Screening Plants at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

Garden trees; Hedges; Shrubs for year-round interest; Rhododendrons; Climbing and screening plants; Clematis; Colorful perennials; Annuals and biennials; Bedding plants; Fuchsias; Bulbs; Rock-garden plants. Climate, more than any other factor, determines the success or failure of the gardener. A garden requires adequate sunshine and rainfall if plants are to thrive in it, but it also needs protection against extremes of weather.

Similarly, during the past two years ecdysone-like compounds (phytoecdysones) were discovered in certain ferns, evergreen trees, and other higher plants. An extensive screening program was being carried out in Japan, and the number of known phytoecdysones was certain to increase. Several related synthetic compounds had also been produced. It was suggested that the phytoecdysones could protect plants from attack by insects and nematodes (parasitic worms). Penetration of the insect on contact is possible and the result could be metamorphosis at the wrong season or death during development. Either effect could decrease the population or possibly eliminate the species.

At the same time, the health-screening concept emphasizes serious problems associated with the development of technology. Will the use of a center damage the important doctor-patient relationship, in which so much of the diagnosis is accomplished by the doctor's observation of the patient's reactions to particular lines of questioning? Of perhaps even greater importance is the question of the proper extent of the functions of a health-screening center. Should examinations be restricted to the detection of those diseases and difficulties that can be treated effectively only if detected early or should tests for many other types of diseases be included?