Sierra A. Jewett The 1950s; for years, people have romanticized this era. The world back then was so much easier, “more innocent”, and overall just better then today. We seem to think of this time as a magical time, the streets were paved with gum-drops and rainbows showered skittles. People had great morals and dedication and hard work were respected. The men had great paying jobs and every night, they came home to a beautiful wife and children. The wives would always wear these elegant dresses with heels and pearls. The houses never dirty because the wives would always be so willing to clean. There are so many things that make us want to have that back; but the thing is if it was so good, then why did we change it? When you think of horrid diseases a couple will come to mind. One of the ones that comes to my mind is Polio. Even though this disease is virtually eradicated, it was once rampant. Paralyzing and killing children, there was no treatment or cure for this horrendous disease. As stated by Indiana Jen, “It wasn’t until the 1960s that the Salk vaccine was developed enough to provide immunity to 99% of recipients.” Nowadays, most adults and children never have been touched by the disease and fail to recall that it was once a killer of children. Not only did you have diseases, but there was also a profusion of racism. In the 1950s (before the civil rights movements in the 1960s), racism and segregation were extremely tangible and culturally ingrained practices. It
When I read “What We Really Miss About the 1950’s”, Stephanie Coontz provides many data and reports to support the positive side and negative sides of the 1950’s. On my first impression, the 1950’s sounded a pretty good era. People just get through the World War II. Many young men came back home or just build their new home.After so many years, American people can do everything at once again. However,every coin has two sides.Some heavy things such as racism, woman’s rights,and McCarthyism. I have to ask myself a question “ Do we really miss those old days?”. Or more specific, “why some time we said those old days are good?”. I do want to argue which era is the best. I just want to focus on why sometime people said old days are better and we
This thought would be a myth. These diseases never really disappear, instead the number of cases drop extremely low and just aren't noticed by the majority of society anymore.5 In the United States, all 50 states have a mandatory vaccination law established within the schools to protect against diseases such as this.6 After the release of the first poliomyelitis vaccine in 1955, Jonas Salk was greatly thanked by many all around and this creation established a sense of relief from polio all over America and even the world.7 Warning of certain side effects were even given about this vaccine but that didn't stop anyone from getting it; after viewing how horrible polio was, society would do whatever possible to prevent it.8 The fact that those living during the 1900's, especially mid 1900's, witnessed everything that polio could do and even lost loved ones to it, established a greater desire for the vaccine. Even if some may have been against vaccines, it's the fear that they lived by which drove them to get it. There still were select people that were just so against vaccinations they never got it, but that meant that they were still at risk. As the years went on and cases of certain diseases such as polio decreased substantially, there was little fear among people since they were almost non-existent and some felt as if certain vaccinations were not
With the last outbreak of Polio in the US being in 1979, many today have no recollection of the terror of this disease. The disease primarily infected children, and there seemed to be no pattern to who succumbed to it. No one could feel safe. Polio as a disease presents such horrors that even those who overcome it once can be plagued by its aftereffects in later life. Before vaccines, single outbreaks could devastate entire communities. One outbreak
Have you ever wanted to use a time machine and go back in time just to experience what life was like in a different era? If you have ever taken a history class, then you have certainly learned about the Middle Ages, the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War Era, and the Progressive Era. While these time periods did provide us with new inventions, different societal standards, and new leaders, they all had something in common. These eras were filled with disease, causing the life expectancy of people during these time periods to be much lower than it is today. People were dying of diseases such as measles, small pox, cholera, and polio. Today, these diseases are essentially extinct because we have made medical advances to prevent people from
Polio went from deadly to non-existent when the vaccine for it was developed in 1955 (Welch, 2014, ¶11). Rubella went from 48,000 people a year and kill about 17, and now just infecting 17 with no fatalities. Prior to 1965, thousands of infants were born with Congenital Rubella Syndrome which caused birth defects such as hearing and vision loss, heart problems, congenital cataracts, liver and spleen damage, and mental disabilities because their mothers were infected with the rubella virus. In 2006, there was only one
In 1988, 350,000 cases of polio, an incurable virus that can cause permanent paralysis or death, were reported. In 2014, only 359 cases were reported (“Poliomyelitis”). The reason for this dramatic decline in cases was a global initiative to vaccinate children and eradicate the virus. No longer did parents have to warn their children away from crowded areas or swimming pools for fear of their child contracting polio. However, as the relief faded and polio became little more than a historical relic, a new movement gained traction. People started focusing more on the possible dangers of vaccines than on their numerous advantages. It culminated in an “anti-vaccination” movement, and ever since science and advocates have been fighting over the issue. Vaccines have since been studied closely for years, and a myriad of investigations have proven that vaccinations are crucial. Every person should receive necessary immunizations because they protect people from dying of preventable diseases, their benefits far outweigh the risks, and vaccinated people protect all members of their community, especially those who cannot receive vaccinations.
As touched on quickly in the previous paragraph, a disease known as smallpox used to be a reality. Conquering the lives of many, this disease was a force to be feared. Regardless, through the use of vaccinations, it has been killed off completely. Today, smallpox vaccinations aren’t even necessary anymore. Other diseases, such as polio or chickenpox can be killed off eventually, so long as everyone receives vaccinations. It is possible that one day, all diseases which have vaccinations may be killed off, and would no longer need to be
Mass immunizations have eradicated many once deadly diseases. The likes of smallpox, which killed millions, and polio; which immobilized and killed thousands. In the 1900s, cures to these diseases were given as immunizations in mass to the public, and through persistence and years of work these diseases were eradicated. Until Andrew Wakefield and others said a cause of autism was immunizations. More and more of the world's population has not gotten immunized, because of proven false statements, laziness, and poverty, now those illnesses are back.
