any formal education, but is one of the most prominent figures in Western North Carolina's history.
Chief Thomas lived to the ripe old age of 88 and was admitted to an asylum, however, there is no official record or document stating that he was diagnosed with syphilis, was insane or ever declared to be insane. William Holland Thomas is the only white man to serve as a Cherokee chief. As Indian agent, Will Thomas was in Washington during "The Treaty of New Echota" negotiations and he successfully lobbied for the right of a number of Cherokees to remain in North Carolina; these Cherokees are the present-day Eastern Band. He was very instrumental in the preservation of the Cherokees during their forced march west or "Trail of Tears" in 1838. His intervention provided safe haven for over 1000 Cherokees and, furthermore, it is noteworthy that Will Thomas's intervention is currently reflected with over 10,000 Cherokees residing in Western North Carolina. It is widely believed that without Thomas's intervention there would not be an Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and to this day the Eastern Band bestows honor and gratitude to their great white chief.
An alternative but brief history of William Holland Thomas is "Confederate Colonel and Cherokee Chief: The Life of William Holland Thomas" by E. Stanley Godbold, Jr. and Mattie U. Russell (however, Godbold and Russell state, without one primary source, that Thomas was declared insane. They also make an inference to syphilis).
To study Will Thomas's Civil War service, consider "Storm in the mountains: Thomas' Confederate Legion of Cherokee Indians and Mountaineers" by Vernon H. Crow.
To understand and fathom the sociopolitical and geopolitical "tone" of western North Carolina and the American Civil War, purchase "The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War" by John C. Inscoe and Gordon B. McKinney.
Matthew D. Parker
Book Description
This concise volume gives you a comprehensive review of both general surgery and surgical subspecialties in a user-friendly, question-and-answer format. Thoroughly revised, this 4th edition adds new chapters and updates existing chapters while maintaining its broad review of surgical topics. This ensures the questions offer a wide-ranging and complete review of the information most important to you. The Rush University Review is perfect for residents in training; surgeons preparing for certification or recertification exams, and experienced clinicians wishing to keep abreast of current advances.
Customer Reviews:
real text book.......2007-03-10
It covers all essential chapters in surgery,in a systemaic way from the basic scinces to the sub-speciality.
i used this book for reviewing for my board exam. and i passed with a real v.good score.
Rush University Review of Surgery.......2007-01-18
I would say that for my intern year,this book helped a lot to study the significant topics. It is a good tool to have for the ABSITE, more comprehensive than just a regular Q&A book.
THE BEST BOOK TO PREPARE FOR GENERAL SURGERY EXAMS!.......2003-10-06
IN MY OPINION THIS IS THE BEST BOOK TO PREPARE TO ANY GENERAL SURGERY EXAMS BECAUSE YOU CAN EXERCISE IN DOING MULTIPLE CHOISE TESTS AND STUDING TEXTS AT THE SAME TIME IN THE COMENTS, THAT ARE VERY GOOD, COMPREENSIVE AND WITH A LARGE TEXT WITH EXCELENT REFERENCES, THAT INCLUDES THE PRINCIPALS AND CLASSIC GENERAL SURGERY BOOKS AND VERY GOOD ARTICLES.
simply the best.......2001-06-12
This is the best book in its category, both as a tool for preparation for exams and as a textbook by itself. This should definitely be the first book you read when studying for an exam.
The Bible of surgeons in training.......2000-01-24
This book is an excellent source of information both as a revision material and as a text book I do recommend all surgeons to read it
Book Description
Preface by Daniel C. Dennett
Beginning with a general theory of function applied to body organs, behaviors, customs, and both inner and outer representations, Ruth Millikan argues that the intentionality of language can be described without reference to speaker intentions and that an understanding of the intentionality of thought can and should be divorced from the problem of understanding consciousness. The results support a realist theory of truth and of universals, and open the way for a nonfoundationalist and nonholistic approach to epistemology.
Ruth Millikan is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut at Storrs. A Bradford Book.
Customer Reviews:
An essential source for philosophy of mind.......2007-05-25
And probably for related topics. Millikan's account of functions and "Normal" functioning is extremely well-developed, and can provide much needed content to "functionalist" accounts of various kinds, helping greatly in evaluating their merits and their defects. Her notion of a function also enables a unified account to be given of functions for which things are designed and for things which are not designed (obviously without the theological dodge of saying everything is designed).
defines "function" in a non-circular way.......2002-04-01
The book explains why the reproduction of tools, actions, adaptations and habits can matter separately from single instances of use, without referring to any specialized internal mechanisms, as Fodor or Chomsky might require.
