ADMAIN, Heba O.

NSG 103 – K

1. Describe the earliest efforts at health care and informal health education.

- Discoveries obtained by the earliest people through observation and trial-and-error

have been passed from one person to another through verbal communication.
Sometimes, it was even incorporated into rules and considered taboos for the public
to differ what are good and bad practices. For example, defecation near the communal
area or near sources of drinking water may have been considered taboo before as
stated by McKenzie & Pinger in 2015. Most early humans may not know the exact
logic behind this taboo, but it has indeed helped minimize the risk of contamination
and infection between communities. From this, I can describe this effort for health
care as vague and unclear, yet it still is effective at some point. As society became
even more advanced, people started knowing better, and so, trial-and-error became
less necessary. Health care information was also written down to save and keep a
record of the knowledge. Examples of these are the Smith Papyri describing the
various surgical techniques and the Code of Hammurabi which contained laws
regarding health practices and physicians. Nevertheless, diseases that were just too
complex to be comprehended before were attributed to magical spirits or gods. To
take action, people used to offer sacrifices, wear "protective" amulets, utter charms,
spells, and chants, and avoid "haunted places". I would say that while most of these
are pointless, especially in the scientific aspect, it is evident that spiritual beliefs made
a huge impact on health education and how the information spread before.
Considering this, we can also say that health information was greatly dependent on
priests and the like.

2. What are the major epidemics of the Middle Ages? Why are they so feared? What
factors contributed to their spread? What are some strategies people used to
prevent the disease?

- Major epidemics of the Middle Ages include leprosy, smallpox, Diptheria, measles,
influenza, tuberculosis, anthrax, trachoma, syphilis, and the bubonic plague or the
Black Death. Perhaps, fear is associated with this not only because of the ease of
transmission and the effects themselves but also because of the judgment that comes
along with having the disease. Say, for example, people who have and were suspected
to have leprosy received very poor treatment from society. They were discriminated
against, forced to leave the city, and coerced to wear clothes that tell the world that
they are lepers. Some even had to wear a bell around the neck for other people to
know that they are coming in close contact with one. Isolation came hand-in-hand
 with hunger and more exposure to the disease, which contributed to the quick death
of both the lepers and those suspected. The reason behind the bubonic plague was
also unknown, which is why people resorted to superstition, giving birth to more fear.
I believe reasons for the spread of the disease can be attributed to the inability of the
Empire to handle the immediate growth of the population, leading to increased
contact with areas of contamination due to the lack of fresh water and inefficient
sewage removal. Health education was also not advanced. People are unaware of the
science behind the disease which is why the root of the problem could not be
efficiently tackled. To prevent the disease, people who resorted to spiritual and
religious beliefs like the Brotherhood of the Flagellants practiced some rituals. As the
Flagellants believed that salvation from the plague can be received with atonement by
beating themselves ritualistically 100 times. They marched from one city to another
in lines of two while chanting a litany and conducting their ceremony. Then, they lash
themselves until their bodies turned swollen and blue, losing a lot of blood. In
addition to this, they were prohibited from taking a bath or washing and changing
clothes. Attempts to uncover the cause of the plague were also made and gave rise to
debates. One of the notable people who worked on this was Jehan Jacme.

3. Discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted health, health care, and health
education practice.

- From my observation, the COVID-19 pandemic gave us a chance to take a step back
and become more conscious of our hygiene and cleanliness. As evident from
ourselves, the practice of handwashing or the use of alcohol and sanitizer became
much more usual. Others did not use to care that much about it before, but with fear
and the knowledge that this could minimize the risk of having the virus, people
started doing it often. Thoroughly cleaning products from the groceries was also
common during the early times of the pandemic. Practical actions like covering the
mouth when coughing or isolating when symptoms are felt are also emphasized
during this time. I believe that the practices and learnings that we have become
accustomed to during this time will stay with us for a long-time, considering the
changes that the COVID-19 has brought to our lives. Of course, health care
professionals became the most drained due to the growing demand. A lot of people
might also have re-evaluated the importance of health care, which I hope will lead to
further developments in the field now that the majority have their eyes on it.
Furthermore, I think that social media also played an important role in the spread of
health education. As someone who does not watch or read the news, I got most
information about the virus from reliable and trusted sources on the Internet. There
were also a lot of posters and infographics shared over there so that awareness could
be raised. I would say that this is very effective as people become more familiar with
the nature of the pandemic through this.