Lead may contaminate opium,heroin and illicit opiates and is particularly observed in Iran.Lead,a natural heavy metal is able to interfere with several organ functions after ingestion or inhalation.Lead poisoning mani...Lead may contaminate opium,heroin and illicit opiates and is particularly observed in Iran.Lead,a natural heavy metal is able to interfere with several organ functions after ingestion or inhalation.Lead poisoning manifestations are non-specific and thus lead poisoning remains difficult to diagnose.Among the manifestations,abdominal pain is almost the most frequent symptom causing patients to seek medical care.In patients with a history of opium addiction presenting with moderate-to-severe abdominal pain,lack of diagnosis of lead toxicity may thus result in time-consuming and unnecessary medical work-ups that can end up in invasive surgery.This paper aims to briefly review abdominal pain as an emergency issue and the leading symptom of lead poisoning that brings most of the patients to healthcare facilities.All published adult cases and case series of opium addicts admitted with abdominal pain due to leadadulterated opium consumption have been reviewed.A trend of increasing numbers of lead poisoning cases has recently emerged among opium addicts in Iran.Due to the non-specific manifestations and hazardous effects,psychiatrists and emergency physicians should consider lead poisoning in patients with a past or present history of opium addiction referred for acute abdominal pain,particularly in case of colicky abdominal pain.展开更多
According to historical evidence, the abuse of opium has been reported all over the globe-specifically throughout Eastern nations-since the sixteenth century. Before that, opium had mostly been applied as medication. ...According to historical evidence, the abuse of opium has been reported all over the globe-specifically throughout Eastern nations-since the sixteenth century. Before that, opium had mostly been applied as medication. Reference has been made in traditional Persian medical literature to the method of cultivation, properties, side effects and toxicity. In sixteenth century Iran, during the reign of the Safavids, opium abuse began. It was from then that prominent Persian scholars started to think of solutions to this societal problem. One of the most famous scholars was Imad al-Din Mahmud ibn Mas＇ud Shirazi, who composed a book concerning addiction-Afyunieh, a comprehensive book on the topic of opium and all issues of opium. Furthermore, he recommended methods for reducing opium dose as well as substitution with other medications that had a narrower range of side effects, in order to eradicate dependency upon opium and opium-derived materials. This is most likely the first book that comprehensively addressed opium and discussed drug rehabilitation methodology, in traditional Persian medical literature. In this historical review, the authors have introduced the book Afyunieh, which presents methods for treating addiction to and giving up opium; the text comprises a synthesis of the author＇s opinions, professional experience and references to the work of other famous physicians.展开更多
A rapid, simple and accurate method using an immunoaffinity column (IAC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the analysis of the major alkaloids in opium is developed. The IAC was synthesized by coupling specific m...A rapid, simple and accurate method using an immunoaffinity column (IAC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the analysis of the major alkaloids in opium is developed. The IAC was synthesized by coupling specific morphine polyclonal antibodies to CNBr-actived Sepharose 4B. The IAC showed high selectivity and obvious enrichment to morphine, codeine, dionin and thebaine. The extraction solution was analyzed by CE with β-cyclodextrin as an additive. Recoveries of the four alkaloids from PBS were between 93%-105% with RSD value less than 5.0%. The result showed that this method was practical for the determination of morphine analogs in opium.展开更多
AIM To study survival in isolated coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) patients and to evaluate the impact of preoperative chronic opium consumption on long-term outcome.METHODS Cohort of 566 isolated CABG patients as T...AIM To study survival in isolated coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) patients and to evaluate the impact of preoperative chronic opium consumption on long-term outcome.METHODS Cohort of 566 isolated CABG patients as Tehran Heart Center cardiac output measurement was conducted. Daily evaluation until discharge as well as 4- and 12-mo and 6.5-year follow-up information for survival status were fulfilled for all patients. Long-term 6.5-year overall and opium-stratified survival, adjusted survival curves based on opium consumption as well as possible predictors of all-cause mortality using multiple cox regression were determined by statistical analysis.RESULTS Six point five-year overall survival was 91.8%; 86.6% in opium consumers and 92.7% in non-opium consumers(P=0.035). Patients with positive history of opium consumption significantly tended to have lower ejection fraction(EF), higher creatinine level and higher prevalence of myocardial infarction. Multiple predictors of all-cause mortality included age, body mass