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An essay on how was mental illness seen in the past
Critically discribe the history of mental illness focusing on exclusive following areas middle ages
History Of Mental Illness During The Late 19Th Century
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Some people think that their life is hard. You have a test at school, your Mom is making you take out the trash. But that is nothing compared to the struggles of Phineas Gage, Henrietta Lacks, and Douglas Mawson. Imagine a metal rod went through your head while working with explosives (like Phineas Gage), or went on a terrifying expedition through Antarctica to discover more land, but became on the edge of death due to lack of food (like Douglas Mawson), Or had cancer that spread so severely that there was scarcely any organ in your body not affected by cancer (like Henrietta Lacks). All of these people faced adversity while making their own contribution to science. But which person endured the most adversity during making their contribution to science? Some people believe Phineas Gage endured the most adversity for several different reasons. The first main reason why Phineas Gage endured the most adversity during making his contribution to science is because Phineas Gage had to suffer from the effects of his injury for the rest of his life. He had terrible mood swings, behavior problems, and a very unfriendly attitude. All of these problems caused him to lose his job.(Phineas Gage Book) Then, Phineas Gage almost died from a infection. Doctors didn't know much about infections or germs in 1800’s. The medical state in the 1800’s was not helping Phineas either. (Phineas Gage book)The doctor’s knew the basics of what to do, but some things they did actually was hurting the patient. For example, when doctors finished surgery, they did not clean their surgery tools. This causes infections. So the medical science was not on Phineas’s side.(Phineas Gage book) Another medical issue threatened Gage’s life. He was having seizures and bleeding. (Phineas Gage book) This ended up killing Gage. Phineas Gage’s contribution is that he taught doctors, scientist, and people more about the brain and
In the text, Gawande states, “I punctured a patient’s lung, for example-the right lung of a chief of surgery from another hospital, no less-and given the odds, I’m sure such things will happen again.” This shows how fatal errors can occur during a surgical procedure however, it is something that surgical residents have to grow accustomed to since mistakes like this are likely to reoccur. Gawande also mentions that when practicing on a patient, mistakes are bound to happen however, it is a part of learning. In the text, Gawande states, “She let me continue with the next steps, which I bumbled through. I didn’t realize how long and floppy the guide wire was until I pulled the coil of its plastic sleeve, and, putting one end of it into the patient, I very nearly contaminated the other.” This quote proves that although mistakes can happen, it is a part of the learning process. In this specific part, Gawande talks about how he nearly made a severe error however, he was able to learn from his mistake and complete the procedure successfully. This shows how practicing on patients is necessary for the advancement of the medical field. Therefore, although ethical and practical tensions may arise, practicing on patients is needed in order to save the lives of many in the long
In John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, characters Gene and Phineas begin their journeys to adulthood in a war torn environment. The dynamic formed between a world full of struggle and the crucial age of development in high school proves to be an excellent setting to examine the abilities of both Gene and Phineas to “come of age.” Being a Bildungsroman, the theme of coping with war and death is highlighted via the imagery that surrounds both Gene’s epiphany moment at the marble stairs, and its introduction at the beginning of the novel. Additionally, Knowles employs a flashback to set a nostalgic and somewhat reflective mood, which further extends this meaning. In Knowles’ “coming of age” novel A Separate Peace, the use of imagery surrounding the marble stairs, and a reminiscent flashback aid Gene is discovering that war and death can never be understood.
Although she was taken from the world too soon, Henrietta Lacks was a warm hearted woman, and though unbeknownst to her, she would pave the way for the medical field and greatly expand our understanding of one of the nation’s greatest killers; cancer. In 1951 people did not talk about cancer lightly; cancer was a very touchy subject, especially for those who knew they couldn’t receive treatment once they had been diagnosed. When Lacks went to the hospital because of a “knot on her womb” she never thought that it would grow into a full fledge tumor that would end up taking her life. Henrietta lived a simple yet happy life which consisted of working on the farm, loving her husband, and raising children, and she was not going to ruin the lifestyle she knew so well by telling her family that she had cancer; it was just unheard of.
Grant successfully managed to treat Mr. G she comes to the realization that a doctor should not judge a patient no matter how they may act, as each patient may have a reason for acting the way they do. Dr. Grant has managed to learn how to combine her own personal experience with her doctoral skills she had learned in medical schools. Dr Grant believes. “ …[A]fter twenty-eight years of schooling, my education continues, both inside and outside the classroom” ( 183). Mr. G was the key figure in changing Dr. Grants judgement. If Mr. G had not shed light onto why he was in the hospital and how he felt stripped of his freedom to Dr. Grant she probably would have just branded him as crazy, she probably would have done the same to similar patients. As Dr. Grant states, “ … I was proud of myself for having accomplished my task… I was proud of myself because I had decided not to prejudge Mr. G” (182). Mr. G exposing his true emotions to Dr. Grant was the reason that she learned that she should not judge unique patients but instead, she should try to communicate with them and better understand so she can better help
The skeletal facts of his personal struggle for light and of his rise from the coalmines of West Virginia to the summit of academic achievement are great in and of them and can be briefly stated.
