Cities of the Poor

Hi all,
Here is a great link. I recommend Public Radio International's Cities of the Poor which is part of an ongoing series on urbanization. This is such a great program because it addresses the experience of slum dwellers in several regions of the world- with input from people living there, members of government, researchers, developers, and economists. It really illustrates how infinitely complex an issue can become when you take into account the interests of all parties involved.
http://www.theworld.org/mp3/citiesofthepoor.mp3

Molokai' Leper (Hansen's Disease) Colony

Hello,

This is a link to a segment that was featured on CBS in 2003 regarding the Leper colony that was established in the late 1800's in Hawaii. It is a short, yet interesting read on how the Hawaiian monarchy dealt with Hansen's disease during the 1860's. The law that was set by the Hawaiian monarchy was upheld until 1965, the year when the quarantine was lifted. I think it is interesting that Hawaii was annexed as a territory by the US in 1898 and was later admitted as a state in 1959. Medical treatment for Hansen's disease was discovered in the 1940's. However, it took 25 years for the quarantine to be lifted in Hawaii and that act happend six years after Hawaii was an admitted state.
The pubmed article outlines the US governments involvement with the leprosy colony in Hawaii and identifies international public health issues (eg health disparities that existed among Hawaiian patients) that developed during the 1900s.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/22/health/main545392.shtml
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1422729&blobtype=pdf

Ela Macander

Pathologies of Power

I am reading "Pathologies of Power" by Paul Farmer and so far I think that the book is extremely informative and interesting, but I am struggling to comprehend why our abundant world has become so polarized. The book focuses on the injustices and inequalities that Farmer has observed throughout many different parts of the world (Haiti, Chiapas, Russia, U.S.). At this point in the book I have a good understanding of the disparities that exist in this country and in others, but I am trying to wrap my head around why people in power have let this happen. Public health is at the mercy both of biological and social forces. Farmer's focus in the first few chapters is on "structural violence," which I agree plays a significant part in preventing people from obtaining the highest achievable standard of health. However, it is difficult for me, as a compassionate humanitarian, to accept that those in power are solely motivated by greed.

I think an extremely interesting theme that is repeated in the book is "market ideology" and how it negatively impacts those without any power. I would like to learn more about the role of international agreements, trade, and economics. How does WTO and NAFTA agreements impact public health in poor regions of the world? How could things be altered to keep international trade and economics functioning, but at the same time not cause extreme suffering to those in the third wolrd?

Welcome to the blog!

Hello all!

As I mentioned in class, this web space can be used for posting your journal entries and to share your thoughts with the rest of the class.  It is an experiment, as is much of IH 771, but I think it could truly enhance the "learning from each other" goal of this course.  Use it to share your reflections that are either insightful, controversial, provocative, funny, or all of the above.

Anand