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16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Farm safety issues in Old Order Anabaptist communities: unique aspects and innovative intervention strategies.

The Amish and other Old Order Anabaptists have been inseparably linked with agriculture since coming to America. However few efforts have been identified which analyze the issues involved with Old Order Anabaptist farm injuries or present best practices for addressing these problems. As part of an effort to develop culturally appropriate and effective injury prevention strategies for use within the Old Order Anabaptist community, this article identifies important cultural issues that should be considered in understanding and attempting to reduce farm injures in this population, summarizes statistics concerning farm-related fatalities among Old Order Anabaptists, and discusses methods which have been effectively used to address farm injuries within these communities. In the statistical analysis, 92 cases were identified that were classified as being work-related or occurring in a farm work-related setting during the period 1980 to 2000. Approximately 64% of the identified cases were children 15 years and under; and approximately 77% were male. Run-over incidents were the most frequent primary cause of the fatal injuries, while animal-related behavior was the most frequent secondary cause, reflecting agricultural practices that remain highly dependent upon the use of horses and mules. The authors believe evidence suggests that certain Old Order Anabaptist choices concerning farm safety issues may be directly related to their socio-religious beliefs, and that effective intervention strategies must also be sensitive to socio-religious beliefs.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1996

Immunoglobulin haplotype frequencies in Anabaptist population samples: Kansas and Nebraska Mennonites and Indiana Amish.

Anabaptist history is a chronicle of repeated migrations, fissions, and fusions of various subgroups. The effects of these events should be evident in the population biology of the Anabaptist groups. No prior genetic studies have included the polymorphic and highly informative immunoglobulin markers. Here, 685 serum samples representing 1 Amish and 3 Mennonite community samples (7 congregations) were studied for immunoglobulin allotypes. The haplotypes IGHG*F B, IGHG*A,Z G, and IGHG*A,X,Z G range in frequency from 0.542 to 0.765, 0.123 to 0.290, and 0.075 to 0.170, respectively. IGK*1 frequencies range from 0.035 to 0.077. All frequencies are within expected ranges for central and western European population samples. There was considerable intergroup variability among the Anabaptist samples that was statistically significant (chi29 = 22.63, 0.005 < p < 0.01). Principal component analyses, including the immunoglobulin allotype frequencies and published data on ABO, MN, and Rhesus (Dd) markers, demonstrate that the Mennonite congregation samples with close historical ties group together and are distinct from the Amish and Meridian congregation samples.

Christianity↗
PubMed2003

Anabaptist genealogy database.

In late 1996 we set out to build a computer-searchable genealogy of the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for use by geneticists. The goals of the project included: 1) using the genealogy to expedite the mapping of genes mutated in three rare recessive disorders under study at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); 2) building a freely available software package, PedHunter, to answer genetically relevant queries on our database and other similar databases; and 3) providing genealogy assistance to researchers outside NIH. All of these scientific goals had to be accomplished while maintaining the confidentiality of the persons in the database and the confidentiality of preliminary research results. We expanded the project to include complementary data sources that contained many individuals who were Anabaptist, but not Amish, and many individuals who never lived in Lancaster County. For this reason, the project was renamed Anabaptist Genealogy Database (AGDB). All of the initial goals of the project have been accomplished, and we recently marked the 5-year anniversary of answering the first of over 100 queries by researchers outside NIH. Thus, it is an opportune time to review the construction of AGDB, summarize its usage to date, and speculate on future projects it might stimulate and facilitate.

Databases, Genetic↗
PubMed2001

Towards a complete North American Anabaptist Genealogy II: analysis of inbreeding.

We describe a large genealogy data base, which can be searched by computer, of 295,095 Amish and Mennonite individuals. The data base was constructed by merging our existing Anabaptist Genealogy Database 2.0 containing approximately 85,000 individuals with a genealogy file containing approximately 242,000 individuals, kindly provided by Mr. James Hostetler. The merging process corrected thousands of inconsistencies and eliminated hundreds of duplicate individuals. Geneticists have long been interested in Anabaptist populations because they are closed and have detailed written genealogies. The creation of an enlarged and unified data base affords the opportunity to examine inbreeding trends and correlates in these populations. We show the following results. The frequency of consanguineous marriages shows steady increase over time and reached approximately 85% for individuals born in 1940-1959. Among consanguineous marriages, the median kinship coefficient stayed stable in the 19th century, but rose from 0.0115 to 0.0151 in the 20th century. There are statistically significant associations (p < 0.0001) between inbreeding and family size and interbirth intervals in the 20th century. There is an association (p < 0.0005) between inbreeding and early death for individuals born in 1920-1959. However, this association reverses dramatically (p < 0.0005 in the opposite direction) for individuals born in 1960-1979. We tested for an association between inbreeding and being the mother of twins, but found none.

