North America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

North America - Essay Example However, reading through some of the material left behind by actual European explorers and settlers such as De Vaca, Morton and Anne Bradstreet reveals a very different picture of how the Indian and white races compared. In his narrative, De Vaca describes arriving at an abundant land, full of a wide variety of tall trees, which would provide the necessary lumber for construction, as well as fertile fields and a number of game animals. This land is sparsely populated, with a brief mention of scattered houses. However, this impression is a deception as he moves inland and southward. The land becomes largely populated and relatively barren, causing many, including the Spaniards, to go hungry for many days at a time. According to De Vaca, the Indians all along the initial portion of his journey harassed his party continuously, killing some of the men while others began to fall sick with some mysterious illness. He is careful to include the information that this harassment is brought about because the Governor refuses to return one of the tribe’s women. After a harrowing sea voyage of escape, the men are cast ashore again and this time make friends with the Indians, who show them how to survive o n prickly pear cactus and permit the men to winter with the tribe. Life with this tribe depicts the Indians as a compassionate yet practical race. During times of hunger, everyone goes hungry. The protection of the race begins when the woman discovers she is pregnant as husbands will not have sex with them until the child is two years old. It is continued in De Vaca’s account with the suggestion that children are permitted to suckle until age 12, also as a means of survival in a land that requires strong bodies and offers little sustenance. While men may come and go from a relationship with a woman without children, once children are born,

Toxicant Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Toxicant - Research Paper Example With such a profile, one would expect that there would be no intake of the metal in humans. However, the metal that is a common pollutant in soil, water and air is exposed to humans through these agents as well as food and consumer products (Kacew & Lee, 2013). The greatest exposure occurs through breathing it in or swallowing. Exposure through the air is mainly as a result of motor vehicle exhaust resulting from the use of leaded gasoline (Who. int, 2014). The exhaust avails the lead in air, which is then taken into the body through breathing. Then there are the industrial sources such as lead manufacturing and recycling industries as well as smelters that result in the release of the metal into the air in the process of workings (National Research Council (U.S.), 2013). At home lead paints act as the main source of exposure through the air. The paint chips from the walls or movable objects, creating lead dust. Naturally, lead occurs in small amounts in source water. However, the use of lead plumbing materials has made the metal available in drinking water in large amounts. The pipes leach the metal slowly into the water. Depending on the temperature, acidity and standing time on the water, large concentrations of lead may result from the plumbing with the low detectability of the metal making it prone to consumption (Who.int, 2014). The high cost of removing the old piping propagates this method of exposure. However, the contamination and therefore exposure to lead through water may be the result of secondary pollution of water by industrial effluents (National Research Council (U.S.), 2013). Exposure through foods results from the consumption of foods handled using lead based containers. Lead cans and ceramics provide chippings that are consumed with the food. The presence of lead in the body may be detected by studying blood cells using a microscope for changes or using X-rays with the metal appearing as dense