It thus throws an enormous weight of exemplary philosophical junk (Dennett might claim most of the literature on free will goes here) in the dumpster, by showing that a battery of single counterexamples can be irrelevant to a reproductive motive.
The book also defines "function" by referring to reproductive motives, not use motives. A mass of literature referring to function becomes clearer thereby. Dysfunction becomes far less relevant than one might expect when one sees "dysfunction" opposed to "function", as if a law of contradiction applied.
I like the formalism in the book, which Millikan seems to have felt compelled to softpedal in her subsequent writings. In a way, Millikan does for "function" here what Abraham Robinson did for infinitesimals. She rehabilitates an aid to intuition, so that people who might be inclined to deny it because it lacks a formal well-definition might have to admit it.
The context is biological, i.e., survival and posterity matter more than origins in the mist, a process is step by step, and ideas can persist despite cases of failure.
Book Description
Many different things are said to have meaning: people mean to do various things; tools and other artifacts are meant for various things; people mean various things by using words and sentences; natural signs mean things; representations in people's minds also presumably mean things. In Varieties of Meaning, Ruth Garrett Millikan argues that these different kinds of meaning can be understood only in relation to each other.
What does meaning in the sense of purpose (when something is said to be meant for something) have to do with meaning in the sense of representing or signifying? Millikan argues that the explicit human purposes, explicit human intentions, are represented purposes. They do not merely represent purposes; they possess the purposes that they represent. She argues further that things that signify, intentional signs such as sentences, are distinguished from natural signs by having purpose essentially; therefore, unlike natural signs, intentional signs can misrepresent or be false.
Part I discusses "Purposes and Cross-Purposes"--what purposes are, the purposes of people, of their behaviors, of their body parts, of their artifacts, and of the signs they use. Part II then describes a previously unrecognized kind of natural sign, "locally recurrent" natural signs, and several varieties of intentional signs, and discusses the ways in which representations themselves are represented. Part III offers a novel interpretation of the way language is understood and of the relation between semantics and pragmatics. Part IV discusses perception and thought, exploring stages in the development of inner representations, from the simplest organisms whose behavior is governed by perception-action cycles to the perceptions and intentional attitudes of humans.
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White Queen Psychology and Other Essays for Alice (Bradford Books)
Ruth Garrett Millikan
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
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Language, Thought, and Other Biological Categories: New Foundations for Realism
ASIN: 0262132885 |
Book Description
Ruth Millikan's extended argument for a biological view of the study of cognition in Language, Thought, and Other Biological Categories caught the attention of the philosophical community. Universally regarded as an important, even brilliant, work, its complexity and dense presentation made it difficult to plumb. This collection of essays serves both as an introduction to that much discussed volume and as an extension and application of Millikan's central and controversial themes, especially in the philosophy of psychology. The title essay, referring to the White Queen's practice of exercising her mind by believing impossible things, discusses meaning rationalism and argues that rationality is not in the head, indeed, that there is no legitimate interpretation under which logical possibility and necessity are known a priori. Nor are there any laws of rational psychology. Rationality is not a lawful occurrence but a biological norm that is effected in an integrated head-world system under biologically ideal conditions.
In other essays, Millikan clarifies her views on the nature of mental representation, explores whether human thought is a product of natural selection, examines the nature of behavior as studied by the behavioral sciences, and discusses the issues of individualism in psychology, psychological explanation, indexicality in thought, what knowledge is, and the realism/antirealism debate.
Ruth Garrett Millikan is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut.
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- The rise of a great research institution
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Millikan's School: A History of the California Institute of Technology
Judith R. Goodstein
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0393030172 |
Customer Reviews:
The rise of a great research institution.......1999-01-12
In this book Judith Goodstein relates the rise of CalTech from its extremely modest origins as Throop to its boom after the Second World War. Along the way she provides a capsule history of the growth of American science itself. The view from Pasadena is slightly different from some others: there innovation came well before the Second World War.. and was not just part of the endless frontier of the Cold War. Goodstein, who has criticized scientists' penchant for doing their own hagiography, writes pleasantly and unsententiously about a place she knows very well. I hope she writes the sequel, as it were, telling what happened to that little school in Pasadena from the 50's onwards...
Goodstein has been archivist and registrar of the California Institute of Technology, and certainly knows whereof she speaks.
Book Description
Written by one of today's most creative and innovative philosophers, Ruth Garrett Millikan, this book examines basic empirical concepts; how they are acquired, how they function, and how they have been misrepresented in the traditional philosophical literature. In a radical departure from current philosophical and psychological theories of concepts, this book provides the first in-depth discussion on the psychological act of reidentification. It will be of interest to a broad range of students of philosophy, especially those interested in the application of evolutionary theory to analytic philosophy.
