Browsing by Author "Dawson, Kenneth"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    'The captain of all these men of death' : aspects of the medical history of tuberculosis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Dawson, Kenneth
    Current evidence suggests that some time in pre-history the ancestor of the modern tubercle bacillus evolved from a soil organism into a human pathogen. Since that time it has caused death and misery to millions of human beings by causing the infectious disease we now call tuberculosis. This dissertation examines some of the aspects of the history of tuberculosis and specifically how it has affected humans from early times not only medically but socially. It looks at mankind’s struggle to overcome the disease, those who introduced scientific methods in attempts to halt and defeat the organism and its associated infectious disease. There are descriptions of the effects of the disease on prominent people and how the disease often cut short their productive lives. Stress is placed also on the organism’s ability to adapt and survive in a latent form and to develop virulence factors as and when necessary for its own survival. The advent of the co-infection with HIV/AIDS has caused a major setback in control methods and our attempts to halt the progress of the disease and these are factors in the resultant worldwide epidemic of tuberculosis. Particular importance is placed on the public health measures used in the past and the importance of continued and improved control measures at the community level now and in the future. The implementation of the knowledge gained about the disease and the organism to date, the avoidance of the errors made in the past, is emphasised if we are to make progress in the future. To totally defeat the organism remains the major goal of public health agencies, medical researchers and social scientists so we can say that, at last, tuberculosis is no longer the ‘Captain of all these Men of Death’.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Commerce or commemoration? : the role of the postage stamp in Great War remembrance : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in History, Massey University, Manawatu Campus, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Dawson, Kenneth
    The Great War of 1914-18 was a major and catastrophic event in the 20th century. The remembrance and commemoration of the war dead and the war’s events and consequences has taken many forms. A less well recognised genre is that played by the humble postage stamp. This study has addressed the role played by the postage stamp, not only in remembrance, but in fund raising for war matériel and for war-related charities. The extent and scope of stamp use for commemoration, over the hundred years since the armistice of 1918, was examined. Their frequency, scope and the subject matter of their design and form has been described and most stamps are illustrated within the text. Special attention was paid to issues of the former British Empire and especially New Zealand’s contribution. However, the issues of France were also selected as a non-British Empire state, yet a major combatant and having a population who suffered greatly by the war. The study reveals that postage stamps played a small, but important, role in fund raising when employed as war tax stamps. Their use for raising money for war charities was widely practiced in France and many other European countries, but was infrequently used by British Empire countries. The early commemorative stamps of the Dominions were relatively few in number, but were carefully considered and designed. The absence of issues by the United Kingdom prior to 2006 is a confounding factor. As the 20th century drew to a conclusion, there was a proliferation of postal issues and also commemorative stamps which reached a peak during the centenary of the First World War in 2014-18. This change corresponded to the changes in postal authorities moving from a social service model to a business and revenue model. Despite this, and a general reduction of letter mail, there continued a steady increase in the number of new stamps produced and an increase in set size. Evidence presented suggests that the production of postage stamps for true remembrance reasons may well have become a secondary role to that of revenue seeking. These former important historical documents are being overshadowed by commercialism. In turn, stamps themselves may have a limited future due to automation and electronic mail.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Cystic fibrosis in the United Arab Emirates : a spatial, medical and historical perspective : a dissertation submitted for the degree of Master of Science to Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Dawson, Kenneth
    The aim of this dissertation is to report our observations on the disease, Cystic Fibrosis (CF) as it presents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It contains the first full clinical reports of how the disease manifests itself in the UAE, it defines the molecular basis for the disease and establishes a population frequency of gene carriage. The observations are made in light of the new knowledge of CF gene mutations, the spatial and ethnic aspects revealed by these findings and the creation of a new geography related to cystic fibrosis. The intention is to further hypothesise as to the spread of CF to the UAE and postulate as to the prior and subsequent events in relation to the spread of gene mutations elsewhere. Methods A wide range of methodologies have been applied. The original observations, as to the existence of CF in the Emirates were made in the Children's wards and outpatient clinics of Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, UAE. Subsequently, within the Faculty of Medicine in the UAE University, were developed the techniques required for specific gene mutational analyis. These were developed in conjunction with, and validated by, the Laboratoire de Genetique Molecularie in Paris, France. This was in collaboration with Dr Emmanuelle Girodon and her team. Individual methods are described in each chapter as appropriate.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Disputes over small territories : a study of the spatial, political and philatelic aspects of such disputes : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Geography at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Dawson, Kenneth
