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From: kim@analog.UUCP (Kim Helliwell          )
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Space Is Clean
Message-ID: <192@analog.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Nov-85 10:55:24 EST
Article-I.D.: analog.192
Posted: Wed Nov  6 10:55:24 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Nov-85 06:39:31 EST
References: <1361@mtgzz.UUCP>
Organization: Analog Design Tools, Menlo Park, CA.
Lines: 50

> 
>                         Space Is Clean
>                  An article by Mark R. Leeper
> 
SUMMARY: Discussion of why we are disgusted by certain substances instinctively
because of their connection with living matter.
> 
> 					Mark R. Leeper
> 					...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper

Apropos of the discussion on dirty diapers and dog messes being disgusting
because of their connection to living matter, I just recently finished 
reading a book on this very topic, which might be of interest to some.
The book is entitle "Life on Man", by Theodor Rosebury.  Don't rush down
to your local bookstore to look for it, though--it was published in the
1960's, and I found it in a used bookstore.  I expect you could find it
in a library, though.

One premise of the book is basically that it is NOT instinctive to fear
or be disgusted at bodily excretions--primitive man (and children today, for
that matter) were fascinated by their excreta, and such substances even
formed a part of their "magic"--which, ultimately, is what brought on
a patina of the forbidden about the substances.  The disgust at such
things predates the discovery of microbes, but the scientific discoveries
provide further impetus to the already developed disgust, until today
we (in the "civilized" countries) are fastidious to ridiculous extremes,
imagining that we can, for example, wash off our "germs", and that
sterilizing ourselves (that is, ridding ourselves of all microbes) is
a desirable goal.  The advertisers are a prime mover in bringing
across this concept, of course.

Rosebury mention some cultures and tribes which are well known to have
customs which would disgust the average citizen of the US, but which
in fact have survived longer than our culture and probably would survive
us if we don't nuke them into non-existence.  What about the Hindus and
their "five substances" which they must eat--blood, sweat, urine, dung, and
?? (can't remember the fifth).

Whatever the truth about Rosebury's theory of how the disgust developed,
I think he is right that it is learned behavior, not instinctive.  All 
you have to do to realize that is raise a couple of children!

Anyway, if you can find it, it is a fascinating book, and well worth the
effort to find.  I am aware of the tenuous connection this has to
SF, but my guess is that the sf-lovers are the ones which are most
likely to enjoy this book, and, having read it, I could not let
Mark's comments go unanswered.

Kim Helliwell
hplabs!analog!kim