index, EF, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular accident. The hazard ratio(HR) of 2.09 for the risk of mortality in opium addicted patients with a borderline P value(P=0.052) was calculated in this model. Further adjustment with stratification based on smoking and opium addiction reduced the HR to 1.20(P=0.355).CONCLUSION Simultaneous impact of smoking as a confounding variable in most of the patients prevents from definitive judgment on the role of opium as an independent contributing factor in worse long-term survival of CABG patients in addition to advanced age, low EF, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular accident. Meanwhile, our findings do not confirm any cardio protective role for opium to improve outcome in coronary patients with the history of smoking. Further studies are needed to clarify pure effect of opium and warrant the aforementioned findings.展开更多
Many people believe that opium has beneficial effects on lipid profile which results in reduced atherosclerosis. Opium contains several alkaloids and biological active components, which some of them are used for ather...Many people believe that opium has beneficial effects on lipid profile which results in reduced atherosclerosis. Opium contains several alkaloids and biological active components, which some of them are used for atherosclerosis treatment. The liver X receptor α (LXRα) is an important regulator of cholesterol and glucose homeostasis that belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily. This study aimed to investigate the effects of opium on glucose, lipid profile and LXRα expression. Sixteen N-mary mice randomly were divided into two groups (control and addict), and were studied for one month. Serum lipid profile, Fasting blood sugar (FBS), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined. Also LXR mRNA and protein levels were determined by Reverse Transcription PCR and western blotting. This study showed that opium significantly reduced total cholesterol (P < 0.05), While the difference in blood glucose, triglyceride (TG), High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c) and Very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(VLDL-c), as well as AST and ALT between addict and control groups were not significant. More importantly, LXR protein and mRNA levels significantly increased (P < 0.05) in intestine of addict group in comparison with control, while the change in LXR protein and mRNA in the liver were not significant compared with control. The results of this study showed that opium addiction reduced total cholesterol and increased LXR expression in intestine. Further researches need to determine effective components.展开更多
Objective: One of the common misinterpretation be- liefs in some societies (especially eastern communities) is the using of opium can reduce serum glucose and lipids. Opium is a derivative from a plant family called P...Objective: One of the common misinterpretation be- liefs in some societies (especially eastern communities) is the using of opium can reduce serum glucose and lipids. Opium is a derivative from a plant family called Papaveracea and contains almost 80 types of alkaloids. Drug addiction causes physiological dependency and its withdrawal lead to some disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of opium consumption and its withdrawal on some blood biochemical factors in addicted people. Methods: We enrolled fifty-six opium addicted people according to the especial criteria to this study. Biochemical blood parameter levels such as fasting blood sugar (FBS), urea, Creatinine (Cr), Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes levels were measured and urine analysis was also performed before and 3 months after withdrawal. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 18 and a P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: our finding showed that opium withdrawal reduces FBS and increases AST but these changes were not significant. Nevertheless opium withdrawal significantly increased blood urea level (P < 0.0001). We didn’t find any significant difference in Cr, ALP, AST and Urea specific gravity (SG). Conclusion: According to the results of the current study we can concluded that opium increases FBS, which is in contrast to the most previous studies and withdrawal has opposite effects.展开更多
This article analyzes China＇s attempts to participate in and use the negotiations about reforming the international opium control system in the interwar period. China had a contentious relationship with the internati...This article analyzes China＇s attempts to participate in and use the negotiations about reforming the international opium control system in the interwar period. China had a contentious relationship with the international opium control system from its creation in the International Opium Convention of 1912 through the League of Nations opium control system of the 1920s and 1930s. The Chinese government wanted to gain acceptance for China as a modern state no longer in need of tutelage from the international community. They also wanted to portray the Chinese people as a modern race as a way of undermining colonial opium monopolies, which made a disproportionate amount of their profits from sales to Overseas Chinese. While they were not fully successful in either of these efforts, China did manage to win some support, drawing the United States into closer agreement with China＇s positions. Engagement with the international system also had a considerable impact on China＇s domestic opium politics and its broader diplomatic relationship with the major powers.展开更多
