...in Europe. In October of 1347 traders from Genoese came to the port of Messina. These traders brought the plague along with them. 7 infective waves occurred in Europe between 1347 and 1400, killing between 25 – 50 million people. During this dark era, people were scared and running amuck, no faith, religious or medical professionals did not understand the plague going into other people after infecting others. They believed that the world was nearing its end. People reacted to the plague with mass fear. For instance, the French Author Nicolas Versoris explains Paris’s situation; “… the rich fled” (Doc 3) while the poor were “porters and wage-earners, who had lived there in large numbers” (Doc 3) were left to die. Nicolas may have been an early noble that would have tried to escape the plague, somewhat pathetic. Those who were poor and infected were confined to their homes or villages; “Whatever house the pestilence visited was immediately nailed up… many died of hunger in their own houses… all roads and highways were guarded so that a person could not pass from one place to another”(Doc 5) as stated by Heinrich von Staden, a rich traveler, may have seen such events. The beliefs of people quickly fell and people lost faith; “what if the sickness should come into this house? Who would I be willing to give up to the disease?”(Doc 8). Many who were still free of the plague were extremely concerned about receiving it and took many precautions. Those that were lucky enough to not...
Words: 935 - Pages: 4
...The books The Doctor’s Plague by Sherwin Nuland and The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson both tell stories of devastating epidemics in an age before the advantages of modern medicine. Today, medicine seems very scientific – doctors test treatments, gather data, and run experiments before a new drug or treatment is deemed safe and effective enough for widespread use. Modern doctors train for years before they begin practicing and benefit from the vast body of medical knowledge collected over centuries of laborious study. Before we developed these scientific habits, however, medicine looked very different. Before the use of microscopes in medicine and the discovery of germs, many strange theories about the origins of disease flourished in the...
Words: 1408 - Pages: 6
...would often experience disease injections, hypobaric pressure chamber testing, controlled dehydration, biological weapons testing, vivisection, organ procurement, amputation, and normal weapons testing. Many marutas were civilians, who suffered unimaginable torture. Victims of Unit 731 were often prisoners of war, pregnant and not pregnant women, children, and babies/fetuses born of rape. Due to Unit 731’s base being in Manchuria, which geographically is Northeastern China, bordering North Korea and Russia, a significant amount of victims were Chinese, with a minority being Soviet or Korean. “Japan did not always treat its prisoners of war like this. Before World War II, Japan was known for treating its POWs well and giving them adequate medical care.” Due to the sheer severity of WWII and conflict with their Chinese neighbors, along with curiosity and greed, Japanese militants had turned to inhumane...
Words: 2256 - Pages: 10
...The Black Death Bubonic Plague The bubonic plague is a highly infectious and fearsome disease that attacks the lungs and lymph nodes. It is also called the Black Death or black plague. The bubonic plague is caused by Pasteurella pestis, a bacteria which resides within infected fleas and rats. Victims of the bubonic plague develop early symptoms, such as shivering, vomiting, headache, intolerance to light, back and limb pain, and a white coating on the tongue. Eventually, they develop black egg-sized swellings (buboes) filled with blood and pus under the armpits and in the groin. As the disease progresses, internal bleeding leads to black patches on the skin, and the victim may die in three to five days. Invasion of the lungs by the bacterium causes an equally fatal form of the plague called pneumonic plague, which can be transmitted from person to person by air droplets and saliva. Historical records document outbreaks of the plague as early as 430 b.c., when an epidemic struck Athens, Greece; but the most notorious bubonic plague epidemic began in Europe around 1346, reportedly when a ship of sick and dying sailors arrived at the Black Sea port of Caffa. This plague lasted four years and killed about one-third of the population of Europe, or approximately 20 million people. For hundreds of years after, epidemics of bubonic plague would sweep across the world killing millions more. The disease was so lethal that some victims supposedly would go to bed healthy and die in...
Words: 1351 - Pages: 6
...against diseases that could have wiped us all out except they didn’t because some kick-ass motherfucker in a lab coat put in the time to figure out how to make that un-happen. Oh wait. No, I’m sorry. Autism is that disease that only affects the gays and meateaters? Nope, sorry again, I remember now. Autism is nothing like any of those things — it’s not something you contract. Goddamn science and its insistence on peer-reviewed findings. “But, but Wakefield said”… STOP RIGHT THERE. The 1998 research paper by Andrew Wakefield which linked autism to the MMR vaccine is a load of lies. It has been confirmed by the UK Medical board that Wakefield not only abused autistic children but fabricated everything. In contrast, there has been over 92 peer reviewed studies involving over 25 million children and still no link to autism was found in any case, in all of the studies. Phew, the saga is over you say. The facts are that there is no evidence that vaccines cause autism (really, there is none), and there is solid evidence (mountains of it, in fact) that vaccines prevent deadly diseases. Come on, you say, no one would be so stupid to actually believe vaccines cause autism? Wrong again. 1 in 4 American parents believe vaccines cause autism in healthy children. You have to wonder if some anti-vaccine parents would rather have their children die rather than take some non-existent risk of having their children be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Believing this myth that vaccines...
