All the biographical accounts of David Steuart Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan, are slight, and often very unsympathetic. Most have relied for factual information on his obituary, published in volume 99 of The Gentleman's Magazine. Malicious and distorted comments, particularly by Sir Walter Scott, have been responsible for the growth of a legend about Buchan's eccentricity, although the charge of absurd conduct was lodged against him in his own lifetime. It is interesting to note that a tradesman in Galashiels, near Buchan's former residence at Dryburgh Abbey, was found to talk about Buchan's patriotism, but at much greater length about his oddities, as recently as 1962. Those who could have given posterity a fair assessment of Buchan did not do so, and the way was left open for those who saw him only as vain and self-seeking. He was unlucky in living in the neighbourhood of Scott's house, Abbotsford, and because of this he has never had his due, even in the Border Country where he spent almost half his life. The cult of Scott flourishes there, but to Buchan there is no memorial. Whereas Abbotsford is much sought after, and is still in the possession of Scott's descendants, Dryburgh Abbey passed from Buchan's family and was given to the nation. Scott would probably have been amused had he known that the time would come when visitors to the Abbey would seek out his grave whilst that of Buchan goes unnoticed.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Introduction From the postmodern ethical perspective [the postmodernist would say Jrom the ethical perspective], there is something suspicious and inherently unethical in a system of ethics supported by a comprehensive, cohesive and universal metanarrative, a set of fixed and unbending ethical rules and laws, without the ready possibility of revision [Cilliers, 1998, pp.114, 137-140; Cilliers, 2001, p. 3; Cilliers, 1995, p.125]. Based on the ideas of especially Winkler [1993, pp. 343-365] I have concluded that contemporary mainstream biomedical ethics, represented and directed by the work of Beauchamp and Childress [1994] are caught in such a crush. The primary objective of this assignment is to evaluate the 'principles' of biomedical ethics [respect Jar autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice] which were developed in their water-shed publication [Principles of Biomedical Ethics, Oxford University Press, first published in 1979, and now in a fifth edition, 2002] against a background of postmodern ethics. Methodology and conclusions I have argued that Beauchamp and Childress' conception of principlism is a contextual legalistic-philosophical response to the contemporary American situation, developed primarily from legal decisions [often litigation]. It may be regarded as acceptable practice guidelines, but represents a system of ethics without morality. I have given a concise rendering of Winkler's notion of context-based bioethics with the criticism that this also does not guarantee morality. Following that, there is a description of postmodern society in terms of complexity theory. I have indicated how the characteristics of complexity can be developed and applied contextually in bioethics. The postmodern moral society is the locus where morality develops in a non-controllable agonistic interactive process within which the postmodern moral agent unintentionally finds himself. The postmodern ethical position is not an unethical, come-as-you-may anything-goes position; it simply is not predictable, controllable, universal, rational [in a Kantian context] and eternal. Modernity, it can be argued exhibits a far greater degree of relativism. The postmodern ethical position represents a return to morality in ethics, morality of a very personal, face-to-face responsibility from which we as participants of society cannot hide. From a postmodern ethical perspective, an analysis of principlism and its underlying principles exhibits the characteristics of modernity: eternal moral rules which as such cannot be presented as morality. I have acknowleged Beauchamp and Childress' attempts at adding morality to their conception [in the 4th edition] by means of employing character ethics. They have nevertheless not made any radical changes in the format of their presentation and maintain the central and primary role of principles. I have also argued the limitations of the postmodern approach in terms of enclaves of strictly controlled modernity and artificial witholding of information in medicine which limit the free flow of information essential to the postmodern approach. My conception of complexity and the postmodern approach do not pretend to be a panacea for biomedical ethics. It attempts to redefine the meaning of morality in bioethics and questions the unbridled application of this conception of principIism. Finally I have discussed the burning issue of justice in the practice of medicine from the postmodern perspective. Do I as a person have a right to health care; what are the moral issues of dealing with 'life's lotteries'; what is the state's responsibility in health care, and: what are my personal responsibilities in health care? In contradistinction to libertarian concepts, the postmodern approach clearly argues in favour of the acceptance by the state of its role in health care [a responsibility abrogated in many societies, none more so than contemporary South-African society]. