Steph: The Fore people began to die of a disease, and the disease seemed to target women and children specifically. (Bichell, 2016) The Fore people called the disease kuru in their native language, which meant trembling or shivering. (Bichell, 2016) During this time in the 1950s, researchers came in and were trying to discern what was happening to the Fore people of Papua New Guinea. They continued to research and test the people, and while doing so they kept eliminating disease after disease.  During this time they tested for diseases, infections, viruses, etc.  All of this just eliminated the various issues and taking them out of the equation. (Bichell, 2016)  Many locals believed it was the result of sorcery, but they were insistent on finding out what was happening because with all the women dying, they were running out of bloodline.  Around 1961, a researcher began to map out bloodlines trying to find a genetic link to the disease, but was unsuccessful. Then, there was a discovery.  The Fore people believed that the bodies of their dead would be better served by being eaten by the women who loved them.  This was because the bodies would have been eaten by worms or insects, and the Fore believed it was better if they ate their loved ones themselves. (Bichell, 2016) Typically the women would eat the loved ones, but the women would also feed the children “snacks” sometimes until they were old enough to live with the men. (Bichell, 2016)  This was the cause of the disease.  This disease was unique because it was nothing like anything scientists had seen before.  It was not a virus or infection and it was later found that the illness caused was a protein that made the body eat away at the brain, making holes in it, and eventually killing the host of the illness. (Bichell, 2016)  This story is a good example of anthropology’s holistic approach because it used testing that did not disrupt or hurt any additional people.  It used genetic bloodlines and blood tests to find the right illness, instead of disrupting the people or causing more problems.  This was great because the Fore were wanting help in understanding what was happening, but if people had come in and started causing problems among the people, they may have been forced out.  This could have led to the complete extinction of the Fore. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Gary: The people of Papua New Guinea were a hidden species, until the 1930's and some twenty years from that, they began being studied and researched.  It was estimated that some 200 people, per year died of a condition called " kuru" which meant shivering and trembling.  When an individual, primarily a woman or young child ( under the age of 8) contracted the disease, they would lose control of their body functions and emotions. For this reason, some researchers called it the " laughing death".  When 'kuru' was first studied, it was believed that sorcery was the culprit, and then furt.

1. Steph:
The Fore people began to die of a disease, and the disease
seemed to target women and children specifically. (Bichell,
2016) The Fore people called the disease kuru in their native
language, which meant trembling or shivering. (Bichell, 2016)
During this time in the 1950s, researchers came in and were
trying to discern what was happening to the Fore people of
Papua New Guinea. They continued to research and test the
people, and while doing so they kept eliminating disease after
disease. During this time they tested for diseases, infections,
viruses, etc. All of this just eliminated the various issues and
taking them out of the equation. (Bichell, 2016) Many locals
believed it was the result of sorcery, but they were insistent on
finding out what was happening because with all the women
dying, they were running out of bloodline. Around 1961, a
researcher began to map out bloodlines trying to find a genetic
link to the disease, but was unsuccessful. Then, there was a
discovery. The Fore people believed that the bodies of their
dead would be better served by being eaten by the women who
loved them. This was because the bodies would have been eaten
by worms or insects, and the Fore believed it was better if they
ate their loved ones themselves. (Bichell, 2016) Typically the
women would eat the loved ones, but the women would also
feed the children “snacks” sometimes until they were old
enough to live with the men. (Bichell, 2016) This was the cause
of the disease. This disease was unique because it was nothing
like anything scientists had seen before. It was not a virus or
infection and it was later found that the illness caused was a
protein that made the body eat away at the brain, making holes
in it, and eventually killing the host of the illness. (Bichell,
2016) This story is a good example of anthropology’s holistic
approach because it used testing that did not disrupt or hurt any
additional people. It used genetic bloodlines and blood tests to
find the right illness, instead of disrupting the people or causing