In the last three decades of its rule, the Qing government attempted to establish Chinese-style administration in many of the empire＇s non-Hart territories, and, in conjunction with non-government actors, foster land...In the last three decades of its rule, the Qing government attempted to establish Chinese-style administration in many of the empire＇s non-Hart territories, and, in conjunction with non-government actors, foster land cultivation, Han migration, Chinese education, and industries such as mining. This paper investigates these processes in Liangshan, in upland Southwest China. Here, attempts to establish Chinese administration came only in 1907, after a period of substantial private and state investment in mining, transport infrastructure, and, to a lesser extent, land cultivation. Government officials often assumed that such things would aid the political integration in China, but as this paper argues, the consequences were more complicated than that. Although better transport simplified the logistics of government military campaigns, increased commercial activity in the region also allowed its indigenes to acquire firearms for the first time.展开更多
Recently the cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan reached unprecedented levels.It is agreed that the complex and coupled interactions of social,economic and environmental drivers are crucial for understanding the...Recently the cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan reached unprecedented levels.It is agreed that the complex and coupled interactions of social,economic and environmental drivers are crucial for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.In this context,we present an integrated risk concept,which considers environmental and socio-economic drivers of opium poppy cultivation.A set of spatially explicit indicators for the environmental suitability and socio-economic vulnerability was established and populated from a variety of databases.Subsequently,novel methods of modelling homogeneous and spatially explicit regions of opium poppy cultivation suitability,socio-economic vulnerability and risk are developed and applied.The risk assessment results demonstrate the complex nature of the illicit crops production in Afghanistan and prompt a more profound examination of the drivers of opium poppy cultivation in a spatial context.The study also confirms what has already been widely discussed in literature:that reasons for cultivation are spatially diverse and often distinct,meaning that any formulation of generalized explanations cannot be drawn without ignoring a more complex reality.Thus,an integrative spatial view of risk,which integrates the social dimension as well as environmental parameters,is required to better identify context-specific intervention measures.展开更多
This article explains British measures against food hawking in the emergent city of Victoria, Hong Kong during the Opium War. It argues that British interest in the long-term development ofHong Kong can be traced back...This article explains British measures against food hawking in the emergent city of Victoria, Hong Kong during the Opium War. It argues that British interest in the long-term development ofHong Kong can be traced back to the establishment in May 1842 of the Central Market in Victoria specifically to prevent food peddling. It was a time when Hong Kong was still under military occupation and its status as a British colony was uncertain. Although Hong Kong＇s public markets were associated with many of the problems that came with early British rule in the territory, the British administrators of Opium War Hong Kong intended that the Central Market, the first public market in Victoria, benefit both the Western and Chinese communities. This article also argues that the founding of the Central Market to eliminate food hawking exemplifies the overall manner that the British authorifes took in dealing with the urban Chinese population. In addition to strictly prohibiting Chinese peddling, which often obstructed roads and streets, the authorities encouraged Chinese food hawkers to move to the orderly Central Market. While the British authorities exercised some direct control to maintain social order inside the Central Market, the government appointed a better-off Chinese person to oversee its routine operation. The 1842 Central Market was one of the earliest urban Chinese ＂elite organizations＂ in British Hong Kong where Chinese elites managed the affairs of the Chinese community of Victoria city.展开更多
Academic and popular accounts of the Opium War have gone through nearly two centuries of change in focus, view, and scope. My study probes this extensive historiography by tracing the evolvement of our understanding o...Academic and popular accounts of the Opium War have gone through nearly two centuries of change in focus, view, and scope. My study probes this extensive historiography by tracing the evolvement of our understanding of the war through various phases among which we saw the rise of the ＂China-centered approach＂ and the beginning of a new trend towards combining government archives with personal records such as memoirs, personal correspondence, and private journals in research. Based on the observation, I will indicate, despite their undeniable achievements, most of the existing scholarships have paid little attention to the ordinary people in China whose lives were deeply affected by the war. It is high time that we pay more attention to human experience of the Chinese people in order to understand not only the war itself but also the history it helped shape.展开更多
