This spring, only two of the fifty tulip bulbs I planted sent leaves out of the sod; but I have noticed tulips elsewhere.  Perhaps the most remarkable have been those in glass planters, with roots, stems, leaves, and blossoms fully visible.  The tulip in this picture was in a glass container on a London restaurant table in December:  out of season, but lovely, nonetheless.

The term, in vitro, from the Latin means “in glass,” signifying an artificial environment.  In vitro fertilization has been a fact of the cultural landscape since 1978.  We have become accustomed to hearing about  “ivf ...read more

Melanie Unruh, R.N., B.S.N.

Intern, Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture

February 2008

As the month of love rolls in, we are inundated with stories of romance on television, in the news, and even in forwarded e-mails. Among the stranger stories are those like the December report of British twins who unwittingly married each other. Such stories have been the basis of ancient literature as in the legends of King Arthur, or in the current cultural icon of the soap opera. While this story is based on a single reference lacking in detail, its introduction in a debate in the British House of ...read more