2. more problems. This was great because the Fore were wanting
help in understanding what was happening, but if people had
come in and started causing problems among the people, they
may have been forced out. This could have led to the complete
extinction of the Fore.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++
Gary:
The people of Papua New Guinea were a hidden species, until
the 1930's and some twenty years from that, they began being
studied and researched. It was estimated that some 200 people,
per year died of a condition called " kuru" which meant
shivering and trembling. When an individual, primarily a
woman or young child ( under the age of 8) contracted the
disease, they would lose control of their body functions and
emotions. For this reason, some researchers called it the "
laughing death". When 'kuru' was first studied, it was believed
that sorcery was the culprit, and then further explanation
thought it may be genetic. When it was discovered that the
disease would occur in same social classes, but not genetic
circles, then that idea was ruled out as well. The people that
make up the Fore, practiced a funeral ritual which was the
eating of a deceased body, a loved on. They believed this was
an act of love and grief. Women were primarily the ones that
consumed the dead flesh and passed it to their young children,
which is why they were the primary targets of contracting the
disease. Woman, at this time, were believed to be strong enough
to hold and tame the dangerous spirits of the deceased.
"Kuru" is a neurological disorder, similar to a newer one known
as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. It is a bad protein that attacks
normal proteins, and twists them, prions, and then these slowly
destroy the cerebellum, leaving it with holes, similar to a
sponge. It is believed that a member of the tribe, contracted
CJD, which infected his brain, and with the practice of funeral
feasts, the disease just continued spreading. The holistic
approach, falls into kinship and societal norms. The children

3. were kept with mothers, and during the ceremonial rituals, the
infected brain was passed on. As children got older, and left the
tribal sites with their fathers, they had the ability to pass from
partaking in the rituals. The funeral feasts of eating the dead,
showing respect, was a societal norm of the Fore, the disease
was simply something they didn't understand, but accepted it as
part of of their daily life.
In closing, this article was really fascinating to me. To think
about how much our medical field, and technology today can
predict, prevent and follow and to know that earlier societies
accepted death and disease as part of their societal and cultural
norms.
Gary
· PSY105 Assignment 1 Outline.docx (13.986 KB)
Click on the link to view some guidelines I prepared for you to
help you with your writing assignment this week. Follow this
template to ensure you are addressing all the assignment
requirements!
Assignment 1: Retrospective Analysis of Personality
Due Week 9 and worth 220 points
In this assignment, you will take a retrospective look at your
life history. First, choose an area of the brain and explain what
it does, as well as how it would impact an activity from your
daily life. Then, analyze the roles of nature and nurture in
shaping the person you are today. Next, describe the influences
of culture, environment, and biology on your gender-role
behavior. Subsequently, discuss possible sources of inaccuracy
and bias in any retrospective analysis. Finally, discuss the
reasons why systematic scientific studies are considered more
valuable than individual accounts
Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:

4. Section 1 (1-2 paragraphs):
· Choose one of the following areas of your brain and explain
what it does:
· Thalamus
· Reticular formation
· Brain stem (pons and medulla)
· Cerebellum
· Limbic system
· One of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex
· Explain how the area you described contributes to a specific
activity from your everyday life. (Example: During horseback
riding, the cerebellum integrates information from the motor
systems and balance system.)
Section 2 (1-2 paragraphs):
All of us have been shaped by both nature (biology) and nurture
(environment), making us the persons we are today. In most
cases, it is difficult to completely disentangle the separate
effects of nature vs. nurture with much certainty. However, we
can make some educated guesses based on our knowledge of
familial tendencies that we may have inherited, as well as
knowledge of our environment and experiences. In this section,
we ask for you to make some educated guesses about the roles
of nature and nurture in your life.
· Describe the role of nature (biology) in shaping what kind of
person you are today. Provide a specific example of the role of
nature.
· Describe the role of nurture (environment) in shaping what
kind of person you are today. Provide a specific example of the
role of nurture.
Section 3 (1-2 paragraphs):
· Describe the influences of culture, your environment, and
biology on your gender role behavior.
· Use specific examples from your own life to explain your
answers.
Section 4 (1-2 paragraphs):

5. · Discuss the fallibility of memory in terms of bias and
inaccuracy when you reflect on your past.
· Identify specific memory biases that could affect how you
remember your past. Include factors related to cognition.
· Use specific examples from your own life.
Section 5 (1 paragraph):
· Describe why the science of psychology places more emphasis
on results based on scientific studies than it does on personal
experiences and anecdotes.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
· Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow
APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for
any additional instructions.
· To keep this essay short and manageable, your only sources
for your paper should be your own experience and the Webtext.
For this reason, APA citations and references are not required
for this assignment.
· Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the
student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the
date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in
the required page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
· Relate psychological concepts to real-world situations.
· Describe the major theories of personality development,
learning, memory, cognition, consciousness, development and
social psychology.
· Use technology and information resources to research issues in
psychology.
· Write clearly and concisely about psychology using proper
writing mechanics.
Click here to view the grading rubric.