Hwk 23

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

Chapter Thirteen
Precis:
An epidemiological map is based on the causes of sickness, death and the statistics for the numbers and ages. It can be color coded into two categories; one is to show death caused by illnesses having to do with age. The other shows death occurring at early ages caused by hunger , violence and illness. Farmer comes up with the “great epi divide”; this is what divides the two color coded sections. The majority of Haiti would fall under the color which shows poor health. Tuberculosis is on the rise in Haiti; this is a major factor in the epidemiological map since it is usually optioned for the needy. It takes advantage of the malnourished, AIDS and highly contagious. TB can be cured by the simple use on inexpensive drugs. But they have to be administered for some months. Poverty seems to be the cause of ill health in Haiti.

Quotes:
“The map of the United States, by contrast, would depict a healthy nation speckled with disease.” (pg. 125)

What exactly is healthy? If there are still diseased individuals in the United States should we still be considered healthy? I guess when compared to Haiti yes, but in general I wouldn’t say we are a very healthy country. Neither do we have great hope of turning that around in the near future.

“Many of the groups of people living on the wrong side of the great epi divide have brown or black skin.” (pg. 125)

What kind of roles does race play in the topic of illness and dying? Does it have to do with how illness and death is carried out in different societies? Or does it have to do with the average income of these different races? I think money plays a big role for the health of an individual, if you can afford health insurance or have some form of health care, than you are less likely to worry about any illness. But if you are not so lucky then you are more prone to it. I think it’s terribly wrong to put a price on an individual.

“He remembered the feeling of dread that washed over him when he realized what his patient had. And dread was justified; the young man dies. Farmer blamed himself, but the fact was that treating MDR was tricky under the best of circumstances…” (pg. 127)

Farmer seems to take his patients life as if it is his job to keep them alive. This definitely shows that he takes his job very seriously, which to me is both good and bad. Farmer really wants to be responsible for his patients and give them the best treatment possible, but tends to have a hard time dealing with failure. Maybe he needs to realize that in some cases “failure is the key to success”…

Thoughts:
After reading the second third of the book, I realized how big of an impact illness can have in one country. Tuberculosis seems to be on the top of the list when it comes to sickness and death in many third world countries. Even though Farmer tries to make every attempt in curing the most possible, it is definitely not scalable. At first I thought this book would focus on Haiti and their dealings with illness and death. Instead it gives the reader a clear view of major illnesses spreading across a number of countries by focusing in on one country at a time. Reading further and further into the book I am able to mold Farmers character. Instead of denying pleas from the sick, he offers his own help for their good. He definitely puts others before himself; he makes every effort to help cure. Farmer doesn’t seem to take out much time for himself. His life is devoted to helping strangers. Is Farmer never concerned about his health? He travels around third world countries trying to cure the sick; wouldn’t he be more prone to sickness when compared to the average person? I think we need more people that have a mindset like Farmer around the world; he risks his health to save others. This to me shows complete devotion.