Birth Intervals↗
PubMed1989

Changes in completed family size and reproductive span in Anabaptist populations.

The Anabaptist Amish, Hutterite and Mennonite peoples trace their origins to the Reformation. Although they share certain beliefs, such as adult baptism and the separation of church and state, each group is culturally unique. The Hutterite and Amish are highly fertile and their populations exhibit stable rates of growth. These demographic characteristics reflect communal living among the Hutterites and labor intensive farming practices among the Amish. The Mennonites are the most receptive Anabaptist group to outside socioeconomic influences and provide a demographic contrast to the more conservative Amish and Hutterites. Demographic data collected during a study of aging in Mennonite population samples from Goessel and Meridian, Kansas, 1980, and Henderson, Nebraska, 1981, formed the basis of a cohort analysis in order to assess fertility change over time. Completed family size has decreased significantly in all three communities since 1870. Since the early 1900's the mean age of the mother at first birth has fluctuated but the mean age of mother at the birth of the last child is decreasing significantly for the communities of Goessel and Henderson, thus effectively shortening the reproductive span. The pattern is somewhat different for Meridian, the most conservative of the three communities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Towards a complete North American Anabaptist genealogy: A systematic approach to merging partially overlapping genealogy resources.

Genetic studies on closed populations benefit from comprehensive, searchable genealogy resources. To support studies of Anabaptists, a computerized database has been developed that merges two large genealogy books, the "Fisher Family History" and the "Amish and Amish Mennonite Genealogies." The former is more current but the latter is more comprehensive for the 18th and 19th centuries. Therefore, the merger of the two books is significantly more useful than either book alone. We demonstrate the utility of the merged database with two results: an increase in inbreeding coefficients and the identification of parent-child relationships that do not exist in either book. Am. J. Med. Genet. 86:156-161, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Consanguinity↗
PubMed2006

Divergent risk of multiple sclerosis in two anabaptist communities in America.

A lowered risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been reported in the Hutterite community residing mainly in southern Canada. In another anabaptist community, the Old Colony Mennonites (OCM), settled in Canada and spread to Latin America, only a large pedigree with an increased risk of autoimmune diseases, including type I diabetes and three cases of MS, was reported. The prevalence of MS in the pedigree (3,158 per 100,000), even when observing its confidence interval, seems rather high, and the MS prevalence in the Mennonite general population is assumed at least to be equal to the Canadian rates. Based upon an extended study of the literature, the hypothesis that smoking and curing with nitrate/nitrite plays any role, by interaction with inflammatory intestinal changes in childhood infections, is supported. In addition, tobacco smoking and short-term breast-feeding as possible risk factors are also in line with a higher MS risk in OCM, whereas insecticides and herbicides can be excluded as risk factors in MS.

Americas↗
PubMed1998

[Old plants and medicines used by Anabaptists-Mennonits in the days of old].

The evangelic Christian Mennonits, issued from Helvetia, spread first in Alsace, then in the neighbouring countries, bringing so traditions in agronomy and folk medicine. As generally in rural areas, in the days of old, natural therapies were characterised by rather strange practices, sometimes imbued with superstitions and mystic ideas. Some works, books, almanacs, dweller manuscripts, allow us to reach some uses forsaken and replaced by modern and scientific medicines.

Christianity↗
PubMed2003

[The morphology of Silesian religiousness in early modern history: Socinianism and anabaptism].