First, he stayed conscious during his entire accident, which was diagnosed as an open brain injury; in other words, he was alive to feel the pain of the iron rod shooting through his head. Page six of Phineas Gage proves this is shocking by stating “Amazingly, Phineas is still alive… a minute later he speaks.” Second, as the iron rod damaged his brain (causing social problems), the iron rod damaged his skull and face. Gage had huge gashes, a cracked skull, a major loss of blood, and many more injuries revolving his head. On page nine of Phineas Gage, Gage’s immediate physical adversities are described: “He cleans the skin around the hole, extracts the small fragments of bone, and gently presses the larger pieces of skull back in place… he pulls the loose skin back into position…” As anyone can notice, Gage’s physical adversities were very, very harsh, and won’t compare to the adversities faced by Lacks and
For instance, the crux represented in each chapter of Gawande’s novel is that physicians save lives. For centuries physicians have abided by the Hippocratic Oath, in essence stating that the individual will prevent, cure, and/or save the life of a patient to the best of their ability. With no doubt is this noticed throughout every portion of the book. This can be seen when Gawande explains the development of obstetrics, the tools used in childbirth, and how infant death rates through childbirth decreased. Additionally, another example of doctors at their finest when saving patients is shown when a Cincinnati hospital did everything in its power to increase the average life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients. Although these cases show excellent performances in saving lives, every physician takes the Hippocratic Oath to state their willingness to help patients no matter what the cost
The contributions of several doctors, researchers, and scientists helped improve the health of the growing population. In 1850 the average life expectancy was 42 years. By 1910 the average life expectancy had risen to nearly 55 years. Between 1850 and 1910 there were several advances in the medical field. The introduction of genes, white blood cells, blood groups, insulin, rubber gloves, aspirin, and vitamins and the discoveries of Pasteur, Charcot, Halsted, Zirm, Lister, and Koch were the starting point of an international fight against disease.
The day of Phineas accident, he was performing his work duties on the construction of a railroad track. His duty was to set explosive charges in holes drilled into large pieces of rock so that they could be broken up and removed. He had to fill the holes with gunpowder, with a fuse, and then pack in sand with a large tamping iron. Because gage was distracted on September 13, 1948, he forgot to fill in one of the holes with sand. In result, when he went to pack down the sand, the tampering iron sparked against the rock and exploded the gunpowder. This situation caused the three-foot iron to blow through Gage's head right below his left cheekbone. Gage only suffered from minor blood loss and his left pupil reacted to direct light for ten days after the accident. Luckily, Phineas Gage survived this dramatic incident and after his recovery he went back to work.
Andrews, Paul D. "Five Reasons Henrietta Lacks Is the Most Important Woman in Medical History." Popular Science. Bonnier, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
One of the strongest women scientist/astronomer was born in 1818 as Maria Mitchell whom led an unbelievable life and had an incredible discovery. Maria Mitchell was born when women were not given the opportunity to vote nor did women have the same equal rights as men did, but given her circumstances of her father being a principal, founding his own school and being a distant family member of Benjamin Franklin she was given the same rights as the men did. Given a few obstacles she led an extraordinary life and became the first woman in America to work as an astronomer professionally, which she than later received an award personally from King Frederick VII, for her work and discovery.
Marie Curie, a pioneer in her field and Nobel Prize winning Chemist, took a path that few women of her time dared and unfortunately, her passion for Science would be her ultimate demise. From birth to death Marie Curie lived a full life, with love, work, and passion at the center.
There are many roles that were played to raise the potential for changes in the book of medicine. There were women, men, doctors, theorists, apprentices, herbalists, and more who have contributed to the rise of modern medicine. Their pitch in trying to find new ways to explain or enhance their outdated ways of healing patients impacted the many generations who will change the medicine world as they did.
He is the most famous and known American surgeon from his era. Although he did achieve great things in which has caused him his fame, there are some very dark, shocking tales that have been claimed to his background. Like all surgeons, he had to originate his career somewhere. He wasn’t always the great “Father of Gynecology” he is known to be. When he was still a rookie of a surgeon he had two patients whom he attended; both children. He is said to have killed them both (according to his biography) by removing their gums and furthermore not have finished and treated them afterwards. This was all before he became famous though. His fame began when he discovered a cure for a condition women embodied known as vesicovaginal fistula. He acquired the title “The Father of Gynecology” for the catholicon of the infection. In honor of his discovery, his name is now placed on hospitals, dormitories, and endowed
...his day. These men have made an enormous amount of discovery to get medicine to where it is today.