Dr. Nagami had multiple reasons for writing the Woman with a Worm in Her Head. I think that she intended to educate the reader about many things. She wanted to highlight the background of the deadly diseases that she has encountered. She also wants to explain the limits of modern medicine. I also think that she wanted to put a human face on the patients that she encounters on a daily basis. She also was trying to explain how combating diseases like this and her profession as a medical doctor affected her. Dr. Nagami detailed many diseases in this book all of them life threatening in some way. Some were obscure while some were unfortunately common. I know that I will not look at chicken pox as being a simple childhood disease again. The impact …show more content…
of that disease on the patient in chapter 10 and his resulting death from the infection is a cautionary tale that what we can take for granted can be deadly. The infection of parasitic worms in chapter 10 and chapter 1 were on two different levels of commonality. The patient in chapter 10 was infected with a common pork tapeworm. The effects of the worm caused her to suffer problems with mental ability. The worm from chapter one was definitely uncommon in the United States and the patient had acquired it after consuming a cobra heart in Vietnam. The point that Dr. Nagami was trying to make is that life threatening disease can be found when we travel as in the cases of the parasitic worms and the malaria case. It can also come from closer to home in cases of valley fever, meningitis and AIDS. Dr.
Nagami also had to deal with the limits of medicine in dealing with her cases. The chapter dealing with AIDS, chicken pox, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis displayed the limits of medicine. In each of these cases the patients involved died even though Dr. Nagami and her colleagues tried to prevent their deaths. In the case of AIDS and the encephalitis advances have been made in treatment of the disease since Dr. Nagami first encountered them. At the time of the cases however there was very little that could be done to save the patients. Some cases like the chickenpox simply overran the body and any treatment that was …show more content…
proposed. Dr. Nagami also encountered also sorts of patient’s male amd female young and old and from various ethnic backgrounds. This played a role in how she looked at diagnosing the diseases. Some of the diseases defied easy diagnosis simply due to the background that she was confronted with. The encephalitis cases in particular was difficult to diagnose simply due to all of the possibilities in a young orphan from India. In the case of the pork tapeworm cultural practices helped make the final diagnosis of the disease hard to identify. All of the patients had lives, family, hopes and dreams. The patient that suffered from chicken pox and Dr. Nagami’s friend with AIDS showed great determination in living even though the diseases claimed their lives. Dr.
Nagami also tried to explain the impact of her profession upon herself. She claims that the diseases leave a mark on her as well as her patients. In one of the early cases described in the book she described how she broke down in medical school due to the strain of inflicting pain on patients and watching them progress towards death. Her response to this she claimed was to isolate herself from others so that she could function with the job. This being said she kept mementos of her patients she still keeps the chair from Manju’s visits to her office and she has wept over the lost patients she has had. She has also had to deal with the impact of her job on her family. She has put her children through tests fearing that she brought home a disease to them. Her interaction with her family has also been a source of strength for
her. In conclusion I believe that Dr. Nagami accomplished her goals in writing the book. She provided a glimpse into a world that is alien and frightening to the majority of the population. The natural reaction of people is to go away from danger. She has had to confront it on a daily basis. Through the book she was able to describe the difficulties of combating infectious disease.