Download Description
Written by one of today's most creative and innovative philosophers, Ruth Garrett Millikan, this book examines basic empirical concepts; how they are acquired, how they function, and how they have been misrepresented in the traditional philosophical literature. Millikan places cognitive psychology in an evolutionary context where human cognition is assumed to be an outgrowth of primitive forms of mentality, and assumed to have 'functions' in the biological sense. Of particular interest are her discussions of the nature of abilities as different from dispositions, her detailed analysis of the psychological act of reidentifying substances, and her critique of the language of thought for mental representation. In a radical departure from current philosophical and psychological theories of concepts, this book provides the first in-depth discussion on the psychological act of reidentification.
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A Union Against Unions: The Minneapolis Citizens Alliance and Its Fight Against Organized Labor, 1903-1947
William Millikan
Manufacturer: Minnesota Historical Society Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0873513983 |
Book Description
The first book-length study of the Citizens Alliance, a union of Minneapolis business owners, detailing their use of financial and political power, as well as propaganda and brute force, in their campaign against organized labor.
Customer Reviews:
A Decently Written Book .......2007-06-06
I enjoyed reading this book.
The author went to great pains to cover this period in Minnesota's history. He disseminated the Minneapolis Citizens Alliance (CA) not so much in a chronological manner (he did that too) but in a way that allowed the reader to see the CA's multi-faceted and generational offensive against organized labor in Minneapolis.
Chapter 14 (A Network Of Spies) explained how the CA kept elaborate tabs on groups like the IWW, the Non-Partisan League and other radical elements AND shared this information with US military intelligence. Chapter 12 (Shaping The Hand Of Justice) showed how a well-financed CA helped elect, re-elect and influence judges sympathetic to labor injunctions and the open-shop stance. The author spent a great deal of time in explaining how the 1934 Teamsters Strike came about and how the effects of it led to the decline of the CA as a formidable organization.
With only a few exceptions where the author let his pro-labor sympathies slip out into the open, I found his research to be very well balanced, comprehensive and extensively documented. This was reassuring given the book's introduction was written by Peter Rachleff, a professor and left-wing labor activist.
If you're a fan of Minnesota (and Twin Cities) history or are a student of labor relations, I encourage you to read this book. You won't be disappointed.
Book Description
A sequel to Life in the Goat Lane, Linda Fink is back with more misadventures of goatkeeping. This time she turns all sorts of barn and life tragedies into tragicomedies.
Customer Reviews:
good stuff!.......2007-03-09
This is the second humorous book about keeping goats. It is good, but not nearly as side-splitting and funny as the first book..
Book Description
A collection of funny stories about goats, adapted from the author's monthly humor column in United Caprine News, a national dairy goat publication.
Customer Reviews:
A Wonderful Book.......2004-07-04
This book is fantastic and should be read by those who own goats and those who don't. Linda Fink is an amazing author and should be praised for her humor and wit. This book is a great buy and should be treasured by all. This is easily one of the most painfully funny books I have ever read.
WARNING: May cause laughter!.......2003-04-04
Whether you own goats or not, you won't want to miss out on this book! With her adventures and misadventures, Linda puts you right on the farm. I highly recommend this book for every one! You're really missing out on something great if you don't read this book. Linda leaves your sides hurting from laughter. I hope you will have just as much fun reading this book as I did!
Life in the Goat Lane, by Linda Fink.......1999-12-06
A delightful book with hilarious illustrations. My belly ached from laughter throughout. This book is for anyone who loves goats or wants to learn about them. I read Linda Fink's columns in United Caprine News, and her book is just as funny as the articles. I nearly fell off my chair reading about "kidding", or the art of delivering baby goats. And the chapter on photographing goats can be enjoyed by anyone who ever tried to take a picture of a child or pet. If you have ever been to a county fair, or enjoyed seeing a goat in a petting zoo, this book is for you. It is tender and funny and very true to the goats. This book is for any dreamer with love in their heart. And for anyone raising goats who has one who likes to escape. This is a must for anyone with a goat, and would make a great gift for any goat lover. Thank you, Linda Fink, for a great book about how wonderful goats really are.
Obnoxious Son Comments.......1998-01-10
This book fills a well-needed gap in the literature. - Kevin Fink (Linda's Eldest Son)
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- Spare Parts: From Campus to Combat: A Marine Reservist's Journey from Campus to Combat in 38 Days
- Spirituality In Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a 'Forgotten' Dimension
- Stairway to the stars: Colorado's Argentine Central Railway
- Stealth Patrol: The Making of a Vietnam Ranger, 1968-70
- Sword of the Border: Major General Jacob Jennings Brown, 1775-1828
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