Thousands kicked the bucket each year from them. As immunizations were created and turned out to be broadly utilized, rates of these diseases declined until today a great number of them are about gone from the world. (Denson, 2015) In 1921, more than 15,000 Americans died because of diphtheria before there was immunizations. Now only one instance of diphtheria has been accounted for to the CDC since 2004. An epidemic of rubella (German measles) in 1964-1965 contaminated 2 and a half million Americans, slaughtered 2,000 infants, and brought about 11,000 premature deliveries. (Denson, 2015) In 2012, just 9 instances of rubella were accounted for to the CDC. This is also shown by the average future towards the start of the twentieth century was 47.3 years. After a century, that number has expanded to 77.85 years, because of the improvement of immunizations and different medicines for deadly illnesses. Regardless of the achievement of immunizations, only one of these disease, smallpox, has been eradicated from the globe. (Denson, 2015) As a result of antibodies, 12 lethal sicknesses can be cured including the chicken pox, diphtheria, Invasive H. influenza, Malaria, Pneumococcal infections, polio, typhoid fever, Yellow fever and smallpox. Immunizations is one of the best leaps forward in improving modern medicine. No other medicinal intercession has accomplished more to save lives and enhance the quality of life. (Denson,
Right from early childhood I have always been fascinated by the simple yet highly effective concept of “Prevention is better than cure” . As a kid In biology class, it was really mind boggling to learn that a single vaccine was able to eradicate a deadly disease like smallpox permanently. At that time, I remember asking my teacher why can't we eradicate all diseases and live healthy for ever? My teacher smiled at me and said
Vaccines have proven their worth multiple times in the United States. Before vaccines there was an estimated 21,053 deaths from diphtheria each year. In 2014, there had been 0 reported cases. Measles contributed to an estimated 530,217 deaths yearly before vaccines. In 2014, there was only 187 cases reported. That is more than a 99% decrease. Polio caused an estimated 16,316 deaths yearly. In 2014, with the help of vaccines, only 1 case was reported. An estimated 47,745 people died yearly from rubella during pre-vaccine era. In 1964 12.5 million Americans were infected with rubella (“Vaccines Work!”, 1). It killed 2,000 babies, and caused 11,000 miscarriages (“What Would […]”, 1). In 2014, only 9 cases were reported. Smallpox had an estimated 29,005 casualties yearly without vaccines. In 2014, 0 cases were reported (“Vaccines Work!”, 1). Not only can vaccines help minimize the amount of cases of an infection, in some instances, it eliminated the infection completely. The list that vaccinations have
The Poliovirus, one of America’s most deadly epidemics in the US history. This deadly virus had wiped out millions of children from 1920-1950. Most of the Polio epidemics had happen during the summer. The first cause of Polio in the United States happen in Brooklyn, New York in 1916 when according to Heaven Emerson the public health commissioner said “90 italian immigrants under the age of 10 had moved to Brooklyn where the outbreak appeared, and that immigrants were the first to get it because they were dirtier and poorer.” From that summer in 1916, Polio had scared the entire population in New York. Parents were taking extreme measures to ensure their kid would not get Polio. Polio affected children the most. Children were put in quarantine,
At the time vaccines were known as inoculation, and inoculations were much more risky compared to the vaccine that we have today. This was because instead of using a dead form of the disease actual body fluids from an infected victim were put under the skin of a person wanting the inoculation. For centuries vaccines were praised due to the fact that before they existed, disease was devastating and killed millions upon millions with no sign of stopping. Studies have shown that once a vaccine has been created for disease the numbers of infections or deaths decrease dramatically. For instance in 1952 there were over 21,000 cases of paralytic Polio that were reported, then by the end of the 1900’s there were less than 10 cases reported per year and that is all thanks to a vaccine. Also the eradication of smallpox in the 1970’s was all thanks to Edward Jenner's invention; the vaccine.
Imagine a world ravaged by disease and death. It started with one person in a remote village in Africa or Asia. Slowly the disease spread throughout the village infecting hundreds. Soon the outbreak jumps to neighboring villages and eventually towns. Thousands begin to become infected and death is not far away. As the disease starts to spread from town to city to country to continent millions begin to die. The disease is tearing through the globe causing an epidemic and wiping millions out. The disease seemed something minor that did not need a vaccination when health officials first warned of it. First world countries were bullied into believing that their children were at risk for neurological damage that had no scientific data behind it because it seemed scary. Parents stopped having their children receive vaccines making them susceptible to the disease and its wrath.
Imagine a world ravaged by disease and death. It started with one person in a remote village in Africa or Asia. Slowly the disease spread throughout the village infecting hundreds. Soon the outbreak jumps to neighboring villages and eventually towns. Thousands begin to become infected and death is not far away. As the disease starts to spread from town to city to country to continent millions begin to die. The disease is tearing through the globe, causing an epidemic and wiping out millions. Health officials warned that the disease was harmful, but first world countries were bullied into believing that their children were at risk of neurological damage that had no scientific data behind it because it seemed scary. Parents stopped having their children receive vaccines, making them susceptible to the disease and its wrath.