Physical and Behavioral Responses to Starvation and Famine in Two Populations
Introduction
Famine is an event in which food and resources are inaccessible and the majority of a
population is endangered (Shipton, 1990). When applied to starvation this definition is accurate
with one additional idea: starvation is the result of inaccessibility to resources. Many factors
contribute to the progression of famine and the resulting starvation. One of the key factors to
consider is the delineation between naturally occurring and man-made starvation and famine.
Naturally occurring famine is the result of agricultural or environmental causes such as lack of
rainfall or poor soil conditions. Man-made famine is the deliberate denial of food to people
“with the aim of starving them into submission” (De Waal 1991:77). Man-made famine and the
resulting starvation will be the basis for this paper.
The purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the physical and behavioral
responses to starvation and famine in residents of the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi occupation
and the citizens of famine-prone areas of the West African Sahel region. The location of the two
regions discussed can be found on the maps (Figure 1 and Figure 2) at the end of this paper. The
connections and contrasts of the two populations will be demonstrated through review and
presentation of models from literature, a brief background on the populations to be discussed,
examples of the populations as they fit the models and a brief discussion of limitations and
opportunity for further study.
Literature Review: Physical and Behavioral Response Models
Physical Response
The comparison between the Warsaw Ghetto and the West African Sahel region can best
be exa...
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...ntainer
Institute, United States Army.
Tushnet L. 1966. The uses of adversity. South Brunswick, New Jersey: Thomas Yoseloff.
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Watts M. 1991. Entitlements or empowerment? famine and starvation in Africa. Review of
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WHO. Health conditions aggravate southern Africa famine. (August 4, 2002);
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Figure 1. Map of Warsaw, Poland and location of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Britannica Student Encyclopedia: Warsaw." 2008. (March 2, 2008);
http://www.student.britannica.com/eb/art-55185/Warsaw-Poland.
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Figure 2. Map of Sudan, Ethiopia and the West African Sahel Region.
Adapted from: http://z.about.com/d/worldnews/1/7/U/1/-/-/sudan_map.jpg.
allow such terrible things to occur as they do in today's world: The starving in
In this paper I will examine both Peter Singer’s and Onora O 'Neill 's positions on famine relief. I will argue that O’Neill’s position is more suitable than Singer’s extreme standpoint. First I will, present O’Neill’s argument. I will then present a possible counter-argument to one of my premises. Finally I will show how this counter-argument is fallacious and how O’Neill’s argument in fact goes through.
“It must be understood that we cannot feed the people” (Kinealy Calamity 75). The mid 1800s in Ireland were characterized by extreme poverty, death, and emigration. The Great Potato Famine, also known as “The Great Hunger,” first hit in 1845; however, its effects lasted into the 1850s and can still be seen today. Prior to the famine, Irish manufacture and trade was controlled and suppressed by British government, which made Ireland an extremely poor country. Farmers in Ireland were forced to export crops such as corn, wheat, and oats to Britain, which left the potato as the main dietary staple for the people, especially the poor. Therefore, when the fungus Phytophthora infestans caused some, and eventually all, of the crop to rot over the next couple of years, the reliance on the one crop made the people of Ireland extremely susceptible to the famine. The effects were devastating, and poverty spread across the nation causing a huge increase in homelessness, the death-rate, emigration, and a change in the Irish people and country overall.
Famine can be highly detrimental to human health and cause a lot of sickness throughout humans. It is clear that there are many biological effects caused by famine but there are also many effects on society and human agency. Famine can cause a breakdown in society and create barriers to economic growth. This can lead to dramatic changes in religions, cultural practices and the structure of government.
Imagine your skin tightening around your body to the point that you see your veins, no fats or muscles, the foul odor that comes from your mouth, your eye sockets sunken in, your eyes bulging out, the visibility of your collar and chest bones, your stomach bloated, and your body eating itself. These are the symptoms of someone who is starving. The dictionary definition of someone who is starving or hungry is someone who displays the need for food, the need for calories in their body. This is a feeling that millions of people feel every day because there is not enough food being farmed for them to eat, food is too expensive for them to buy, and because they do not have the knowledge nor ability to grow and maintain their own food. This all can be fixed with one simple solution and that solution would be agricultural
Over two hundred years ago, Thomas Malthus proposed the theory that world starvation is directly linked with the population living on earth. He argued that the world’s population would increase at a faster rate than compared to the rate of the food production. This imbalance would in turn lead to mass starvation for there would not be enough food to feed all the mouths of the world. Malthus acknowledged that food is necessary for human existence; therefore, in order to eliminate world hunger population and food production must be kept at an equal balance.
The Great Famine of 1845 lasted for many years in Ireland. During this time, many people of Ireland suffered in numerous ways. In such devastating and dark times “deaths began to mount and tragic horrific scenes ensured all over Ireland: Mass Graves, Corpses gnawed by rats, hunger marches, and roadside deaths” (Kelley 137). In these grey times for Ireland, the country battled many hardships to overcome this era. The Great Famine was historically dated from 1845-1851, although the effects of the Famine lasted until 1852 (Kelley 136). The major cause of the Famine was a disease called the blight, but there were many other aspects that caused the catastrophe in Ireland.