    “Most governments are now alive to the advertising and propaganda value of postage stamps” Sir Dudley Stamp (1966) Professor of Geography Seventy years after the formation of the United Nations, the world continues to be plagued by civil disorder, territorial claims and border disputes. Currently, there are some 150 claims and disputes still outstanding. Previous published work has revealed that postage stamps have played a key role in the propaganda associated with territorial disputes in Latin American countries. This dissertation aims to ascertain whether this finding holds true for disputes outside of Latin America and to what extent postage stamp propaganda can influence these various disputes. This study then describes and examines the background of 20 selected territorial claims and two special situations in small territories in Europe, European Colonies and Asia. The disputes form a cross section of those which have occurred over the last 125 years. A brief historical and geographical review is included along with the known causation and the actual or possible solution to each dispute. Written and visual evidence is collected and presented to illustrate the role played by postage stamps in the propaganda associated with these selected small territorial disagreements. When appropriate, the relevant postal history is described and postage stamp examples illustrated. The results indicate that, in the disputes studied, violence and loss of life was endemic at some stage in the dispute. Potential or real economic gain was not the obvious prime trigger factor which initiated the dispute. Further analysis of the findings indicates that postage stamps do play an important role in the propaganda associated with territorial claims in Europe, European Colonies and in Asia. Specific examples are identified in which the role of the stamp proved to be a key item in exacerbating the discord further. No clear evidence could be demonstrated to indicate that the effects differed significantly in geographic or political terms between Europe and her Colonies. There is some evidence that stamp usage for political purposes may be more frequently used in recent years than in the past. In Asia, Japan has not utilised stamps for propaganda purposes in her territorial disputes. Postage stamps are a powerful source of political propaganda and can play an important role in territorial claims.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Propaganda, profit, and remembrance : the role of postage and Cinderella stamps of New Zealand and Australia relating to the First World War : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023-12-06) Dawson, Kenneth
    The representation and interpretation of the events of the First World War and its aftermath through Cinderella stamps, and definitive and commemorative postage stamps, offer an alternative approach to the study of First World War history. This thesis examines the role of such stamps from the perspective of New Zealand and Australia during the period 1914-2018. By studying these historic documents, as primary source material, much can be learned about fund raising for the war, the developing patterns of war remembrance and the post-war changes in the self-image of both countries. The specific approach adopted in this study was to pose three research questions in order to gain insight into the role of the various forms of stamps in providing direct information about matters relevant to or resulting from the First World War. Specifically addressed was the use of stamps for fundraising and propaganda purposes. A further question inquired as to whether postage stamps and Cinderella stamps play a part in war remembrance and especially at the time of the First World War Centenary between 2014 and 2018. Thirdly, did stamps reflected any changes in self-image and self-identity in the two countries over the one-hundred-year period from the onset of the war. The methodology employed involved a wide search for all the relevant postage and Cinderella stamps issued over the last one hundred years in New Zealand and Australia, and any Cinderella stamps that were known to have circulated in both countries during the study period. In addition, archival studies were carried out in both countries for material linking postage and Cinderella stamps to the First World War. Further investigations related to the origins and rationale for the release of the identified stamps. Cinderella stamps played an important role in the raising of funds for soldiers’ welfare during the First World War. New Zealand used postage stamps as a means of raising funds for the war effort, while Australia simply raised postal rates overall as a war tax. Cinderella stamps also played a role in the dissemination of propaganda, more so in Australia than New Zealand. Postage and Cinderella stamps can reflect societal change and have mirrored the developing self-images of New Zealand and Australia. Remembrance of the war by commemorative stamps was limited during the first seventy-five years following the war. Prior to and during the centenary of the First World War, there was a massive output of stamps directed at recalling the effects of the war on both societies and remembrance of the fallen.