Week 10 (11/1/05, 11/3)

Here's a list showing your [current] topics. I continue to think how these projects can be made more meaningful and [substantive] for you. Below the table are my thoughts on the type of research you need at this point.

Alvey, Trish

Control of zoonoses and Pasteur's studies of rabies

An, Jin

Causes and treatment of mental disorders past and present: William Tuke and the English reformers

Black, Laura 

Causes and treatment of mental disorders past and present: Pinel and the French reformers

Carino, Kelly

 

Dimaano, Richard 

Nutritional deficiency diseases from Lind, to Goldberger, to the discovery of specific vitamins

Espinozaramos, Griselda

Infant and child mortality: from Diderot to present

Huang, Amanda

Epidemic fevers, with focus on Yellow fever outbreaks in 20th century U. S.

Johnson, Stephanie 

Environmental factors involved in the Typhus outbreak of 1795, London

Lam, Jen

Understanding measles: from Rhaze to Panum to the MMR vaccine

Mendonca, Jessica

Lind's trails in the treatment of scurvy: birth of clinical  trials

Mendoza-Porras, Catalina 

Health problems in prostitutes

Michlelet, Sarah 

Public health consequences of catastrophic events: role of voluntary organizations 

Moody, Liz

Cowpox, smallpox, and vaccine development from Jenner to the present

Poso, Jon

to be determined

Van, Johnson 

Control of smallpox  

Wright, Josef

Scarlet fever and strep throat: varying virulence of Streptococcus infection with historical illustrations

 
KEEP IN MIND that this is a Life Sciences course. We want to use public health events to gain insight into life sciences. [This means] you must know the agent, host, and environmental of which you speak. There is not short cut. No faking it. Understood?

Trish -- You need a good understanding of zoonotic diseases and viral disease to do your project. Start with a general study of [specific] zoonotic disease. Identify agents, reservoirs, and modes of transmission. Then, study of the immunologic basis of vaccination. Then (only then), try putting Pasteur's work into perspective.

Jin and Laura - You are both interested in mental disorders. Start with an overview of mental disorders. Collaborate. Learn about the [different] types of mental disorders. Learn about their causes. Learn about their treatments. Apply this to historical reforms in the treatment of mental disorders -- Jin through studying [the English reforms] and Laura [through studying the French reforms]. You have a lot of background research to do before you even start to study the reformers.

Richard -- You should start with a listing of [all] nutritional deficiency diseases. Consider the specific cause of each. [Go vitamin by vitamin.] Identify the discovery of the specific deficiencies (person, place, and time). You [should]  then focus on a key [historical] nutritional disease [that presented a big public health problem]. You can start with Lind, but remember that Lind did not consider scurvy a nutritional deficiency as we now view nutritional diseases. [This is why I recommend something more modern, such as] Goldberger, who was much more advanced in the understanding of nutritional disorders. When discussing the history of the nutritional disorder, consider not only the agent (nutritional deficiency), but the environmental and social factors that contributed to the [wide-spread] problem.

Griselda -- In re-reading your abstract, I now think that the common theme of your interest is child and maternal health -- not so much hospital sanitation. If this is the case, you might be better off studying infant and child mortality. Start by making a list of the common causes of infant and childhood death in the 18th and 19th century. In reading the book, this included things like diphtheria, Scarlet fever, diarrhea diseases, TB, and pneumonia. Malnutrition and crowding were contributing factors. Take note of the agents involved in [each cause of death]. Then, after you understand these disease, identify specific social factors led to [improvements in mortality]. You have a lot of background research [to do before you even start your project]. The text has a lot of information on improvement in child health conditions for children in the early 20th century (Chapter VIII), but first identify the specific childhood diseases [that were prevalent].

Amanda --  You are interested in febrile illnesses. I know you were interested in the English Sweats, but the book says "the nature of the sweating sickness has never been satisfactorily clarified ... it may be a form of influenza [or] a modified typhus, etc." (pp. 63 - 64). Also, it has not been seen again [in epidemic form] since the 16th century. I am therefore recommending that you start your research by listing the major febrile illnesses. Identify their cause, epidemiology, agents, reservoirs, symptoms, routes of transmission, and host and environmental factors involved these fevers. I'm up in the air where we go from there. Perhaps a clear theme will emerge after you learn about [a specific event or] disease. Maybe you can compare influenza outbreaks to the mysterious English Sweats[by entertaining the theory that the English Sweats was actually a flu epidemic]. [This could lead you to a consideration of current] influenza surveillance (a hot topic). Let's discuss options in a week, after you've compiled your list of epidemic febrile illnesses.