Words: 2152 - Pages: 9
...LONDON IN 1665: THE GREAT PLAGUE Ellery Kamp HIST 4300: Junior Seminar December 7, 2015 In 1665, Londoners experienced their last, and most detrimental, wave of the Bubonic Plague; this specific outbreak is known today as The Great Plague. Population analyses provided by the Office of National Statistics along with the Bills of Mortality that were published on a weekly basis during the plague have concluded that around one hundred thousand people living in England died due to the plague, which was extremely significant because the estimated population of England at the time was under four hundred thousand people. The devastation that Londoners experienced during this outbreak was unexpected and far worse than any previous outbreak, leading many people to search for both an explanation for the plague’s occurrence and a successful way to stop it. Although modern research has attributed the origin of the bubonic plague to fleas and rats, medical and scientific technology was not advanced enough in 1665 to come to that conclusion; the invention of the microscope was necessary in order to study the specific mode of infection. At the time of the Great Plague, there was no revelation of the real cause of the transmission and infection of the plague; there were only general ideas of “pestilential miasmas” and “corrupted air” that were largely attributed to religious causes, such as being a punishment sent from God. Just as during other outbreaks of the so-called pestilence...
Words: 6641 - Pages: 27
...Education content about products or services of a commercial interest with which he/she has a financial relationship.) There is no commercial support being used for this course. Participants are advised that the accredited status of RN.com does not imply endorsement by the provider or ANCC of any products/therapeutics mentioned in this course. The information in the course is for educational purposes only. There is no “off label” usage of drugs or products discussed in this course. Acknowledgements RN.com acknowledges the valuable contributions of… Material protected by Copyright …The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (www.cdc.gov), the key government agency responsible for disseminating knowledge about various biological agents. …U.S. Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRRID). USAMRRID spearheads efforts to protect service members from biological threats. Its efforts are well known and utilized by the civilian population. USAMRRID is located at Fort Detrick, Maryland. …Nadine Salmon, RN, BSN, IBCLC is the Clinical content Specialist for RN.com. Nadine earned her BSN from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. She worked as a...
Words: 6008 - Pages: 25
...Introduction The Bubonic plague of the Middle Ages has proven itself to be one of the worst pandemics in history. Ebola, in the meantime, has also proven to be deadly and threatening since the outbreak in 2014. It upgraded itself from an outbreak to an epidemic. What if Ebola becomes a pandemic? Would it be deadlier than the Bubonic plague? This is the question that this thesis paper will attempt to find the answer to. This paper will provide detailed backgrounds of both of these diseases; including their history and historical relevance, their causes and effects, even their levels of damage and possible cures. This paper will expand your knowledge of both diseases to such an extent that you can accurately compare and contrast them in order...
Words: 3510 - Pages: 15
...Modern Medicine throughout the Middle Ages During the Middle Ages, the culture and society of Europe and the Western world was under the control of the Church. The religious aspects of medieval European peoples were a great consideration in the matters of the body and health care. The majority of medical knowledge and research was under the influence and followed the expressed ideas of the Church. As the hold of the Church on society began to disintegrate, medicine was able to move from medieval practices influenced by religious belief into modern medicine, based upon observation and evidence. Causes of disease and illness were now understood and scientists were able to start searching for cures because restrictions that prevented modern medical theories from being discovered were lifted. Paracelsus discovered that agents outside the body caused illness. The study of the human anatomy was now practiced and became an essential part of medical knowledge, giving way towards new modern advancements such as blood transfusions and surgeries. Da Vinci conducted many autopsies and constructed detailed drawings of the human anatomy, which had never been studied earlier. Medical knowledge was no longer different and divided into sects but was now centralized under the modern scientific teachings taught to doctors in universities everywhere. As the culture of the Middle Ages moved away from the Church and religion so did scientific knowledge, and without this change medicine would...
Words: 3196 - Pages: 13
...Personal Essay for Medical Course When I was a child, my cousin, who was of the same age, died of a particularly vicious flu. This case, however trivial it may sound, impressed me so greatly that I decided to connect my life with medicine when I grow up, so that I would be able to study the disease, understand how it functions and, probably, will be able to save somebody else from undergoing the same experience. By the time I reached high school, this resolution became rather lukewarm, but still I tried to apply it to several biology and medical clubs; and, surprisingly, it turned out that my early decision was completely correct, for biology and medicine became the subjects that I enjoyed particularly throughout my high school years. Since then, I tried to further develop my interests and, throughout my undergraduate years, took three public health courses in order to familiarize myself with the system of health care in this country and understand how it works and, in perspective, how it can be improved. At the present time, I study biology with specific concentration on microbiology and infectious diseases. I have experience of work in a medical laboratory in Oldcreek, Kansas, where I had an opportunity to see how real research in epidemiology is being done. I am most interested in the reputation and facilities the Northern University of Alabama provides, and heard a lot of most praising opinions of the people working there. I believe that I may become a valuable member...
