
Consider what life was like early 1900s. Some may have a romantic view of living in a nice, quiet home. There would have been no television. There would not have been a cell phone to keep you connected to work twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Perhaps nothing is more romantic than the thought of using a horse or a train as the main mode of transportation.
Do not forget to think about the whole picture though. In all likelihood, summer smells would be unbearable to our 21st Century senses. Horse manure would be all over the road. In many places there would be human feces on the road where people dumped chamber pot as they waited for the next rain to wash it away.
In today's world, most people under the age of 40 do not even know what dysentery and cholera are because we now have fresh, treated water, and we have sewer pipes that take waste away. One hundred years ago, people could die from Scarlett fever, rubella, polio, and many other diseases that are now vaccinated against. And of course, we understand that washing our hands and clothes can make us safe and help to stop the spread of disease, as well as making the treatment of those who are ill more effective.
Do not forget to think about the whole picture though. In all likelihood, summer smells would be unbearable to our 21st Century senses. Horse manure would be all over the road. In many places there would be human feces on the road where people dumped chamber pot as they waited for the next rain to wash it away.
In today's world, most people under the age of 40 do not even know what dysentery and cholera are because we now have fresh, treated water, and we have sewer pipes that take waste away. One hundred years ago, people could die from Scarlett fever, rubella, polio, and many other diseases that are now vaccinated against. And of course, we understand that washing our hands and clothes can make us safe and help to stop the spread of disease, as well as making the treatment of those who are ill more effective.
Drinking Water
People in most Western countries no longer have to worry about getting a bug that can make them deathly ill, or worse, because they know the water they drink is clean. Dysentery and cholera are still killing people in places where pure water is not available, but in most Western countries, it merely takes the turn of a faucet handle to receive cool, clear, and safe water. What is even better, in many places fluoride treatment has been added to the water. Teeth are more likely to remain strong, adding to the quality of life. Pure drinking water is something that many take for granted, but until relatively recently, these issues caused the illness and death of millions of people each year.
Vaccines
Vaccines have been around since 1798 when a strain of cowpox was used to prevent smallpox which was a deadly health problem at the time. Since then, vaccines have been developed to protect people from polio, the measles, mumps, and many other diseases. This has added not only to the life expectancy across the world, but vaccines have added to the overall quality of life. Consider measles. In one year in the late 1950's, the United States had well over 750,000 cases of measles, and more than 550 deaths. In 2008 there were 64 cases of measles in the United States, 54 of those who became ill contracted the disease out of the country, and 63 of the cases were acquired by a patient who either had not been vaccinated, or could not remember if they had been vaccinated.
Most people do receive the expected protection from vaccines, and that is why in recent history, polio and other diseases have nearly been eradicated from the globe.
Benefits of Hygiene
Imagine being in a hospital over 150 years ago and a student doctor is helping you. He (almost certainly a he) has just been working on a cadaver, because hey, better to mess up there than on you, and he begins to poke around your arm where you sliced yourself with a knife. Four days later you are dead. What should have been a treatable sore arm ends up being a death sentence. Why? That student did not wash his hands after working on a body.
Dr. Ignz Semmelweis noticed that hospitals where students were cutting on bodies had a greater mortality rate than other hospitals. He was able to recognize the correlation and recommended all doctors wash their hands. Prior to recognizing the need for good hygiene, the mortality rate at hospitals was from 10% t0 35%. His discovery reduced that mortality rate to less than 1%. Additionally, proper hygiene can reduce the spread of diseases like cholera and Dysentery.
The 20th Century saw advancements in medicine that have made a great deal of difference in the quality life and the life expectancy in people the world over, especially the industrialized world. These advancements allowed the focus of improved vaccines and treatments to move on to malaria and other diseases that can save millions of more lives if they can be eradicated.
People in most Western countries no longer have to worry about getting a bug that can make them deathly ill, or worse, because they know the water they drink is clean. Dysentery and cholera are still killing people in places where pure water is not available, but in most Western countries, it merely takes the turn of a faucet handle to receive cool, clear, and safe water. What is even better, in many places fluoride treatment has been added to the water. Teeth are more likely to remain strong, adding to the quality of life. Pure drinking water is something that many take for granted, but until relatively recently, these issues caused the illness and death of millions of people each year.
Vaccines
Vaccines have been around since 1798 when a strain of cowpox was used to prevent smallpox which was a deadly health problem at the time. Since then, vaccines have been developed to protect people from polio, the measles, mumps, and many other diseases. This has added not only to the life expectancy across the world, but vaccines have added to the overall quality of life. Consider measles. In one year in the late 1950's, the United States had well over 750,000 cases of measles, and more than 550 deaths. In 2008 there were 64 cases of measles in the United States, 54 of those who became ill contracted the disease out of the country, and 63 of the cases were acquired by a patient who either had not been vaccinated, or could not remember if they had been vaccinated.
Most people do receive the expected protection from vaccines, and that is why in recent history, polio and other diseases have nearly been eradicated from the globe.
Benefits of Hygiene
Imagine being in a hospital over 150 years ago and a student doctor is helping you. He (almost certainly a he) has just been working on a cadaver, because hey, better to mess up there than on you, and he begins to poke around your arm where you sliced yourself with a knife. Four days later you are dead. What should have been a treatable sore arm ends up being a death sentence. Why? That student did not wash his hands after working on a body.
Dr. Ignz Semmelweis noticed that hospitals where students were cutting on bodies had a greater mortality rate than other hospitals. He was able to recognize the correlation and recommended all doctors wash their hands. Prior to recognizing the need for good hygiene, the mortality rate at hospitals was from 10% t0 35%. His discovery reduced that mortality rate to less than 1%. Additionally, proper hygiene can reduce the spread of diseases like cholera and Dysentery.
The 20th Century saw advancements in medicine that have made a great deal of difference in the quality life and the life expectancy in people the world over, especially the industrialized world. These advancements allowed the focus of improved vaccines and treatments to move on to malaria and other diseases that can save millions of more lives if they can be eradicated.
Author Bio: Jeff Shjarback, MBA is a Digital Marketing Strategy Consultant that has worked as a Vaccine Specialist and Biological Products Specialist. Jeff enjoys blogging about digital marketing, small business, lead generation, economics, innovation & emerging technology, future trend analysis and business philosophy. Jeff is one of the main contributors to FluPatch.org. To learn more about Jeff, you can visit his Google Author Profile.