Bolivian Amazon Basin Research Articles

Missions jésuites au 18e siècle en Amazonie actuellement bolivienne (cinquième article): Arbres, fruits, plantes et mammifères. Transcription et traduction par Joseph Laure

This article is a transcript and French translation of the two first chapters (1 and 2) of Book 2 of the Latin manuscript by the Jesuit F. X. Eder on the missions or reductions in the Amerindian nations of the Moxos and Baures. It is the continuation of the four first articles on the Jesuit missions in the now Bolivian Amazon basin in the 18th century, entitled: 1. Lima, Peru, and their inhabitants in the 18th century. 2. Jesuit missions in the now Bolivian Amazon basin in the 18th century. 3. Quality of the soil and description of the Indians. 4. Constructive works, believes and superstitions of the Indians, and how to convince them of joining a reduction.

François-XavierEder:Missions jésuites au 18esiècle en Amazonie actuellement bolivienne (quatrième article): Ouvrages d'art, croyances et superstitions des Indiens, et comment les attirer dans les réductions.

This article is a transcript and French translation of the last chapters (9 to 12) of Book 1 of the Latin manuscript by the Jesuit F. X. Eder on the missions or reductions in the Amerindian nations of the Moxos and Baures. It is the continuation of the three first articles on the Jesuit missions in the now Bolivian Amazon basin in the 18th century, entitled:1. Lima, Peru, and their inhabitants in the 18th century.2. Jesuit missions in the now Bolivian Amazon basin in the 18th century. 3. Quality of the soil and description of the Indians.

François-XavierEder: Missions jésuites au 18esiècle en Amazonie actuellement bolivienne (troisième article): Fertilité de la terre et description des Indiens. Transcription et traduction par JosephLaure

This article is a transcript and French translation of the chapters 6 to 8 of Book 1 of the Latin manuscript by the Jesuit F. X. Eder on the missions or reductions in the Amerindian nations of the Moxos and Baures. It is the continuation of the two first articles entitled Lima, Peru, and their inhabitants in the 18th century and Jesuit missions in the now Bolivian Amazon basin in the 18th century.

Experience with New World cutaneous leishmaniasis in travelers

In recent years, New World cutaneous leishmaniasis has been seen at a higher incidence among returning Israeli travelers. Leishmania braziliensis and related species cause unsightly cutaneous lesions possibly complicated with a mucosal disease. A total of 12 patients with New World cutaneous leishmaniasis were treated in our clinic, 11 of whom (92%) acquired the disease in the Bolivian Amazon Basin. Five (42%) had regional lymphadenopathy in addition to cutaneous lesions. Polymerase chain reaction was performed for 8 patients to identify the causative Leishmania species. In all, 9 patients (75%) were cured by a single course, and 3 (25%) after an additional course of intravenous sodium stibogluconate. The treatment was well tolerated clinically. Laboratory abnormalities, mainly elevation of liver enzymes (58%), were reversible. We concluded that polymerase chain reaction is a useful tool in establishing the species diagnosis of leishmaniasis and that sodium stibogluconate appears to be a safe and effective treatment for L braziliensis infection.

François-Xavier Eder: Lima, le Pérou et leurs Habitants au 18e siècle

This is a transcript and its French translation of the first part of the Latin manuscript by the Jesuit F.-X. Eder about the missions or reductions in the 18th century in the now Bolivian Amazon basin. This article concerns the part Preliminary information about the Kingdom of Peru. With his personal experience and critical view Eder presents Lima in the 18th century, its inhabitants (Indians, Blacks and Spaniards), people's qualities and weaknesses, their lives and problems. Then he speaks about the mines where the Indians are exploited, one of the main reasons for thedecrease in population, about the agriculture and the slavery of the Blacks, about the means of communication and trade, about history and architecture, and about the relations with Spain and the Spaniards. He foresees the struggle for the independence of the colonies in America. Finally he broadens his discussion to the other Spanish colonies and to Brazil, the Portuguese colony, that borders on the Jesuit missions.

Mercury distribution in waters and fishes of the upper Madeira rivers and mercury exposure in riparian Amazonian populations

In this paper, the results of mercury concentrations in two abiotic compartments (river water and suspended particles) and two biotic compartments (fish and human hair) from the upper Madeira rivers of the Bolivian Amazon basin are presented. Because of the local hydrological regimes and a high deposition rate in the plain, due to the presence of a subsidence zone at the bottom of the Andean piedmont, in the dry season, the highest mercury concentrations and fluxes were not found in rivers where mining activities took place (2.25–6.99 ng l −1; and 1.07–8.67 mg Hg d −1 km −2), but at the outlet of the Andean basins exploited for their alluvial gold (7.22–8.22 ng l −1; and 9.47–9.52 mg Hg d −1 km −2). The total mercury concentrations measured in surface waters of the upper Beni basin varied during the dry season, from 2.24 to 2.57 ng l −1 in the glacial waters of the Zongo river, to 7.00 ng l −1 in the Madeira River at Porto Velho and 9.49–10.86 ng l −1 at its confluence with the Amazon. The results obtained from fish indicate, on one hand, that 86% of the piscivorous fishes collected in the Beni river were contaminated, and, on the other hand, their high mercury concentrations could exceed by almost four times the WHO (1976) safety limit. In the Beni River, the mercury concentrations found in omnivorous and mud-feeding fish ranged from 0.02 to 0.19 μg g −1 (wet wt.), and in piscivorous fish, from 0.33 to 2.30 μg Hg g −1 (wet wt.). The mercury accumulated by carnivorous fishes was mainly present in its organic form; methylmercury represented 73–98% of the total mercury analysed. Eighty persons were studied in the entire Bolivian Amazonian basin. Unlike the gold miners, who are more affected by tropical diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever, the indigenous people living on the banks of the Beni river, present elevated levels of mercury (9.81 μg g −1 on average). We observed an increase in contamination in young children still being breast-fed, confirming that hair mercury concentration in babies was significantly affected by maternal mercury contamination during pregnancy. These results show that the major health impacts caused by mercury affect people who are not working directly in gold mining activities but who have a regular fish diet.