Hwk 22

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man who would Cure the World
By Tracy Kidder
Published by Random House in 2003

Chapter Four
Precis: Dr. Farmer is in the country of Haiti; he conducts a research study proving that those who receive free health care are indeed to fully recover. Farmer and Kidder travel to a village of Morne Michel in search of a patient who has been missing his visits. Later on they figure out that he wasn’t able to see Dr. Farmer because he hadn’t received stipend cash, and the instructions he got in his last visit were confusing. After coming across a cock fighting pit, Kidder and Farmer set out again.

Quotes:
"Giving people medicine for TB and not giving them food is like washing your hands and drying them in the dirt." (pg. 34)

There needs to be a balance of everything to keep one stable. Without one or the other, it makes no sense of making an effort to cure an illness.

"Beyond mountains there are mountains." (pg. 36)

One problem links to another...I think this is said to make the reader aware about how great the affect of illness is. There are a limitless amount of concerns having to do with illness and death, yet only a number that are willing to cure.

Farmer asked the patient, a young man, if he disliked his TB medicines. "Are you kidding?" he replied." I wouldn't be here without them." (pg. 41)

I think its funny the way our world works. Living organisms are usually categorized as "priceless", but we are willing to put a price on something that helps us stay alive.

"To understand Russia, to understand Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Boston, identity politics, Sri Lanka, and Life Savers, you have to be on top of this hill." (pg. 44)

To understand something you cannot look at it from one perspective; instead look at it with a kaleidoscopic view.

Thoughts:
So far this book has a strong way of creating a picture for its readers. Before reading this I wasn’t fully aware about the problems of Haiti. Even though we hear things in the news, reading this made me Haiti view Haiti through a totally different angle. Dr. Farmer seems like he has devoted his whole life to helping others. He doesn’t seem to mention any of his own necessities such as his family. All he has in mind is the health of others and how he can help in making it better. There are many individuals in Haiti that are in need of serious medical attention and Dr. Farmer is there to serve them all. While reading this chapter, I realized how much we value our life; we will go through anything to keep ourselves alive. For example when Dr. Farmer questioned his patient in the village of Morne Michel about his medications, he replied: “Are you kidding?...I wouldn't be here without them.” I think this connects back to what Beth stated: “I am afraid of dying.” Even though we try to mask ourselves as tough figures in society, we are all afraid of death. When we experience illness we become aware of our body and the state its in. We suddenly become worried because our body is not in its normal state as it should be. This is when we start to become afraid of the worst: death.