The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7253 p838
14 June 2003

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Blanket of the dark [more]
Coffee and conservation [more]
Making a habit [more]

Blanket of the dark

It is difficult in these days to find, in developed countries at least, an oasis of darkness, an atmosphere such as Coleridge found in the valley of Chamonix in 1809: "O struggling with the darkness all the night / and visited all night by troops of stars." Indeed, there are now few places in our islands where we can experience what Lady Macbeth referred to as "the blanket of the dark", unless we wander far from the city and the major roads. This is a great loss.

I can remember living in a remote village whence you could see, it is true, a distant glow in the clouds reflecting a centre of population, but could walk for miles marvelling at the Plough, Orion, Cassiopeia, the Milky Way and other illuminations. It was always a great joy to walk through the darkened fields on Christmas Eve to a church service, in the company of a spouse and a host of stars, which were guaranteed to induce a marvellous sense of peace.

To our distant ancestors the rising and setting of prominent stars marked the time of year when crops might best be sown or reaped, or when floods or droughts should be feared. Such connections probably date back to prehistoric times. In ancient Babylon there was a tradition of astronomical observations certainly dating to before the 8th century BC. The phases of the moon were carefully noted as a guide to coming weather changes. In their turn the ancient Greeks developed a veritable science of celestial phenomena. At the same time the pseudoscience of astrology, which interpreted celestial signs as portents of personal or social upsets, made much headway. The cult of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna, is supposed to have arisen among the Sabines, the forerunners of the Romans, and the strange notion that lunar phases influenced human behaviour emerged and has persisted into our own times.

But today we flood our lands with such abundance of light, useful or otherwise, that the precious blanket of the dark eludes most of us. Moreover, the Council for the Protection of Rural England expresses fears that not only we, but much of our valued wildlife, may suffer from the continual glare of supermarket all-night parking areas and laser displays from entertainment areas that pollute our nights. For whether we detest it or ignore it our lighting habits amount to pollution, and afford one more sad example of the vast arrogance of the human race in assuming that we can do as we wish, regardless of what repercussions our conduct may have on the rest of the universe on which, in the last resort, we must all depend for our sanity and wellbeing.

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Coffee and conservation

An alarming situation has been outlined in a commentary published in Science for 25 April. The enormous consumption of coffee in western cultures threatens forests in Indonesia and Vietnam and their native fauna, particularly large mammals. Americans and Europeans consume more and more coffee, averaging 4.2kg per head per year in 2001. The result has been that exports of coffee from developing countries are second only to those of oil. More than 25 million people in more than 60 countries, primarily Brazil, Columbia and Indonesia, are employed in coffee production.

Although regulation limited exports until 1989, international agreements expired and coffee production in Indonesia and Vietnam accelerated in the 1990s while consumption remained stable. Prices fell as a result. Millions of farmers were displaced as other crops replaced coffee. Traditionally a tree canopy was maintained for coffee farms, but when conversion occurred forest cover and its associated organisms was lost.

Despite the loss of purchasing power by farmers, Indonesia, unlike Vietnam, planned to expand production of Coffea robusta, much of it adjacent to or inside a national park containing Sumatran tigers, elephants and rhinoceroses. More than 28 per cent of forest in the park has been lost since 1985, and increasing production poses a further threat. The fragmentation of forest ruins important habitats.

It is claimed that the power of the International Coffee Organisation should be strengthened by action on the part of the United States and coffee quality be improved to alleviate pressure on remaining forests and to improve livelihoods in the growing regions. Acreage could be reduced, and quality of product improved, while boosting market prices. Coffee should not be cultivated in national wildlife parks, but conservation objectives pursued.

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Making a habit

The word habit covers a vast expanse of meanings. Its dictionary definition and primary sense is "A settled tendency or practice." Yet it applies also to modes and articles of clothing. A habit may be meaningful or meaningless, it may reflect a mental or psychological condition, it may express itself in customs and ceremonies, routines and rituals. In extreme instances it may become intensified into a compulsion or obsession.

"Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny", wrote Charles Read in the 19th century. William Wordsworth in 1822 was dismissive of habit. "Not choice, but habit, rules the unreflecting herd", he commented, suggesting that there is something automatic in habit that overrides intelligence. Indeed, we perform many of our daily routine functions habitually, without giving thought to the operation. This is perhaps a good thing for us, that we do not have to spend too much time working out whether we turned off the tap or switched off the light when retiring for sleep. Those who are obsessed by doubts over such routines suffer considerably, and experience a compulsion to go and check.

Inevitably, we are forced to some extent to become the slaves of habit. Some kind of timetable is necessary to carry out our daily work and co-operate with others. Our circadian rhythms drive us to some routines. Yet we must beware of the tendency to deprive ourselves of precious choice and liberty by becoming slaves to habits that are inessential. Some people grow almost frantic if something arises to prevent their seeing or hearing some broadcast programme or having a meal at a certain hour.

When it comes to managing drug regimes, special perils come into sight. For anyone who has to carry out a planned therapeutic programme the timing of doses can be important. When there is a question of the misuse or abuse of drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, then the drug itself can dictate times when participation in perpetuation of the habit is due.

Unfortunately, another habit has arisen in modern society, whereby both parents of a child feel it necessary to spend the day at work supporting the family financially. Parental guidance of a child from early years is essential if its future is to be assured. No school teacher can reasonably be expected to compensate for the shortcomings of a parent in respect of cultivating good habits.

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