Essay Example on 19th C: Fear of Infectious Disease & Miasma

Introduction

Mona Hanna-Attisha explains that in the nineteenth century, the most dangerous and the worst fear of human beings was infectious diseases. She explains that cancer and heart attack was not a primary concern compared to cholera. Families were worried about the illness because it claimed the lives of several people before the governments took over public health issues. She argues that through miasma, people got infected, and if it were not for scientific discoveries, then the epidemic would have pushed to another decade.

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Additionally, the author expresses her concern about how government institutions are slow to respond to urgent health issues. Hanna-Attisha explains that she wrote emails to government officials who did not return until later when a superior person pushed them. She contends that despite the poised water that engagers the lives of people, her children include no one in the government public health sector which seemed bothered. It is a situation that breaks down her heart as a concerned medical practitioner and as a mother.

The author also explains the tough financial times that took occurred in Flint, a place that had long been a pride of the nations with the least unemployment rates and several industries that were up and running. Hanna-Attisha states that the great economic stronghold went down with several industries being closed down. It is a concern the authors express as putting people into deeper depths of poverty. She further explains that discrimination and segregation heightened. The bad state of the economy and the discrimination along ethnic lines made the employees among other residents to sit down and be the barricade in the industries so that neither they nor their employers would the site until their issues were sorted out. Hanna-Attisha explains that the sit down strike went on for several weeks, and the Gm was closed, followed by great labor victories.

Reaction

In my view, the author has a profound concern about public health, and she wishes that the government becomes proactive in solving the issues that affect people in her region and beyond. I realize that the author is trying to point out the slow nature of public authorities in addressing problems that require urgent attention. Her explanation about haze in the 19th century is an allegory of the lead issue in her time. The author explains that contaminated water has become the haze of her time. People, including small children, are dying because of the refreshing contaminated water. Her relief is seen when a solution to the lead issue is found, and only when it becomes an issue of the past. She is not only concerned about her children but also other people, especially the poor.

How the summary relates to HDFS

Human development is of critical concern, and when interfered with, an individual might not live a healthy life. Concerning the chapter summary, there is evidence of family ties and union, as seen through the author's parents and her young family of husband and children. Another aspect is the issue of development of children, as the author explains how their growth can be negatively hampered if they consume the contaminated water. She explains that their growth will be affected by diseases, and they might eventually die and not reach the adulthood stage. Hanna-Attisha describes that the human life span is shortened by poor health caused by what people consume.