Two Films And A Femur May 23, 2021 Watch Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles on Amazon. “You don’t have to be Jewish,” it’s universal — and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Also 98% on RT: In the Heights, in theaters June 11. Lin-Manuel Miranda shows up in the former and wrote the latter. Immigrants — they get the job done! Ira Byock (thanks, Jim!): A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, “What is the earliest sign of civilization?” The student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon. Margaret Mead thought for a moment, then she said, “A healed femur.” A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. In societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person, did their hunting and gathering, stayed with them, and offered physical protection and human companionship until the injury could mend. Mead explained that where the law of the jungle—the survival of the fittest—rules, no healed femurs are found. The first sign of civilization is compassion, seen in a healed femur. A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? Have a great week.