Friedman, U. (2011, July 19). What It took for the U.N to declare famine in Somalia. Retrieved
Today, wars, drugs, and violence plague the world and cause millions of deaths every year, but there is one killer that slips under the radar; that killer is famine. Famine is a killer with a very deadly and diverse set of skills, ranging from physical to mental. With enough power within its hands to cause a hailstorm of deaths in a short amount of time. With that comes the power to massacre whole populations with the flick of a finger. It may take a bit to fully succumb the populace, but once it does, don’t blink. For when your mind and emotions are lost, famine has won, and you are doomed.
A great famine occurred in Ireland from around 1845 to about 1852 and devastated the country. Approximately one million people died of starvation or diseases caused by this famine, and about one million more people emigrated Ireland and moved to other countries to try to find a better life. One country that a lot of people moved to is the United States. Numerous people immigrated to the U.S. and created settlements all around the country. To provide for themselves in these settlements, most of the people farmed the land because that was what they knew how to do. The primary cause of this famine was a fungus-like protist called Phytophtera infestans that attacked Ireland’s potato crop, causing them to rot. Unfortunately, the people of Ireland were heavily dependent on potatoes, not only as a main source of nutrition, but also as a main source of income and export. Ireland’s land consolidation, agricultural laws, and their relationship with England did not help the people with this problem. The Great Potato Famine in Ireland was a terrible event in history that changed the lives of millions of people.
Food insecurity defined, is ‘the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food’ (Oxforddictionaries.com, 2014). This in turn leads to hunger, which can have three possible meanings; 1) ‘the uneasy or painful sensation caused by want of food; craving appetite, also the exhausted condition caused by want of food’, 2) ‘the want or scarcity of food in a country’, and 3) ‘a strong desire or craving’ (Worldhunger.org, 2014). Food insecurity also leads to malnutrition, with 870 million people in the world or one in eight, suffering from chronic undernourishment (Fao.org, 2014). From this alarmingly high figure, 852 million of these people live in developing countries, making it evident that majority of strategies used to solve this problem should be directed at them (Fao.org, 2014). The world produces enough food to feed everyone, with an estimated amount of 2,720 Kcal per person a day (Worldhunger.org, 2014). The only problem is distri...
Agricultural Cycles: People who rely on fruits and vegetables that they produce for household food consumption (subsistence farmers) often go through cycles of relative abundance and scarcity. For many families that rely on subsistence production for survival, the period immediately prior to harvest is a 'hungry period.' During these periods of scarcity, many families lack sufficient resources to meet their minimal nutritional needs. Being familiar with these cycles has enabled development practitioners to anticipate and prepare for periods of acute need for assistance.
Famine has struck parts of Africa several times during the 20th century, and to this day is still going strong. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the average African consumes 2300 kcal/day, less than the global average of 2700 kcal/day. Recent figures estimate that 316 million Africans, or approximately 35 percent of the continent's total population, is undernourished. Although hunger in Africa is hardly new, it now occurs in a world that has more than enough food to feed all its citizens. Moreover, while Africa's population is growing rapidly, it still has ample fertile land for growing food. Hunger therefore reflects not absolute food scarcity but rather people's lack of access to resources—whether at the individual, house-hold, comunity, or national leve that are needed to produce or purchase adequate food supplies. The reasons people cannot obtain enough food are: several different historical patterns of in equality. These patterns include the in equalities between Africa and its former colonisers or contemporary financiers, and between Africa's rich and poor. It also includes in equality between members of the same households, where food and the resources needed to obtain it (such as land and income) are often unevenly distributed between men and women, old and young. Whatever the reasons for food deprivation, when the result is malnutrition it can do damage, increasing diseases such as malaria, rickets, anemia, and perhaps acquired immune deficiency syndrome aka AIDS Mal-nourished children suffer stunted growth and, often, learning problems. Malnourished adults have less energy to work. Over the long term, inadequate nourishment can cast communities into a cycle o...
Hunger and poverty have been a major problem in the world, which has being leading most people to death than cancer, Ebola, and malaria do. More than thousands of people die from hunger and poverty, and most of the people who suffer most are children below the age of ten. Hunger and poverty have contributed to the world food crisis that has an impact on the economy, the environment, and political issues. People living with hunger and poverty are more than those living a successful life in both developed and developing the world. Hunger makes victims live underweight, causing numerous of sickness to their health. Lack of
Without access to outside food the population in poorer countries drops and is “checked” by crop failures and famines. But access to outside food could be a problem because “if they can always draw on a world food bank in time of need, their populations can continue to grow unchecked, and so will their “need” for aid”(333). Poorer countries’ populations could surpass richer countries, then poorer countries will receive even more resources and give basically nothing, while the rich receive even less but give