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Inleiding Daar IS uit die perspektief van die postmoderne etiese standpunt [die postmodernis sou sê, uit die etiese perspektiej], iets verdags, iets inherent oneties aan 'n sisteem van etiek wat 'n enkele goed omskrewe, kohese en omvattende universele metanarratief voorhou, 'n stel vaste en onbuigsame etiese reëls en wette voorskryf en afdwing sonder om konteks en gevolge te oorweeg, en sonder die geredelike moontlikheid van revisie [Cilliers, 1998, pp.114, 137-140; Cilliers, 2001, p. 3; Cilliers, 1995, p.125]. Dit is, n.a.v. die denke van veral Winkler [1993, pp. 343-365] my oortuiging dat die hoofstroom-denke in biomediese etiek in so 'n drukgang vasgevang is, en verteenwoordig word en gerig is deur die denke van Beauchamp en Childress [1994]. Hierdie werkstuk gaan in hoofsaak daarom om Beauchamp en Childress se toepassing van die beginsels van biomediese etiek soos sedert 1979 in hul waterskeidingsboek 'Principles of Biomedical Ethics' [Vierde uitgawe, Oxford University Press, 1994; daar is nou ook 'n vyfde, 2002] uiteengesit, ontwikkel, bespreek en gepropageer [respek vir outonomie, weldadigheid, non-kwaadwilligheid en geregtigheid] teen die agtergrond van 'n postmoderne etiese beskouing te evalueer. Metodologie en gevolgtrekkings Ek het in hierdie werkstuk aangetoon dat Beauchamp en Childress se weergawe van prinsiplisme 'n kontekstuele wetlik-filosofiese reaksie op die kontemporêre Amerikaanse situasie is, hoofsaaklik uit regsaksie [dikwels litigasie] voortvloei, as goeie praktyksriglyne beredeneer kan word maar etiek sonder moraliteit verteenwoordig. Ek het 'n kort uiteensetting van Winkler se weergawe van 'n konteks-gebaseerde benadering gegee, maar aangetoon dat ook dit nie moraliteit waarborg nie. Daarop het ek 'n beskrywing van die postmoderne samelewing n.a.v. kompleksiteitsteorie gegee, en aangetoon hoe die eienskappe van kompleksiteit kontekstueelontwikkel kan word om in bioetiek toegepas te word. Die postmoderne gepostuleerde morele gemeenskap is die lokus waar moraliteit ontstaan deur 'n onbeheerbare agonistiese proses van interaktiewe wisselwerking waarby die postmoderne morele agent homself onwillekeurig betrokke vind. Die postmoderne etiese posisie is nie onetiese, lukraak, doen-soos-jy-wil relativisme nie; dit is bloot nie 'n voorspelbare, ewige, beheerbare, universele en [Kantiaans-] rasionele sisteem nie; moderniteit is [was?] in effek veel meer relativisties. Die postmoderne etiese standpunt verteenwoordig in my interpretasie 'n terugkeer tot moraliteit in etiek, moraliteit van 'n persoonlike, ingrypende, verantwoordelike aangesigtot- aangesig aard waaraan ons nie kan ontkom nie. Vanuit 'n postmoderne etiese perspektief het ek 'n analise van prinsiplisme en die individuele beginsels gemaak, en aangetoon dat hulle die eienskappe van die 'ewige morele reëls' van moderniteit openbaar en nie sonder meer as morele beredenering voorgehou kan word nie. Ek het erkenning gegee aan Beauchamp en Childress se eie pogings om dit te besweer deur karakteretiek as 'n essensiële tot hul formule toe te voeg, maar die kritiek uitgespreek dat hulle desnieteenstaande hierdie belangrike erkenning, nie bereid is om die formaat van hul aanbieding [ook in die jongste vyfde uitgawe, 2002] radikaal te wysig nie. Hulle oorbeklemtoon die beginsels steeds as sentraal en primêr. Terselfdertyd het ek die beperkings van die postmoderne benadering uitgelig, veral in terme van enklawes van streng-beheerde moderniteit in geneeskunde en 'n kunsmatige weerhouding van die vrye vloei van informasie wat kompleksiteit en die postmoderne situasie kenmerk. My konsepsie hou nie kompleksiteit en 'n postmoderne benadering voor as 'n panakeia vir biomediese etiek nie; dit dien eerder om die betekenis van moraliteit in bioetiek te herdefinieer en die kontemporêre algemene en ongekwalifseerde toepassing van hierdie weergawe van prinsiplisme te bevraagteken. Laastens het ek die brandende vraag van geregtigheid in die praktyk van geneeskunde vanuit 'n postmoderne perspektief bespreek, veral of ek as persoon kan aanspraak maak op 'n reg tot gesondheidsorg, die morele implikasies van 'life's lotteries', die staat se verantwoordelikheid in gesondheidsorg en les bes, persoonlike verantwoordelikheid in gesondheidsorg. Dit is duidelik dat 'n postmoderne benadering tot bioetiek, in teenstelling met libertêre konsepsies, die staat se rol in gesondheidsorg onderskryf ['n rol wat die staat byna universeel, en veral in Suid-Afrika, verwaarloos].

