Development in Modern Medicine
In spite of the fact that vaccinations were able to eradicate smallpox, anti-vaccinationists continue to make arguments in opposition to the vaccines because, as Mariner, Annas and Glants show, they base their views on their own personal experience, which can include “bad reactions to earlier vaccinations” (582). The individual experiences of people like Henning Jacobsen, who claimed that vaccinations were neither effective for them nor healthy, may have been exceptions to the rule (they always exist), or they may have been politically motivated to oppose what may have been perceived as overreach on the part of state and federal governments in their attempt to eradicate a disease by ordering the population to vaccinate. In terms of freedom of choice, Jacobsen’s arguments certainly resonate with Americans who support the concept of liberty. However, in today’s world, where safety and security are also viewed as important in maintaining order in society, there is some agreement among most that what is in the best interest of the common good is what individuals should follow. This utilitarian principle would seemingly support the idea of vaccination on a large scale and even forced vaccination in cases where emergency necessitates it—such as an outbreak of an epidemic. Kaufman points out, for instance, that “vaccination had proven to be effective in preventing smallpox and it was widely accepted and used in the years from 1802 to 1840” (463). For Jacobsen, this fact hardly mattered: his own personal liberty was at stake—and that was more important to him than the spread or eradication of smallpox. With that consideration in mind, this paper will show why opposition to smallpox vaccination would continue to grow even though researchers showed that it truly was the only effective weapon against the disease.
Not every individual is a firm believer in science, and not every member of...
6). What doctors do know is that the young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are far more likely to suffer adverse effects or become contaminated should an epidemic break out. These populations are also far more likely to develop the disease or suffer from side effects of vaccination which may include a heart attack (Annas, 2003). Many suggest the risk is unknown, because the disease is nearly eradicated,
Both sides took preventative measures as best they could, mainly by keeping their troops away from those afflicted with the disorder or by inoculating them. Did smallpox have the potential to affect the outcomes of campaigns or the war itself? Certainly the smallpox outbreak did indeed have the potential to affect the outcome of the war. On page 85 of his book, McCandless writes that sicknesses "…killed and incapacitated
Are Vaccines Safe or is There a Link to Autism Introduction The rapidity with which the novel coronavirus believed to cause COVID-19 overtook the world caused alarm among leaders and media leading to an urgent demand for an emergency vaccine. Because vaccines typically take years if not decades to develop, manufacture and test, the rollout of a COVID vaccine seemed dubious at best. But as Arnold (2020) points out, scientists had no
smallpox as a weapon against societies. The writer explores the viability of using smallpox as a weapon as well as some of the things societies have done to prepare for such a possibility. In addition the education of the American public for such an attack is discussed. There were seven sources used to complete this paper. Bioterrorism has been a concern of the United States for many years. During most
epidemiology changed and evolved from the 1900s to the present? What effects have these changes had in your area of health care? More than a hundred years ago, the primary focus of epidemiology was on containing the spread of epidemics such as cholera, tuberculosis, and polio. Knowledge about disease transmission, improved sanitation, and vaccinations have made many of these diseases either manageable or eradicated them. Today, the primary challenge for
Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918 was truly a world-shaking event. The numbers of dead are estimated to be somewhere between 50 and 100 million people, and it is estimated that the numbers of those who were infected and survived may have reached as high as five to ten times the number of dead. Almost one in three human beings alive in 1918 would be infected by the virus. But in
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