The Adaptive Parasite
Viruses are molecular sharks, a motive without a mind. They have sorted themselves into tribes, and they infect everything that lives. . . . Unknown viruses are coming out of the equatorial wildernesses of the earth and discovering the human race. . . . You might call AIDS the revenge of the rainforest. (Preston 160-61)
After reading Richard Preston's ominous and threatening portrayal of viruses in his article "Crisis In The Hot Zone," one may be alarmed enough to invest in surgical scrubs and a space suit to wear as a permanent precaution against these evidently vengeful creatures. In truth, there are lethal viruses that exist for which there is currently no vaccine or cure, and there are various emerging viruses that are infectious to humans. However, despite this unfortunate and frightening reality, Richard Preston and other creative writers may be presenting a misleading depiction of a virus' actual niche within the global ecosystem, modes of infection, and relationship with humans. Science fiction novels and movies like "Outbreak" encourage the public to view viruses as microscopic monsters that exist to ultimately put an end to the human population, but viruses are not motivated by either logic or instinct to kill. In fact, viruses are not motivated at all. They have merely evolved to survive by utilizing the raw materials that the ecosystem provides. Viral pathogens have developed, through the selective process of evolution, to exist as parasites, and the inevitable ecological interaction between organisms, the ignorance and negligence of human behavior, and the cultural habits and customs of humanity has enabled a multitude of viruses to emerge and thrive within our population.
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...S, we cannot expect to eliminate promiscuity or drug use; however, we can encourage protected sex and the use of clean needles. In addition, it would not be wise to eliminate the scientific advances provided by laboratory research on various animals or the benefits of constructing a dam or canal. However, we could, for example, take measures to control the massive propagation of mosquitoes in the event of the construction of a dam or canal. This relatively simple precaution will reduce the occurrence of diseases, such as Rift Valley fever and Yellow Fever, and may save thousands of lives. Although it is virtually impossible to completely prevent viruses from infecting humans, humanity's best defense against viral invasion is communication, education, and awareness to promote cautious behavior and to reduce the number of further outbreaks of deadly viruses.
He introduces the book with the concept of parasites and their role in balancing human population growth and their rise in the food chain or how he puts it “compensatory adjustments by other forms of life hemmed in human communities in such a tough and complex way that even after fully human skills had been achieved, the new efficiency attainable through cultural evolution was not sufficient to overpower and revolutionize the ecological system within which humanity evolved.” Interestingly McNeill gives agency to viruses and even distinguishes them as a safety measure preventing humanity from destroying the ecological balance of the world. Throughout Plagues and Peoples, McNeill tracks migration patterns, new points of contact, and warfare across countries and continents and how epidemic outbreak patterns correspond with major events.
This virus searches for a new vulnerable host in order to survive and carry the disease to the next victim. The critical aspect around the spread of a virus is how drastically the reproduction process occurs. Without being controlled, the contamination throughout any species causes the spread to take place in a toxic way, “On day one, there were two people. And then, four, and then, sixteen. In three months, it’s a billion.
Throughout Dr. Seuss’s life, he has written dozens of books with over one hundred million copies sold, and still being produced to this day. Theodor Seuss Geisel is a well-known author that had many inspirations for his works that are still read by millions today, such as Yertle the Turtle, The Sneeches, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. His inevitable fame and fortune came with a lot of pressure; pressure of his readers as well as pressure of his producers.
If one compares the epidemiology and social impact of these diseases they prove to be quite similar. The current AIDS epidemic has the potential to be the most dangerous and destructive plague of the millennium. No one knows exactly how the AIDS virus erupted. However, one presently dominant theory states that AIDS originated from monkeys in Africa
Theodor Seuss Geisel or as known as Dr.seuss is famous cartoonist , writer and author who was born 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is one of the most favorite children’s authors of the twentieth century. Although he is well known of children’s books like “The cat in the hat “and Green Eggs and Ham”. Theodor also has sold many copies of political cartoons, poems, and even film scripts not only in the united states but also worldwide. Poems, Political cartoons, and film scripts were some of his work as well. The power of writing he used brought joy and happiness to all people, especially kids. There is No doubt of a successful writer is he, brought such morals and lessons to real life. Whether he was drawing or writing, his work was
Theis, J.L., & Finkelstein, M.J. (2013). Long-Term Effects of Safe Patient Handling Program on Staff Injuries. Rehabilitation Nursing, 39, 26-35. DOI:10.1002/rnj.108
Theodor Geisel was able to enlist the help of the nation through his war efforts as well as maintain his beliefs in a time of high distress in our nation. As a result, Dr. Seuss came out of WWII as a famous writer who held no bounds when it came to his work and therefore was able to continue to produce and create amazing stories with deep meaning, for his target audience of children. This was done so successfully, that Seuss is still known today for several of his works, adapted into movies but also still read to millions upon millions of children each and every night.
