The debate over the relative importance of nature and nurture, of heredity and environment, is centuries old. If undesirable traits are determined by heredity, there is not much anyone can do to improve human health or performance. Nowadays, most scientists avoid the debate. They say instead that heredity determines potential capacities, and it sets limits. A child who is born retarded can not grow up to be a Nobel prize winner. But scientists emphasize that both heredity and environment are important and that how a person turns out depends on a complex interaction between the two. An analogy may make the point clearer. It takes moisture and cold to make snow; you can not say that the moisture has twice as much influence as the cold in producing the snow, or half, because both elements are essential.
Category: Blog Reading & Sharing
Hospice – Eligibility (Reading & Sharing)
Hospice is an all-encompassing service available for patients with a prognosis under 6 months. Under the Medicare hospice benefit, patients eligible for hospice are greater than 65 years or receiving Medicare disability payments. At the start of care, two physicians must sign a statement certifying that the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less based on their best estimate of the patient’s medical prognosis. While hospice benefit was originally designed for Medicare recipients, most insurance providers cover hospice care for patients not eligible for Medicare. But hospice eligibility depends on more than only a physician determining a prognosis of six months or less until death.
Continue reading “Hospice – Eligibility (Reading & Sharing)”Mother! That Precious Name!
Mother! That precious name,
Forever more the same,
Earth’s greatest word.
Though ages past have flown,
No sound was ever known,
Like that dear name alone,
Or ever heard.
Continue reading “Mother! That Precious Name!”Ten Most Impressive Word
Wilfred Funk, a noted lexicographer and dictionary publisher, suggests that the ten most impressive words in the English language. Note their illustrative value:
“Alone” – the bitterest word
“Mother” – the most revered word
Continue reading “Ten Most Impressive Word”Mother
Too tired to sleep, in bed I lay,
I’d think how nice when, children grown,
My time again should be my own.
Continue reading “Mother”