Stephanie -- Learn all you can about Typhus. Learn about its symptoms, agent, transmission, the immune response, reservoir, prevalence, severity, mortality, and so on. Perhaps you can collaborate with Amanda on this element of your research, since typhus is a type of febrile illness [this will depend on whether Amanda becomes more interested influenza or typhus as her main febrile disease]. Then, relate [the typhus outbreak to] the social conditions that caused the epidemic of 1795. Since your topic is focused, you must dig deep. Don't settle for the first bit of information you encounter. Learn all you can the biological and social factors that contributed to [the typhus] epidemic [of 1795]. Who studied this epidemic? When and who ultimately discovered that typhus was different than typhoid? When and who discovered typhus was vector borne? Come up with additional research questions about typhus.

Jen -- You have a focused topic. Start by learning all you can about the biology, epidemiology, and clinical manifestations of measles. Learn about natural and artificial immunity to measles. You will find much interest about the the Dane Panum. You are going to become our measles expert.

Jessica -- A lot has been written on Lind and on scurvy. You do need to learn about the nature of scurvy [first], but it seems to me that the depth of your research should go into clinical trials. Go beyond the surface of Lind's trial. Perhaps you can relate Lind's trial to more recent trials, like the polio vaccine trial in the 1950s?  Go into great depth [about the importance of clinical trials in public health].

Catalina - You have a broad topic, [and you must learn much about its] background before you go much further. Start by listing the STDs. Identify each agent, its method of transmission, and so on. Only then can you understand methods of prevention and treatment. Compare  prevention and treatment methods throughout history. Be specific. Take lots of notes. [Don't procrastinate. Start now.]

Sarah - The public health consequences of catastrophic events is a hot topic. Be specific and focused. Start by listing types of catastrophic events that have public health consequences (e.g., war, floods, famine, etc.). Then, maybe you could choose one specific type of event [war] and [list the agents, host factors, and environmental factors associated with] its health consequence. [I think there might be specific] diarrhea diseases, pneumonia, and nutritional disease you want to become familiar with. Identify agent, host, and environmental factors associated with the health consequence. [Perhaps you can go back to your WWI / influenza theory?] Then, show how the Red Cross or another voluntary agency would be involved in mitigating (minimizing) the health effects of the disaster. (Focus on health and disease.) Your topic needs focus -- it needs specifics -- start gathering information and refining your topic now -- I want to see progress this week.]

Liz - Learn about the agent, reservoir, method of transmission, and clinical manifestations of cowpox and smallpox in humans and, in the case of cowpox, in cows. Acquire a deep understanding of smallpox immunity. Perhaps you can collaborate with some of the other infectious disease students (Jen, Johnson). Remember to use the scientific terms in describing the ailment, its immunology, and its epidemiology.

Johnson -- I now see you as part of the infectious disease group. As background, you must learn about the science of smallpox -- the agent, its reservoir, host factors, portals, transmission. You must also learn about its clinical manifestations. Because you and Liz have overlap [topics], I'm recommending that you focus on the environmental aspect of the disease, while Liz concentrate on immunologic control (host factors). Let's see if you can learn about the WHO program that eliminated naturally occurring smallpox. Then, relate this to the current bioterrorism threats with the agent. We have a highly susceptible population to an fatal disease that has been eliminated in its natural form.

Josef -- You have to do the background research to do. Learn everything you can about the streptococcus. Learn about its transmission, portals, immunology, and clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment. Compare strep infection in the form of Scarlet fever, strep throat. Learn about the carrier state. You need this background before you move onto to the study of the outbreaks you mentioned in class. Avoid PubMed for now -- go instead to the Merck manuals (home edition and clinical edition). After you have the background, then you can focus on the Scartet fever outbreak, as you mentioned in class.

Contact our reference librarian (Harry Meserve) or me if you need help in moving you research forward.