This thesis examines and re-evaluates the political career and reputation of James Stewart, Earl of Moray, who acted as Regent of Scotland for the young King James VI from 1567-1570, after the deposition of Mary, Queen of Scots. Drawing upon a rich and varied body of evidence located in both the English and Scottish archives of state papers, together with contemporary propaganda, memoirs and histories, this work constructs a much needed political narrative of the period, investigating the often highly complex politics which lay behind the outbreak and the initial stages of the Marian Civil War. It questions Maurice Lee's image of Moray as the 'gude regent', an image which was first present in Buchanan's History, and which depicts Moray as a highly successful regent, and an altruistic Protestant reformer. Dispelling Lee's view of Moray as a 'reluctant regent', it shows instead that the Earl was determined to gain, and then maintain, his position of power. It incorporates a discussion of the constitutionality of the actual regency itself, together with the theories of election which were drawn up to justify both it and the deposition of a monarch. In addition, the thesis sheds light upon the dynamics of Scottish political alignment during the period, emphasising the great fluidity which was to be found, and showing how issues of internal government, and attitudes towards England, affected men's allegiances as much as, if not more than, the ostensible issue of monarchy itself. This study also builds upon recent work by Tudor historians such as John Guy and Stephen Alford, and sets Moray's regency within an Anglo-Scottish context, demonstrating the importance of the interconnections between events in England, such as the Norfolk plot, and Scottish politics. It investigates the English attitudes towards Mary, and towards the two rival parties within Scotland, taking into account the sometimes conflicting objectives of Elizabeth I and her leading ministers, such as William Cecil, yet showing how they consistently sought to gain dominance over Scotland. Moray's regency was cut short by his assassination, and this thesis concludes by considering both his murder and its aftermath. It explores how his death impacted upon the political situation, together with the way in which his reputation was shaped in the immediate period after his death. Finally, it investigates the opportunity that both Moray's assassination and the Northern Rising of late 1569 had given England to intervene in Scottish affairs, and further pursue policies to that country's own advantage.

Dans les romans et nouvelles d’Earl Lovelace, l'île de Trinidad se trouve aux confluents de systèmes antagonistes, branlés par la récente décolonisation. Les forces civiles et religieuses, piliers de l’organisation sociétale, ne peuvent échapper aux dynamiques de transmutation et d’adaptation. Ainsi, dans un contexte de sécularisation et de politisation croissante, le religieux se voit obligé d’écarter toute tendance autarcique, s’il veut triompher de la tentative d’annexion par le politique. Un conflit, dont l’enjeu n’est autre que la survie de l’individu, est dès lors engagé. Cette thèse se propose d’explorer les relations de rivalité et d’usurpation entre pouvoirs civils et religieux de même que l’issue du dépassement de cette dichotomie au sein de la Caraïbe lovelacienne. En d’autres termes, le politique dans la fiction de Lovelace détruit-il le religieux ou fait-il corps avec lui afin que s’opère le passage d’une politique condamnable à une foi praxis de libération ? / In his novels and short stories, Earl Lovelace describes the island of Trinidad as caught in the ebb and flow of two antagonistic systems of thought, both shattered in the event of a sudden decolonisation. Religion and politics, the corner stones of social architecture, have no choice but to undergo changes in view of adaptation. Facing a background of secularisation and growing political consciousness, religion is compelled to lay aside its selfsufficiency to avoid being overthrown by the body politics. As a consequence, a struggle, in which the survival of individuals is at stake, ensues. This thesis offers to explore the rivalries between the religious and political bodies as well as the ability of Lovelace’s fictional Caribbean to overcome this dichotomy. In other words, in Lovelace’s work does polity annihilate religion or act in accordance with it to achieve a move from unworthy politics to a faith aiming at liberation?

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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising approach used in the treatment of cancer, age related macular degeneration, psoriasis, and other diseases. Our research is focused on the discovery of new photonucleases for use in PDT. This study evaluates the photo-induced DNA cleaving abilities of a series of acridine and phenazine-based chromophores. The extended, aromatic ring systems of these compounds are expected to intercalate between adjoining base pairs in the DNA double-helix. Once irradiated, strand breakage, or nicking of plasmid DNA is achieved at micromolar concentrations of compound (pH 7.0 and 22 °C). Our scavenger experiments show that this process occurs as a result of direct electron transfer to oxygen and/or by means of energy transfer which results in the production of singlet oxygen. Three of the photonucleases being examined were designed to chelate metal. These exhibited increased levels of DNA photocleavage in the presence of copper(II).

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