What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?
NA
Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.
NA
Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?
NA
Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?
NA
If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?
NA
Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?
NA
Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?
NA
Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?
NA
Other Comments:
This is an opinion piece that deals with the thoughts and feelings that are provoked in a scientist from a great living civilization (India) - which managed to survive colonization- when he finds himself at a conference in the land of another ancient people (the Mayan) - whose astronomical and mathematical skills provoke wonder- but whose civilization received its final death blow by the arrival of European colonists whose greed and bigotry were incapable of appreciating anything beyond their own limited culture's myopia. It helps European/Americans remember that science and math were not invented in the West or simply brought to the world from the West, but were practiced by many great cultures, most of whom suffered severe cultural degradation under foreign rule.
Competing interests: No
Invited by the author to review this article? : Yes
Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?: No
References:
None
Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:
I write on global vaccine policy and how it positively and negatively impacts developing countries - something that has relevance to the subject of the article.
How to cite: Muraskin W .Reflections on the Effects of European Imperialism[Review of the article 'Merchants and Mercenaries: The Lost Maya Civilization ' by Puliyel J].WebmedCentral 2012;3(12):WMCRW002415
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
This is an opinion piece that deals with the thoughts and feelings that are provoked in a scientist from a great living civilization (India) - which managed to survive colonization- when he finds himself at a conference in the land of another ancient people (the Mayan) - whose astronomical and mathematical skills provoke wonder- but whose civilization received its final death blow by the arrival of European colonists whose greed and bigotry were incapable of appreciating anything beyond their own limited culture's myopia. It helps European/Americans remember that science and math were not invented in the West or simply brought to the world from the West, but were practiced by many great cultures, most of whom suffered severe cultural degradation under foreign rule.
No
Yes
No
None
I write on global vaccine policy and how it positively and negatively impacts developing countries - something that has relevance to the subject of the article.