Words: 378 - Pages: 2
...The Innovation Pandemic: Society quest for real time solutions Parish M. Kaleiwahea Wayland Baptist University Abstract The Innovation Pandemic: Society quest for real time solutions When one thinks of a business with information technology (IT) flair, Wal-Mart is probably not on the top of anyone’s list of companies leading the way of innovation transformation. However, for 45 years this retail giant has reinvented IT retail model for an evolving digital economy. Today in order to survive a global economy companies must embrace and invest in latest information systems infrastructure in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Wal-Mart’s commitment to enhance their technology by integrating traditional and e-commerce retail innovation by using the most advanced technology to enhance the retail empire. As profits continued to reap into Wal-Mart, its commitment to improve data communication systems for their company remained a priority. While other companies contemplate spending money on new innovative technology, Wal-Mart continues to dedicate itself to implement many computerized solutions such as instituting a uniform product code (UPC) system as its electronic scanning barcode tool (Wang, 2006). Innovation is a tough concept for people to wholeheartedly to embrace because it comes with all types of unknowns. Companies like Wal-Mart took a huge financial risk, but eventually stuck to their strategic vision to embrace and forge ahead in the technology era. However...
Words: 5598 - Pages: 23
...exposure. The period of infectivity has not been definitively established, some saying it lasts from two to four days prior, until two to five days following the onset of the rash (i.e., four to nine days infectivity in total), whereas others say it lasts from two to four days prior until the complete disappearance of the rash. The rash usually appears between 2–3 days after the onset of illness. The classic signs and symptoms of measles include four-day fevers [ the 4 D's ] and the three Cs—cough, coryza (head cold), and conjunctivitis (red eyes)—along with fever and rashes. The fever may reach up to 40 °C (104 °F). Koplik's spots seen inside the mouth are pathognomonic (diagnostic) for measles, but are not often seen, even in confirmed cases of measles, because they are transient and may disappear within a day of arising. Their recognition, before the affected person reaches maximum infectivity can be used to reduce spread of epidemics. Complications with measles are relatively common, ranging from mild and less serious complications such as diarrhea to more serious ones such as pneumonia (either direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia), otitis media,[11] acute encephalitis[12] (and very rarely SSPE—subacute sclerosing panencephalitis),[13] and corneal ulceration (leading to corneal scarring).[14] Complications are usually more severe in adults who catch the virus. The death rate in the 1920s was around 30% for measles pneumonia. Between 1987 and 2000, the...
Words: 2169 - Pages: 9
...In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, scientific and medical experimentation was being conducted in countries like Japan, Germany, the United States and many others. Many experiments that took place during this time period were done on humans, most of which were conducted forcibly and without the consent of its participants. There were two major vanguards that carried out these experiments, one of which was under the rationalization of eugenics. The other was research carried out for war purposes. For example, the development of chemical and biological warfare was being attempted during this time period. The Japanese during WWII had a disturbingly particular interest in the development of biological weapons. According to the documentary “Unit 731: Nightmare in Manchuria” the Japanese conducted research on unknowing human participants in order to develop biological weapons. In 1940 and 1941, Unit 731 bred bubonic plague infested fleas that were then spread by low flying planes over Chinese...
Words: 1361 - Pages: 6
...Infectious Diseases: The Greatest Crisis of the world ____________ A Thesis Presented to The Division of The Arts and Sciences Voorhees College ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Science ____________ Acknowledgements I am whole-heartily thankful to my Professors at Voorhees College for their tremendous effort in my maturilication through Voorhees College. Lastly I would like to acknowledge all of the people who had any hand in the completion of this thesis. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION * What are infectious Diseases? * Types of infectious diseases * Worldwide distribution of infectious diseases * * CHAPTER 2: THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IS THE WORLD * Top Countries * Top Diseases * CHAPTER 3: MOST DISEASES ARE PREVENTABLE * Why are statistics so high * Minorities prevalence, morbidity, and mortality * How to prevent yourself from being a statistic * Understanding the emotional burden brought upon families who suffer from infectious Diseases * * CHAPTER 4: TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE: COUNTRY TO COUNTRY * Thorough testing while entering and exiting countries * Childhood and adult Immunizations * * CHAPTER 5: FOOD BOURNE PATHOGES * How do they affect America...
Words: 1544 - Pages: 7
...History of the world, 2012). Around this time science was making tremendous strides in identifying the causes of communicable disease. As science advanced; the need for public health was apparent. The foundation for public health was laid (The History of the world, 2012). Now days Americans have more access to education and public health resources than ever before. Public health is broken up into county, state, and national needs. The county public health system addresses issues within a community to assist members to become and stay healthy. A county public health is made up of educators, nurses, doctors, advocates, researchers, and volunteers (County of Ventura, 2012). Community health is a field of public health that focuses on the study of the health characteristics of a biological community. Community health mostly focuses on the geographic area not the people directly in that community (Wikipedia, 2012). State public health addresses the needs of the communities within the state. Some examples of state public health services are identifying community health problems, encouraging, and educating people to adopt healthier lifestyles, responding to public health emergencies, and enforcing laws and regulations to protect the health and safety of communities. The state public health also ensures competent public health services are provided at the county level (California Department of Public...
Words: 1012 - Pages: 5