This article examines the discourse of two American couples in the China trade regarding fidelity and sacrifice during the period in which the spatial confines of the Canton system gave way to the intensified interact...This article examines the discourse of two American couples in the China trade regarding fidelity and sacrifice during the period in which the spatial confines of the Canton system gave way to the intensified interactions of the Treaty Port era.Before the Opium War,when the Qing court had mandated that Western husbands conducting business in Canton live apart from their wives,marital tension was accentuated by the separation from absentee husbands.In the subsequent Treaty Port era,enhanced spatial mobility of the couples did not assuage their concerns.Instead,intensified cross-cultural encounters allowed them to project their feelings and expectations on the foreign other,'as racial categories developed and their imperial proclivities began to escalate.Bringing the Western women in contact with elite Chinese and other Western women only aggravated their agitation as they faced their Chinese counterparts,whom they readily construed as competitors.The socio-political and spatial reconfigurations provided new dimensions to the discourse of fidelity and sacrifice.The voices of the American couples recorded here are those of individuals,but the underlying anxiety they articulated represented the growing pains of more intimate Sino-Western encounters.展开更多
文摘Lead may contaminate opium,heroin and illicit opiates and is particularly observed in Iran.Lead,a natural heavy metal is able to interfere with several organ functions after ingestion or inhalation.Lead poisoning manifestations are non-specific and thus lead poisoning remains difficult to diagnose.Among the manifestations,abdominal pain is almost the most frequent symptom causing patients to seek medical care.In patients with a history of opium addiction presenting with moderate-to-severe abdominal pain,lack of diagnosis of lead toxicity may thus result in time-consuming and unnecessary medical work-ups that can end up in invasive surgery.This paper aims to briefly review abdominal pain as an emergency issue and the leading symptom of lead poisoning that brings most of the patients to healthcare facilities.All published adult cases and case series of opium addicts admitted with abdominal pain due to leadadulterated opium consumption have been reviewed.A trend of increasing numbers of lead poisoning cases has recently emerged among opium addicts in Iran.Due to the non-specific manifestations and hazardous effects,psychiatrists and emergency physicians should consider lead poisoning in patients with a past or present history of opium addiction referred for acute abdominal pain,particularly in case of colicky abdominal pain.
文摘According to historical evidence, the abuse of opium has been reported all over the globe-specifically throughout Eastern nations-since the sixteenth century. Before that, opium had mostly been applied as medication. Reference has been made in traditional Persian medical literature to the method of cultivation, properties, side effects and toxicity. In sixteenth century Iran, during the reign of the Safavids, opium abuse began. It was from then that prominent Persian scholars started to think of solutions to this societal problem. One of the most famous scholars was Imad al-Din Mahmud ibn Mas＇ud Shirazi, who composed a book concerning addiction-Afyunieh, a comprehensive book on the topic of opium and all issues of opium. Furthermore, he recommended methods for reducing opium dose as well as substitution with other medications that had a narrower range of side effects, in order to eradicate dependency upon opium and opium-derived materials. This is most likely the first book that comprehensively addressed opium and discussed drug rehabilitation methodology, in traditional Persian medical literature. In this historical review, the authors have introduced the book Afyunieh, which presents methods for treating addiction to and giving up opium; the text comprises a synthesis of the author＇s opinions, professional experience and references to the work of other famous physicians.
文摘A rapid, simple and accurate method using an immunoaffinity column (IAC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the analysis of the major alkaloids in opium is developed. The IAC was synthesized by coupling specific morphine polyclonal antibodies to CNBr-actived Sepharose 4B. The IAC showed high selectivity and obvious enrichment to morphine, codeine, dionin and thebaine. The extraction solution was analyzed by CE with β-cyclodextrin as an additive. Recoveries of the four alkaloids from PBS were between 93%-105% with RSD value less than 5.0%. The result showed that this method was practical for the determination of morphine analogs in opium.