In the 16th and 17th century religion and religiousness had been more important than today. This also applies to Silesia which ahd a particular position in Germany of the Early Modern History and kept close connections wtih Poland. Among the religious streams - Catholicism, Lutheranism, Calvinism - there were also potent religious substreams. Some thinkers (J. Böhme, H. Th. von Tschesch, A. von Franckenberg, D. Czepko a.o.) were based on Mysticism. This article deals with Socianism and Anabaptism. Principally the Socinianism had come from Poland to Silesia. Soon Silesians like A. Witrelin and G. Schomann - originally Calvinists - represented it. Centres of German Socianians were situated in Small Poland near the Silesian border: Schmiegel (near Lissa resp. Fraustadt, Bobelwitz (near Meseritz) and Kosten (Posener Country). The Thirty Years War and the Polish-Swedish War supported the reciprocal emigration of Polish and Silesian Protestants and Socinians. And the tolerance, too! Since 1655-1660 the emigration of Polish Socinians has extended - also to Silesia. Furthermore some basic principles of the Unitarism (Socinianism) and concepts of the Anabaptists in Silesia are described, the latter especially in their connection to the Socinians. Since 1526/27 Anabaptists - led by B. Hubmaier, O. Glaidt, S. Froschauer, A. Fischer, G. Ascherham a.o. - have settled in Breslau and in the areas around Glogau and Liegnitz. Approximately since 1538 no Anabaptists have been in Silesia anymore, they have affiliated to the Antitrinitarism in Poland since 1562. From the second half of the 16th to the first half of the 17th century many German Socinians went to Poland and operated there (e.g. V. Schmalz, J. Völkel, M. Ruar). Among the theorists, who worked in Silesia resp. who came from there, are counted J. Felbinger, M Scheffer (Schäfer), Th. Pisecki, A. Dudith, G. and D. Vechner, A. Wissowatius, Pater Matthias, S. Pistorius, G. Manlius, J. Licinius, M. Seidel, J. Pastorius von Hirtenberg and others. The connection between the Socinians and the Bohemian Brothers (J. A. Comenius) is mentioned, as a Cryptosocinianism at the "Akademisches Gymnasium" in Beuthen/Oder. In 1663 the Socinians held a synod in Kreuzberg.

Europe, Eastern↗
PubMed2004

Kanadier Mennonites: a case study examining research challenges among religious groups.

In this article, the authors address the research issues experienced in carrying out a study with the Kanadier Mennonites, members of the Anabaptist religious group who support a lifestyle that demonstrates separation from mainstream society. The authors provide a brief description of the Kanadiers along with the purpose of the research and a synopsis of the sample. They focus primarily on discussing the methodological challenges in approaching this group. In addition, they place emphasis on addressing the research questions in ways that are respectful and nonintrusive. They discuss the lessons learned from the study within the context of qualitative cross-cultural research.

Christianity↗
PubMed2003

Reduced incidence of hip fracture in the Old Order Amish.

UNLABELLED: The incidence of hip fracture was estimated in a community of Old Order Amish and compared with available data from non-Amish whites. Hip fracture rates were 40% lower in the Amish, and the Amish also experienced higher BMD. INTRODUCTION: Understanding the patterns of fracture risk across populations could reveal insights about bone health and lead to the earlier detection and prevention of osteoporosis. Toward this aim, we compared hip fracture incidence and bone mineral density (BMD) between an Old Order Amish (OOA) community, characterized by a rural and relatively active lifestyle, and non-Amish U.S. whites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All hospital admissions for hip fracture among OOA individuals in Lancaster County, PA, were identified between 1995 and 1998 from four area hospitals. Hip fracture incidence was calculated by cross-referencing an available Anabaptist genealogy database with communities located within these hospital service areas and compared with non-Amish whites obtained from National Hospital Discharge data. Additionally, BMD at the hip was compared between 287 Amish subjects and non-Amish whites from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III survey. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: OOA experienced 42% fewer hip fractures than would be expected had they experienced the same rate of hip fracture as observed in non-Amish whites (p < 0.01) and a higher mean BMD that was significant in women (p < 0.05) but not men. Further evaluation of lifestyle and/or genetic differences between Amish and non-Amish populations may shed insights into etiologic factors influencing hip fracture risk.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1989

Genetic analysis of HLA in the U.S. Schmiedenleut Hutterites.