Patient safety is a large concern for practices, nurses and doctors. There are many tasks and precautions that can be taken to prevent accidents in the work place, whether it involves patients or not. Florence Nightingale once said “The very first canon of nursing, the first and last thing on which a nurse’s attention must be fixed is to keep the air within as pure as the air without”. This quote is argued to be an analogy for keeping the patient safe and to return them to the same condition as before they fell ill. Patient safety is one of many top priorities in a nurse’s creed, right next to caring for the patient and returning them to proper health. It is the nurse’s responsibility to keep the patient as comfortable as possible. This has
Virus- An infectious agent found in virtually all life forms, including humans, animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. Viruses touch us every day through water, food, physical contact, blood, animals, or even, the air you breathe. Although most are harmless, there are some that are not.... ...
In this paper I will use a multitude of research that shows scholarly evidence on why single sex education is harmful to one’s over all wellbeing and physiological health throughout one’s life. Single sex education is defined, as “the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools”(Pinzler, p. 785, 2005). The controversy over single sex education involves aspects such as its effectiveness and social ramifications of binary genders. Supports of single sex education believe that there are fewer distractions because everyone is of the same sex. Supporters also believe single sex education is also seen as a way to break down stereotypes such as women not doing well in the math and science field. They believe that single sex education helps males also break out of typical gender roles such as hyper masculinity. However, proponents believe separating girls and boys makes little to no difference in their academic achievement and is actually more harmful to your identity.
Throughout the 20th century, there was an assumption that Co-Education was the only choice for education. It had reached the point that Single-Sex Education was discriminating, and was considered to be inherently. Finally, in the last decade, the federal guidelines of Education have become more relaxed and are now allowing Single-Sex Education. In the past decade, a number of schools have offered and also experienced with Single-Sex Education. Single-Sex Education is a great offer for schools, and should be used more often.
In the 1960s, doctors in the United States predicted that infectious diseases were in decline. US surgeon Dr. William H. Stewart told the nation that it had already seen most of the frontiers in the field of contagious disease. Epidemiology seemed destined to become a scientific backwater (Karlen 1995, 3). Although people thought that this particular field was gradually dying, it wasn’t. A lot more of it was destined to come. By the late 1980s, it became clear that people’s initial belief of infectious diseases declining needed to be qualified, as a host of new diseases emerged to infect human beings (Smallman & Brown, 2011).With the current trends, the epidemics and pandemics we have faced have created a very chaotic and unreliable future for mankind. As of today, it has really been difficult to prevent global epidemics and pandemics. Although the cases may be different from one state to another, the challenges we all face are all interconnected in this globalized world.
The three-month intervention targeted the following areas: improvement of worker health through the involvement of unit managers, implementation of unit-wide safety changes, and worker education. The intervention agenda included three themes: 1) improvement of unit ergonomics and safety, 2) practicing safe patient handling, and 3) enhancing staff physical fitness. Floor safety champions were appointed to guide staff during the implementation of the safe patient handling activities. The program included mentoring sessions with an ergonomic specialist, which focused on increasing awareness of strategies to reduce the risk of injury to the worker and patient. Expanded knowledge, readily available supervisor support, and the improved work environment were associated with reduced worker stress and increased consistency in the implementation of safety techniques among workers (Caspi et al.,
Safety is the vital foundation of the healthcare system. Making sure patients are not victims of human errors while caring form them. Safety is what people think of when it comes to quality improvement. It refers to the treatment given in healthcare setting does not harm patients. Unfortunately, humans are not perfect and errors are made. In order to provide safe care, it is required from everyone to be involved in identifying opportunities where patient care can be made safer. Constant learning and proven based evidence are necessary to the improve care and prevent harm. There are many ways to prevent errors and cue staff before or while providing care in a medical setting, such as, doctor’s offices, hospital, nursing homes, or rehabilitation facilities. For example, making sure that medications are labeled, providing correct dose to correct patient. Making sure bed rails and
The first all female schools began in the early 1800’s. These academies favored more traditional gender roles, women being the home makers and the men being the bread winners. The first generation of educated women was the result of single-sex colleges in 1873. Wendy Kaminer, an investigative journalist, states that “single-sex education was not exactly a choice; it was a cultural mandate at a time when sexual segregation was considered only natural” (1). Women of this time were technically not allowed to attend school with males. Feminists of this time worked hard to integrate the school system and by the early 1900’s, single sex classrooms were a thing of the past. In 1910, twenty-seven percent of colleges were for men only, fifteen percent were for women only and the remainders were coed. Today, women outnumber men among college graduates (Kaminer 1). After all the hard work of early feminists, there are thousands of people today who advocate bringing back the single sex classroom.