文摘AIM To study survival in isolated coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) patients and to evaluate the impact of preoperative chronic opium consumption on long-term outcome.METHODS Cohort of 566 isolated CABG patients as Tehran Heart Center cardiac output measurement was conducted. Daily evaluation until discharge as well as 4- and 12-mo and 6.5-year follow-up information for survival status were fulfilled for all patients. Long-term 6.5-year overall and opium-stratified survival, adjusted survival curves based on opium consumption as well as possible predictors of all-cause mortality using multiple cox regression were determined by statistical analysis.RESULTS Six point five-year overall survival was 91.8%; 86.6% in opium consumers and 92.7% in non-opium consumers(P=0.035). Patients with positive history of opium consumption significantly tended to have lower ejection fraction(EF), higher creatinine level and higher prevalence of myocardial infarction. Multiple predictors of all-cause mortality included age, body mass index, EF, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular accident. The hazard ratio(HR) of 2.09 for the risk of mortality in opium addicted patients with a borderline P value(P=0.052) was calculated in this model. Further adjustment with stratification based on smoking and opium addiction reduced the HR to 1.20(P=0.355).CONCLUSION Simultaneous impact of smoking as a confounding variable in most of the patients prevents from definitive judgment on the role of opium as an independent contributing factor in worse long-term survival of CABG patients in addition to advanced age, low EF, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular accident. Meanwhile, our findings do not confirm any cardio protective role for opium to improve outcome in coronary patients with the history of smoking. Further studies are needed to clarify pure effect of opium and warrant the aforementioned findings.
文摘Many people believe that opium has beneficial effects on lipid profile which results in reduced atherosclerosis. Opium contains several alkaloids and biological active components, which some of them are used for atherosclerosis treatment. The liver X receptor α (LXRα) is an important regulator of cholesterol and glucose homeostasis that belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily. This study aimed to investigate the effects of opium on glucose, lipid profile and LXRα expression. Sixteen N-mary mice randomly were divided into two groups (control and addict), and were studied for one month. Serum lipid profile, Fasting blood sugar (FBS), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined. Also LXR mRNA and protein levels were determined by Reverse Transcription PCR and western blotting. This study showed that opium significantly reduced total cholesterol (P < 0.05), While the difference in blood glucose, triglyceride (TG), High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c) and Very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(VLDL-c), as well as AST and ALT between addict and control groups were not significant. More importantly, LXR protein and mRNA levels significantly increased (P < 0.05) in intestine of addict group in comparison with control, while the change in LXR protein and mRNA in the liver were not significant compared with control. The results of this study showed that opium addiction reduced total cholesterol and increased LXR expression in intestine. Further researches need to determine effective components.
文摘Objective: One of the common misinterpretation be- liefs in some societies (especially eastern communities) is the using of opium can reduce serum glucose and lipids. Opium is a derivative from a plant family called Papaveracea and contains almost 80 types of alkaloids. Drug addiction causes physiological dependency and its withdrawal lead to some disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of opium consumption and its withdrawal on some blood biochemical factors in addicted people. Methods: We enrolled fifty-six opium addicted people according to the especial criteria to this study. Biochemical blood parameter levels such as fasting blood sugar (FBS), urea, Creatinine (Cr), Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes levels were measured and urine analysis was also performed before and 3 months after withdrawal. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 18 and a P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: our finding showed that opium withdrawal reduces FBS and increases AST but these changes were not significant. Nevertheless opium withdrawal significantly increased blood urea level (P < 0.0001). We didn’t find any significant difference in Cr, ALP, AST and Urea specific gravity (SG). Conclusion: According to the results of the current study we can concluded that opium increases FBS, which is in contrast to the most previous studies and withdrawal has opposite effects.
文摘This article analyzes China＇s attempts to participate in and use the negotiations about reforming the international opium control system in the interwar period. China had a contentious relationship with the international opium control system from its creation in the International Opium Convention of 1912 through the League of Nations opium control system of the 1920s and 1930s. The Chinese government wanted to gain acceptance for China as a modern state no longer in need of tutelage from the international community. They also wanted to portray the Chinese people as a modern race as a way of undermining colonial opium monopolies, which made a disproportionate amount of their profits from sales to Overseas Chinese. While they were not fully successful in either of these efforts, China did manage to win some support, drawing the United States into closer agreement with China＇s positions. Engagement with the international system also had a considerable impact on China＇s domestic opium politics and its broader diplomatic relationship with the major powers.
