How Epidemics Helped Shape the Modern Metropolis - Literature review Example

Infectious Disease The article “How Epidemics Helped Shape the Modern Metropolis” is a newspaper article that was published in the New York Times on April 15, 2008. This article was written by John Noble Wilford who wrote for the newspaper; in particular he was the senior reporter for the science section of the newspaper. He had good experience in writing and worked for The Times, The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine. He wrote many books and he was awarded with 2 Pulitzer Prizes in 1984 and in 1987 for his great articles in the field of science as well as the planets. His experience and his expertise with regard to writing assist in understanding the fact that this article is a good piece of work which signifies proper events with regard to the subject he had discussed. The article is basically about an outbreak of cholera that occurred in New York in the year 1832 and the author must have traced back to these events. The only issue with the credibility of the article can be due to the fact that this article reports about an epidemic that occurred a century back and hence some of the events may be distorted due to the improper accounts provided. The author has supported the article with a few notices that were displayed in the time to uphold the credibility of the paper. “How Epidemics Helped Shape the Modern Metropolis” is an article that discusses the epidemic of cholera that hit the city of New York in 1832 and proved to be a fatal resulting in the deaths of 3,515 people which was a very high figure due to the fact that the total number of people residing in the city at that time was 250,000. In that period cholera was considered to be a condition which did not have any treatment and due to the outbreak many people started to evacuate the city. The extent of this is portrayed in the article when he writes about what the New York Post read, “The roads, in all directions, were lined with well-filled stagecoaches, livery coaches, private vehicles and equestrians, all panic-struck, fleeing the city, as we may suppose the inhabitants of Pompeii fled when the red lava showered down upon their houses.” The condition of the city was so bad that it was analyzed that the only people who could survive in the city were either doctors or the people who used to dig graves and make coffins. The major reason for this outbreak was analyzed to be the fact that urbanization had led to a greater number of people migrating to the cities looking for better opportunities. This had resulted in overcrowding and the sewerage conditions in the city were not very well developed. The poor sanitary conditions and the close contact of the people led to the immediate spread of the disease due to the fact that proper reason for the disease could not be identified and the treatment for the pathology was also not proper. The article also identifies the fact that there was stigma attached with cholera and that this disease was mostly found in the lower socioeconomic groups. These people were considered to be responsible for their own condition and many people from the higher socioeconomic groups blamed them for the spread of the epidemic. This condition was as labeled as was AIDs during its early days of discovery. The link between the insanitary conditions and basically infected water with the condition by Dr. John Snow was a pivotal point in the treatment of this pathology in the year 1854 but it still took approximately 3 more decades for vibrio cholera to be identified as the microorganism leading to this condition. The conditions during the outbreak were so bad that even schools and other government buildings had to be converted into hospitals and despite of this, the number of deaths remained high. There were a few lucky patients who survived without being given any treatment but most of them died as result of the disease. The symptoms of the condition were mainly abdominal which included diarrhea and vomiting with pain in the abdomen and eventually the patient went in shock and died. It was a state of emergency but the lack of knowledge resulted in the loss of many lives. From 1842 the measures for improving the cleanliness in the city started and this operation went on in different ways until a final launch was done in the year 1866 when proper measures were taken under the supervision of doctors and other people. This was following the discovery of the identification of the link between water and the disease. The sanitary conditions were improved, animals were driven out of the city and the levels of cleanliness were maintained. It was hence a condition which persisted for decades until finally a proper solution to it was found out. The article provides for the form of treatments that were available in that period despite of the fact that they did not prove to be of any assistance and they were rather harmful for the patients. These were morphine, mercury and camphor. Certain natural remedies were also used which included mustard, cayenne pepper and hot vinegar. But since cholera is a condition which results in dehydration, these treatments could not be of much help. The article towards the end emphasizes upon the fact that now there is much awareness about this disease and there should be no fatalities associated with the condition as oral rehydration therapies are available which can serve as life savers in the condition. Cholera is a condition which was once an epidemic and led to the loss of many lives in New York but during that period the loss of lives was due to lack of awareness and the unavailability of any proper treatment for the condition. But even in today’s world outbreaks of cholera are still seen in certain areas with Haiti being one such unfortunate country where many people have lost their lives due to this condition. Infectious diseases are the diseases which are contagious and have the tendency to spread. Cholera is one such infectious disease which is a condition that resulted in the loss of many lives in the city of New York in the year 1932. It was a period when migration to the cities was very common and this resulted in overcrowding. The overcrowding along with the insanitary conditions and less awareness regarding hygiene made the disease spread like wildfire and it turned out be an epidemic. Many people had to flee from New York. The conditions in the period were so bad that a large proportion of the people died. There was a stigma associated with the disease and people who used to suffer from it were not sympathized for but rather blamed for their condition. The discovery of the underlying cause for this disease along with the proper treatment has served as a path for saving many lives. But there are still many underdeveloped and the developing nations in the world where cholera is still a part of the infectious diseases which can result in the loss of lives. The earthquake stricken Haiti is also one such country where this curable condition has led to the loss of many innocent lives. This presents with memories of the New York outbreak and shows the deplorable conditions in certain areas of the world where curable conditions still prove to be fatal. It is also indicative of the fact that though much progress has occurred in the world, there are still certain areas in the world which lag behind. References ‘John Noble Wilford’ Retrieved from: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/w/john_noble_wilford/index.html?inline=nyt-per Mckay, B. & Dugan I.J. (2010, October 23). ‘Deaths From Cholera Top 150 in Haiti.’ The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303738504575567882252623198.html?mod=WSJASIA_hpp_SecondTopStories Wilford, J. F. (2008, April 15). ‘How Epidemics Helped Shape the Modern Metropolis.’ The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/science/15chol.html Read More