The Hutterites are an Anabaptist population, highly inbred, with large family sizes and extensively documented pedigrees. As part of genetic-epidemiologic studies of the impact of HLA on fertility, HLA-A, -B, -C, -DR, and -DQ typing was performed on a total of 650 Schmiedenleut Hutterities in South Dakota. An extraordinary degree of homogeneity was found. HLA-A1, -A2, -A3, -A24, and -A26 accounted for 83%, HLA-B8, -B27, -B35, -B51, -Bw60, and -Bw62 for 75%, and HLA-DR1, -DR2, -DR3, and -DR4 for 66% of the antigens at the respective HLA-A, -B, and -DR loci. All Hutterites characterized for HLA were descendants of no more than 78 ancestors. However, family analysis identified only 45 unique HLA haplotypes thought to reflect the original gene pool. Eight haplotypes were particularly frequent, accounting for nearly 50% of all observed haplotypes; four of these were consistent with a European ancestry. Coefficients measuring linkage disequilibrium were computed from haplotypes identified by family analysis. Overall, HLA analysis portrayed the Schmiedenleut Hutterities as a homogeneous and unique population, with disequilibrium among particular alleles and a spectrum of common and uncommon European haplotypes.

Alleles↗
PubMed1980

Genetic variability of HLA in the Dariusleut Hutterites. A comparative genetic analysis of the Hutterities, the Amish, and other selected Caucasian populations.

There are three endogamous subdivisions of the Hutterite population, a North American religious isolate. These individuals live on communal farms, and residence is strictly patrilocal. We report on the distributions of HLA-A and B alleles and haplotypes in 203 married women from one subdivision--the Dariusleut--in Alberta, Canada. We demonstrate that there is significant linkage disequilbrium among a large fraction of the distinct haplotypes in the Dariusleut Hutterite data; there is a restriction in the number of distinct haplotypes present in the Dariusleut; the Hutterites and the Old Order Amish (Lancaster County, Pennsylvania) are the most genetically distant pair of populations in an ensemble of 11 Caucasian populations; and, finally, the Old Order Amish and the Hutterites are approximately as distant from the Indiana Amish as they are from the eight other Caucasian populations, which are tightly clustered in the space of gene frequencies. These results are consistent with the fact that the Amish and the Hutterites are genetic isolates with small numbers of founders. Certain haplotypes show significant linkage disequilibrium in these as well as in other Caucasian samples. Thus, some of the linkage disequilibrium antedates the formation of these Anabaptist sects.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Depression and aggression in Amish persons].

The Old Order Amish are a conservative, anabaptistic religious community of Swiss origin in the USA. They practise absolute pacifism and lead a life free of hostility and aggression. Depression, however, is as much as three times more frequent in Amish populations. In order to study the possible relationship between hostility and depression, we investigated 43 Amish people, using the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory. As expected, the total hostility score was significantly lower and the depression score significantly higher in comparison to the normal population. The positive correlation between the two scores (0.45; p < or = 0.002) indicates that the hypothesized reciprocal relationship between hostility and depression is unlikely in the Old Order Amish.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Can medicine move mountains?].

For the author involvement with Paracelsus demands consideration of both, socio-cultural as well as historico-cultural aspects. Each generation has obtained a different picture of this famous physician from Einsiedeln. Around 1941 the progress initiated by Paracelsus has been emphasized, such as the assumed foundation of chemistry, chemotherapy, and the renewal of surgery, occupational medicine, balneology and many more. For the year 1941 (= 400th anniversary of Paracelsus death) a nationalistic perception of Paracelsus was typical. For National-Socialistic Germany, Paracelsus was the founder of a "German medicine" as a contrast to medicine oriented towards France and Jewish-Arabia. Paracelsus also was seen as a pioneer of the experiment and as opponent of medical dilettantism in a popular direction. The perception of Paracelsus of 1993 is completely different. Today Theophrastus from Hohenheim is seen in a post-modern perspective, not as the man of progress, but as one, who opposed to the medicine of his age a partial ancient natural medicine, including the arts of gypsies, witches and midwives. The magic and psychosomatic informations of Paracelsus are seen as precious compensation for losses that we had to accept in the progress of modern medicine. As a psychiatrist Paracelsus was involved with diseases that originated from a "misuse of credo". He reports about collective psychoses, for example those appearing in the group of anabaptists in St. Gallen. Misuse of credo derives from intended provocation of martyrium. To move mountains with one's faith is another pathologic imagination. A therapy should aim at the restitution of such a "mountain" moved by the ill patient. Paracelsus demands the greatest mercy in dealing with mentally ill patients. This disease is also a challenge for theology: "What gives harm to the body destroys the house of the eternal".(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Culture↗