文摘In the last three decades of its rule, the Qing government attempted to establish Chinese-style administration in many of the empire＇s non-Hart territories, and, in conjunction with non-government actors, foster land cultivation, Han migration, Chinese education, and industries such as mining. This paper investigates these processes in Liangshan, in upland Southwest China. Here, attempts to establish Chinese administration came only in 1907, after a period of substantial private and state investment in mining, transport infrastructure, and, to a lesser extent, land cultivation. Government officials often assumed that such things would aid the political integration in China, but as this paper argues, the consequences were more complicated than that. Although better transport simplified the logistics of government military campaigns, increased commercial activity in the region also allowed its indigenes to acquire firearms for the first time.
基金This work was supported by the Seventh Framework Programme[312912].
文摘Recently the cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan reached unprecedented levels.It is agreed that the complex and coupled interactions of social,economic and environmental drivers are crucial for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.In this context,we present an integrated risk concept,which considers environmental and socio-economic drivers of opium poppy cultivation.A set of spatially explicit indicators for the environmental suitability and socio-economic vulnerability was established and populated from a variety of databases.Subsequently,novel methods of modelling homogeneous and spatially explicit regions of opium poppy cultivation suitability,socio-economic vulnerability and risk are developed and applied.The risk assessment results demonstrate the complex nature of the illicit crops production in Afghanistan and prompt a more profound examination of the drivers of opium poppy cultivation in a spatial context.The study also confirms what has already been widely discussed in literature:that reasons for cultivation are spatially diverse and often distinct,meaning that any formulation of generalized explanations cannot be drawn without ignoring a more complex reality.Thus,an integrative spatial view of risk,which integrates the social dimension as well as environmental parameters,is required to better identify context-specific intervention measures.
文摘This article explains British measures against food hawking in the emergent city of Victoria, Hong Kong during the Opium War. It argues that British interest in the long-term development ofHong Kong can be traced back to the establishment in May 1842 of the Central Market in Victoria specifically to prevent food peddling. It was a time when Hong Kong was still under military occupation and its status as a British colony was uncertain. Although Hong Kong＇s public markets were associated with many of the problems that came with early British rule in the territory, the British administrators of Opium War Hong Kong intended that the Central Market, the first public market in Victoria, benefit both the Western and Chinese communities. This article also argues that the founding of the Central Market to eliminate food hawking exemplifies the overall manner that the British authorifes took in dealing with the urban Chinese population. In addition to strictly prohibiting Chinese peddling, which often obstructed roads and streets, the authorities encouraged Chinese food hawkers to move to the orderly Central Market. While the British authorities exercised some direct control to maintain social order inside the Central Market, the government appointed a better-off Chinese person to oversee its routine operation. The 1842 Central Market was one of the earliest urban Chinese ＂elite organizations＂ in British Hong Kong where Chinese elites managed the affairs of the Chinese community of Victoria city.
文摘Academic and popular accounts of the Opium War have gone through nearly two centuries of change in focus, view, and scope. My study probes this extensive historiography by tracing the evolvement of our understanding of the war through various phases among which we saw the rise of the ＂China-centered approach＂ and the beginning of a new trend towards combining government archives with personal records such as memoirs, personal correspondence, and private journals in research. Based on the observation, I will indicate, despite their undeniable achievements, most of the existing scholarships have paid little attention to the ordinary people in China whose lives were deeply affected by the war. It is high time that we pay more attention to human experience of the Chinese people in order to understand not only the war itself but also the history it helped shape.
文摘This article examines the discourse of two American couples in the China trade regarding fidelity and sacrifice during the period in which the spatial confines of the Canton system gave way to the intensified interactions of the Treaty Port era.Before the Opium War,when the Qing court had mandated that Western husbands conducting business in Canton live apart from their wives,marital tension was accentuated by the separation from absentee husbands.In the subsequent Treaty Port era,enhanced spatial mobility of the couples did not assuage their concerns.Instead,intensified cross-cultural encounters allowed them to project their feelings and expectations on the foreign other,'as racial categories developed and their imperial proclivities began to escalate.Bringing the Western women in contact with elite Chinese and other Western women only aggravated their agitation as they faced their Chinese counterparts,whom they readily construed as competitors.The socio-political and spatial reconfigurations provided new dimensions to the discourse of fidelity and sacrifice.The voices of the American couples recorded here are those of individuals,but the underlying anxiety they articulated represented the growing pains of more intimate Sino-Western encounters.
