Connecting Conversations, Essay Example

Let’s Get Together:How a Multi-Disciplinary Approach is the Key to the Future of Disease Study

 Diseases have plagued mankind since our first interactions with each other as we struggled for survival in the harsh natural world. Over the centuries we have succumbed to these diseases or developed immunities almost as quickly as the lethal microbes of the world evolved into new diseases. Today we must look at disease from a variety of perspectives to discover how it evolved, how (and who) it affects and what future measures we must take against it. This paper examines three articles that look at disease and epidemics from several perspectives. It will first identify the disciple that influences the perspective on an article on how disease led Europeans to conquer the world. Secondly it will examine an article on the obesity epidemic in America today and one on the continuing struggle against HIV awareness in the United States. Though these articles address very different aspects of epidemics and disease, their varied perspectives help one to see that disease is not merely a matter of simple science, history or politics alone. The perspectives of all disciplines must be combined to solve the current and future epidemics from which so many of the world’s people suffer today.

In chapter 11 of his book, Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond explores the rise of “crowd” diseases in human civilization and their role in the European conquering of the New World in the mid-16^th century. The chapter begins from an anthropological perspective speculating how the evolution of social grouping of humans impacted the evolution of disease. The first turning point he says was the rise of agriculture which saw people living in more stable environments than their nomadic predecessors. It was augmented still by the creation and growth of cities. In cities humans were living in unprecedented numbers in close proximity to each other without adequate sanitation which was a breeding ground for bacteria and disease. A good example of this was the cholera outbreak in London in the late 1800s. Another contributing factor to the spread of lethal microbes was the interaction between civilizations. Rome and later European societies sent people all over the world to bring back treasure, knowledge and in some cases, disease. It is now believed that the bubonic plague or Black Death was brought to Europe from China on a trade route. The true key to the development of disease in Europe, Diamond claims, was a result of the European domestication of animals. Pigs, sheep and cows are social animals and microbes have evolved into diseases specific to these species. As humans domesticated these animals, many of their diseases adapted to human hosts. Malaria, measles, flue, tuberculosis and smallpox are among those that have been linked to domesticated animals.

We are all familiar with the conquests of the New World by Cortez and Pizarro but Diamond points out the significance of disease to their success. By the time explorers reached the Mississippi River Valley in North America, it is believed 95% of the Native American population had been wiped out by diseases from the south. The reason Europeans did not contract equally deadly diseases from their conquered lands, Diamond suggests is that the civilizations of South America did not have as many domesticated animals or as social animals to develop crowd diseases as in Europe. This chapter approaches the subject of disease and epidemic from the perspective of several disciples. It starts with an historical/anthropological approach by looking at how the habits and movement of people through history have affected their health and shaped the world. Secondly it looks scientifically at the evolution of microbes from animal diseases to some of the most common and lethal of human diseases.

The second article, “XXXL: Why are we so fat?” is a glimpse into the history and evolution of obesity in America. This particular affliction is complicated in its categorization. As the author explains, it has grown to be viewed by some as an intrinsic characteristic akin to race or gender rather than a personal choice. The fact is that Americans were not always so overweight. The trend was first identified in the 1960s and has increased every decade since. Kolbert asks the question, “why are we so fat?” and it turns out there is a scientific answer in part. Our obesity is the result of a natural urge developed through evolution. Our ancestors spent their lives seeking out and consuming calories in order to survive. As they evolved their cranial capacity increased and with this, a need for more calories. The result was an instinctive human desire to consume high calorie foods as much as possible. If this is the case, she asks, why have obesity rates increased so much in just the last 50 years?

There are several contributing factors. First, processed and highly calorific foods are cheaper than they ever have been in the past. The prices of soft drinks and fast food have plummeted and people are consuming more of them. Second, food is a product to be marketed and sold and as such companies do their best to create foods that are appealing and addictive. Generally this involves some combination of that tantalizing trio; fat, salt and sugar. More products with higher amounts of these three sell well but also contribute to our obese public. Thirdly, the trend of “supersizing” has contributed to obesity. This is the idea that in order to make money you can increase the price if you increase the portion size and unfortunately studies show that the more food you put in front of people, the more they will eat (and the larger they will grow!).

It is important, Kolbert writes that we recognize obesity for the dangerous epidemic that it is. It costs nations billions of dollars a year in health care costs. The World Health Organization has suggested measures to curb obesity including a “fat tax,” marketing regulation, and increased health education. This article takes a sociological and anthropological approach in that it shows why people have become fat and also how obesity is viewed by society.

The final article is about the HIV epidemic in America. It is drawing attention to the severity of the disease in the United States. There are about 15,300 new cases each year an increase on the conservative estimates of the past. Health officials are urging the increased education of particular groups victimized by the disease including African Americans, Latinos and gay and bisexual men. Despite greater funding and education over the years, levels have remained stable and the future looks bleak to the CDC.

In conclusion, all of these articles look at the progression and future of epidemics and diseases in our world. Though they view it from the perspective of various disciplines including science, history, anthropology and sociology all the authors ultimately promote similar agendas; increased awareness of epidemics, whether it be obesity or AIDS, and learning from the past- that germs are larger killers than any weapon. In the developed world we have experienced epidemics and diseases for centuries and survived. Today developing countries still suffer from many of the same epidemics we have come a long way in conquering and we have a responsibility to aid them in this struggle. HIV plagues the United States but not nearly as much as many nations. Malaria is unheard of in most developed nations but takes countless lives every year across the globe. We have a responsibility to share our wealth and technology- not only to curb the epidemics of our own countries but also to help the broader society avoid our past mistakes in this new and globalized world.

Works Cited

Diamond, Jared M. “Lethal Gift of Livestock.” Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1999. 205-14. Print.

Kolbert, Elizabeth. “XXXL: Why Are We so Fat?” The New Yorker. 20 July 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/07/20/090720crbo_books_kolbert>.

Dizikes, Cynthia. “Officials Call HIV Epidemic a Crisis.” Los Angeles Times. 17 Sept. 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/17/nation/na-hiv17>.