Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „Cemetery 2100“

In a small rural cemetery not far from London, there is a modest grave, on which only the years of the life of the deceased — 1820–1910 — are inscribed, and the name is indicated — Florence Nightingale. Having received worldwide recognition even during her earthly existence, this heroic woman asked not to arrange a pompous funeral and not to make a cult from the place of her burial. A pioneer in organizing the nursing service, this aristocrat by birth walked through life with pride and dignity, fully devoting herself to the difficult task of providing medical care to all who needed it.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are important vectors of diverse pathogenic organisms, particularly arboviruses and protozoa. The immature stages of mosquitoes occur in a wide range of natural or human-made aquatic habitats. On this basis, some anthropogenic places such as cemeteries, usually serve as thrive and productive artificial-breeding habitats for mosquitoes. Despite being important foci for vector species, urban cemeteries are frequently overlooked in control and surveillance programs. This study evaluates the association of ecological variables and attributes (type of material, presence of flowers, water availability and height from the ground) of the breeding sites with the levels of infestation of mosquito immature stages. In 2017, an entire urban cemetery in Jarabacoa (Dominican Republic) was sampled at two different climatic periods (March: dry and August: rainy) for the characterization of the artificial breeding-sites, collection of immature stages of culicids and subsequent laboratory rearing for species identification. In total 968 containers were studied, containing 7 758 immature stages in 203 (21.0 %) water-filled containers which accounted for four species: Culex quinquefasciatus (50.5 %), Aedes aegypti (47.1 %), Aedes albopictus (1.9 %) and Culex nigripalpus (0.4 %). The mean of A. aegypti immatures in infested containers was roughly two times higher compared to C. quinquefasciatus and significantly lower compared to A. albopictus. The total Container Index (CI) was 20.9 %, and among the type of materials, those made from rock (cement, ceramic, and mud) and plastic had the highest CI = 25.9 % and 23.4 %, respectively. Almost 95 % of the total infested water-filled containers were made of plastic or rock. No association was found between the type of material of the containers and the density of mosquitoes. However, overall, greater densities of immature stages were found at ground than at higher levels. A weak positive correlation between water volume and density was found in some species of immature stages. Significantly higher number of C. quinquefasciatus were recorded in containers with flowers and large water volume. In contrast, A. aegypti immature stages were more frequent in containers without flowers. A weak negative association between water volume and infestations was found for A. albopictus immatures. As reflected of their opportunistic behaviour and broad ecological plasticity, Culex spp. and Aedes spp. mosquitoes were abundant pests in cemetery habitats where were able to breed in almost any kind of water-filled container regardless the type of material. However, our study showed that some ecological variables have critical impact for the development of the immature stages of some species. The health authorities and cemetery keepers can benefit from these results by focusing on the implementation of detailed plans and integrated strategies for the control and prevention of cemetery infestations by mosquitoes.

One aim of this essay is to conduct a thorough investigation into the origins of the objects inthe Victoria Museum, Gustavianum, collection VM 346–362 (the sequence expanded, later inthe project, also to include VM 346) and how they got there. This will be achieved byfollowing the paper trail back to the excavation in Egypt. The other is to describe how objectsfrom digs were spread between museums and different countries by W.M. Flinders Petrie.Questions have been raised about the perceived origins of the objects in the Gustavianumcollection VM 346–362. The collection has until recently been believed to be the funeraryobjects of the First Intermediate Period man Wadjet-hetep. In 1921 this collection was mostlikely bought by the Victoria Museum through Pehr Lugn, from W.M. Flinders Petrie, somemonths after Petrie and Brunton ended their excavation season of 1920/21 in Sedment, Egypt.However, the collection as a whole cannot be the funerary objects of Wadjet-hetep, since themajority of those are owned by and exhibited at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Denmark.The one confirmed belonging of Wadjet-hetep in the Gustavianum VM-collection is the innercoffin which has his name on it. The collective memory of the museum claims that fivewalking sticks, also currently in the VM-collection, were found with the mummy inside theinner coffin at the excavation site. Unfortunately, the museum archive is extensively damagedand contains nothing that can tell us about the collection's origins.By investigating external sources, Petrie and Brunton’s accounts of the excavation, as well asonline catalogues and archives, the VM collection can be backtracked to Sedment. The resultsconclude that the objects in the collection derive from different tombs and periods.

The purpose of this research has been to evaluate the potential contamination impact of cemeteries on groundwater. A comprehensive study of the groundwaters in the unsaturated and saturated zones of nine Australian cemeteries has been made, with most sampling between October 1996 and August 1998. Periodic sampling from 83 wells or ponds yielded 305 complete samples which were tested for at least 38 inorganic and 5 bacterial analytes. Other, partially complete samples were used for metals and bacterial analyses. The soils of all sites were tested for a range of analytes that might reflect or affect the presence of human decomposition products. The within-cemetery sampling has allowed inorganic chemical characterisation of cemetery groundwaters to an amount of detail not previously attained. In the past 100 years there have been fewer than 12 sampling-based studies published on any of these matters. The forms of nitrogen feature most prominently, but three groupings of analytes are recognised as major contributors, including Na, Mg, Sr, Cl, SO4 and forms of P; these outcomes are similar in each hydrogeological zone. This study is unique in that it has a broad focus on the environmental impacts in respect of bacterial presence and transmission, heavy metals and nutrients, and has put these into the context of cemetery management and operational practices. Cemetery functions are best understood conceptually as a special kind of landfill but they are strongly influenced by the temporal and spatial variability of cemetery practices. Human decomposition mechanisms and products are considered in detail. This information was used to model the impacts for a large municipal cemetery over a twenty year time-frame. The previously unquantified relationship of cemetery proximity to drinking water wells has been determined and guiding principles for cemetery location and operation have been prepared including separation distances from watertables and specification of buffer zones in different hydrogeological settings. The related issue of the disposition of cremated remains is also considered and guidelines developed for scattering of these within buffer zones. The amounts of decomposition products leaving cemeteries are very small, and well sited and managed cemeteries have a low impact on the environment. Cemeteries should not be regarded as a detrimental landuse and the in-soil interment of human remains and re-use of graves are sustainable activities. However, almost all cemeteries have some potential for pollution. The most serious situation is the escape of pathogenic bacteria or viruses into the environment at large. The answer to the question as to ‘whether any one cemetery pollutes?’ depends on the location and operation of the site in adherence to the affecting parameters. The question can only be resolved by a comprehensive geoscientific investigation with a focus on the hydrogeological setting. Such assessment needs to consider the effects if the practices and/or usage patterns within the cemetery change, or if there are unaccounted changes in impacting natural phenomena like floods.