Even in the medical field, male doctors were dominate to the hundreds of well educated midwives. “Male physicians are easily identified in town records and even in Martha’s diary, by the title “Doctor.” No local woman can be discovered that way” (Ulrich, 1990, pg.61). Martha was a part of this demoralized group of laborers. Unfortunately for her, “in twentieth-century terms, the ability to prescribe and dispense medicine made Martha a physician, while practical knowledge of gargles, bandages, poultices and clisters, as well as willingness to give extended care, defined her as a nurse” (Ulrich, 1990, pg.58). In her diary she even portrays doctors, not midwives, as inconsequential in a few medical
The providers actively decide to deceive their patients. They spend the money the government gives them on placeboes. They tell the patients that they are receiving treatment when they are in fact not. This is compounded by the fact that initially, they believe they will get funding for treatment. Miss Evers is told that those in the study will be “first in line” for treatment when an effective treatment becomes available. The first to realize that this is not, in fact, true are the two doctors, Dr. Sam Brodus and Dr. Douglas. Ten years into the study when penicillin is show as an effective cure for syphilis they make the decision not to treat the men. At this point they are no longer doing the study to buy time until they can get treatment for the men, rather they are withholding treatment to watch the men gone through the full range of symptoms that accompany syphilis including death. Still, if the need for dead bodies to autopsy was a requirement of the studies completion and a primary indicator the success of the studies main objective, then the doctors knew from the beginning that they were not buying time until they got treatment for the afflicted men. It is possible they deceived themselves to a certain extent but it is entirely clear that they deceived Miss Evers. She believed that it would only be six months to a year until the men got treatment. Then, after that, she believed for ten years that they men would be first in line once there was a proven treatment. When this became clear it was not the case she questioned the doctors. They convinced her the study had a greater purpose aside from curing the men in it. She wanted to believe it and in many ways, she forced herself to believe it. Still, when viewing the withholding of treatment as unjust she attempted to administer treatment herself. This resulted in a patient committing suicide in a
Hutchinson, Tom “Illness and the hero’s journey: still ourselves and more”, CMAJ. 162.11 (2000):p.1597 web (date accessed).
but this was the best they could do. The search for effective treatments was hindered by the church as they believed that religion was the cure for the sick. The believe that Saints could cure by touch
Diligence is a virtue. This is a theme Atul Gawande presents to the reader throughout Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance. In each story, Gawande provides insight on medical studies he has previously embarked upon. For example, in “The Mop-up” the author tells us about a time when he went to India to observe the efforts to eradicate polio. Gawande explains how he followed a supervisor around and how vaccinations were performed. Additionally, in another chapter he debates on whether physicians should take part in death sentences. Throughout his adventures Gawande provides numerous enriching personal accounts of controversial events and what it is like to be a doctor; each with diligence playing a key part.
The medical field is a vast land of beauty but with great beauty comes immense horror. There are many deadly viruses and diseases found in the medical field. In the novel, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, the author discusses the many deadly viruses found in the field. The viruses are widespread due to the errors that occur when the viruses are in the presence of human beings. The effects of the errors performed by the human race include a decrease in population and wildlife. The viruses are spread in many different ways in the novel, but all are due to human mistakes.
After reading The Panic Virus, it became evident that this book can in fact be extremely useful. Perhaps people prefer not to educate themselves about vaccination on the grounds that medical language can be dry, confusing, and uninteresting. Perhaps they don’t wish to listen to medical professionals due to the fact that they feel that they have an agenda to protect themselves. Whatever the reason, the need for Mnookin’s The Panic Virus is to provide a strong argument for pro-vaccination that is given by a member of the reader’s peers. Mnookin is not a medical professional, and has no personal gain from defending the medical field; therefore, his argument is ‘by the people, for the people’. Mnookin’s tone throughout the novel also makes The Panic Virus a page-turner. Mnookin uses a tone that is at times formal and factual and at other times snide and informal, engaging the reader with every
The Meningeal Worm Infestation of up to 20 meningeal worms has been discovered in a single deer’s subdural cavity. The white tail deer are the preferred host, but they rarely ever suffer from any sick or neurological problems from this type of worm. We will see severe signs in llamas and alpacas; these are the two animals that can become infected with it frequently. The meningeal worm can cause damage to the central nervous system and could result in death, so it is important to try and catch it early and learn about how to prevent this deadly worm. Things that you should be familiar with about the meningeal worm are its life cycle, the signs in your animal, and any prevention or treatment options.
