Daughters of Promise January/February 2016 | Page 7

a NOTE from
the EDITOR
An old saying goes, You can’t know where you’re going if you
don’t know where you’ve been. The older I get, the more I find
this to be true. Understanding where we come from is an
important part of knowing who we are and where we’re headed.
Examining our roots brings clarity to the present moment, and
it is for that reason that this issue of DOP was created around
the concept of “origins”. I am so excited to introduce it to you!

levied to stop the resurrectionists and prevent such disrespect
for the dead. However, medical students still needed to study
the human body, and the solution was a Europe-wide law
mandating that the bodies of anyone who died in the poorhouse
would be turned over to anatomists. This created a standarized
practice of study for medical students, and it is estimated that
by the turn of the century, 99% of bodies used in medical study
came from poorhouses.

A few months ago I had the opportunity to visit the Mississippi
Headwaters in Minnesota. As I stood at the edge of the small,
unassuming pool of water that marks the start of this magnificent
river, I was overwhelmed with awe. That a waterway 2,320 miles
long could begin from something so small - a little trickle of
water - is incredible to me. It was humbling and inspiring to
be reminded that this is how life works too. Small beginnings
can produce huge results. It is so important, then, that we begin
well, with sure foundations, and roots that go deep.

What does this have to do with SIDS babies? There’s something
you need to now about life in the poorhouse. It was horrible.
individuals who ]