Chester M. Southam, MD, was an American virologist who worked on curing cancer. “Studies had shown that a pathogen called the Russian spring-summer encephalitis virus could eradicate tumors in mice. Because that virus was considered too dangerous for people, Southam searched for something milder, settling on the newly discovered West Nile virus.” He had already spent some time in Africa injecting an assortment of viruses including mumps, dengue, West Nile, and Semliki Forest virus in severely ill cancer patients. The West Nile Virus usually
This internal conflict is a result of the mistakes a physician makes, and the ability to move on from it is regarded as almost unreachable. For example, in the essay, “When Doctors Make Mistakes”, Gawande is standing over his patient Louise Williams, viewing her “lips blue, her throat swollen, bloody, and suddenly closed passage” (73). The imagery of the patient’s lifeless body gives a larger meaning to the doctor’s daily preoccupations. Gawande’s use of morbid language helps the reader identify that death is, unfortunately, a facet of a physician’s career. However, Gawande does not leave the reader to ponder of what emotions went through him after witnessing the loss of his patient. He writes, “Perhaps a backup suction device should always be at hand, and better light more easily available. Perhaps the institutions could have trained me better for such crises” (“When Doctors Make Mistakes” 73). The repetition of “perhaps” only epitomizes the inability to move on from making a mistake. However, this repetitive language also demonstrates the ends a doctor will meet to save a patient’s life (73). Therefore, it is not the doctor, but medicine itself that can be seen as the gateway from life to death or vice versa. Although the limitations of medicine can allow for the death of a patient to occur, a doctor will still experience emotional turmoil after losing someone he was trying to
Smallpox did not play favorites when it came to choosing a victim. Whether it was a young child, or a older person, smallpox destroyed the lives of hundreds of thousands over a period of eight years in the colonies. Fenn did a great job in my opinion of describing just how bad this disease was and painted a horrific picture in explaining what people went through when dealing with the disease. Even as the author started her introduction into the book she explains that Viariola (smallpox) blinded, scarred, maimed and killed many of its victims. It is hard to even try and imagine what these individuals went through when dealing with smallpox. However, one thing is according the author they did not let the virus destroy them. They fought back with every fiber in their bodies to understand and illuminate this dreaded foe.
McNeil suggests, there are still epidemics out there which have not developed human to human status yet. For example, AIDS is identified in 1981, which is after the publication of Plagues and Peoples. Because of AIDS relevancy to this book, McNeil writes a Preface in 1997 including his thoughts on the epidemic. Humans only thought that scientific medicine "had finally won decisive victory over disease germs" (9). With the discovery of the AIDS virus a social change occurred in American and similar societies.
During his employment as a medical official the reality of reservation life could not be ignored. Although he must have wanted to help his people there were many difficulties of the time. They were far away from Western civilization and supply to medical equipment. The epidemics of small pox, measles, and influenza were attacking the people. He could not al...
As the story begins, the unnamed doctor is introduced as one who appears to be strictly professional. “Aas often, in such cases, they weren’t telling me more than they had to, it was up to me to tell them; that’s why they were spending three dollars on me.” (par. 3) The doctor leaves the first impression that he is one that keeps his attention about the job and nothing out of the ordinary besides stating his impressions on the mother, father and the patient, Mathilda. Though he does manage to note that Mathilda has a fever. The doctor takes what he considers a “trial shot” and “point of departure” by inquiring what he suspects is a sore throat (par. 6). This point in the story, nothing remains out of the ordinary or questionable about the doctor’s methods, until the story further develops.
For innumerable centuries, unrelenting strains of disease have ravaged society. From the polio epidemic in the twentieth century to the measles cases in the latter half of the century, such an adverse component of nature has taken the lives of many. In 1796, Edward Jenner discovered that exposure to cowpox could foster immunity against smallpox; through injecting the cowpox into another person’s arm, he founded the revolutionary concept known as a vaccination. While many attribute the eradication of various diseases to vaccines, many United States citizens are progressively beginning to oppose them. Many deludedly thought that Measles had been completely terminated throughout the United States; however, many children have been patronized by