Infectious diseases, Science

Assignment Help:

Infectious diseases:

Some of you may have heard about the great bubonic plague, a fatal disease of the blood, spread by fleas and respiratory  secretions. It occurred in epidemic proportions throughout most of Europe from thirteenth  to nineteenth century. A major outbreak of plague in India occurred in  1896 and lasted for fifteen years. It swept through villages and towns and killed over eight million people.  It seems that such diseases were common in ancient times. Increased trade and commerce and resultant human traffic made them reach new places all over the world. Similarly, diseases such as small pox, measles, influenza and cholera spread easily from one person  to  another, and from one area to another.

The reason for the spread of these diseases, and many others, was not known till the nineteenth  century. Till then, such diseases always left people struck with terror because their causes were shrouded in mystery. Due to ignorance, demons and evil spirits were blamed  for causing these diseases. In India, it was believed that these diseases weie a punishment from angry deities. A new Goddess was created and held responsible for each disease. For example "Stela Ma"  is said to cause small pox. People worshipped her to get cured from this disease.  It would be interesting to note here that small pox has been eradicated from this planet due to a planned world-wide vaccination campaign. Plague outbreaks do not occur any more. 

The poem given in the margin which children often sing while playing, is  jointly  sung at a memorial service outside the village Eyam in England to pay homage to the townsfolk who gave their lives three centuries ago to save others from  the disease. These people got affected by plague.  In order to stop the spread of disease they confined themselves in their village to save others. The ring of rosies refers to tbe rose-shaped  splotches on a plague victim. Posies were little flowers used to ward off the evil spirit. And Achoo! means sneezing which accompanied the disease. The last line means that they all died. You must have experienced that if somebody in the family is suffering from a cough or cold you often catch it. Do you know why?

Because these diseases are caused by germs or "microbes"  which can go from one person to another. "Microbes"  means minute organisms or germs. They are so small that we cannot see them with the naked eye. Some can be seen with the help of an ordinary microscope while others are smaller still and can be seen only under very special microscopes. Certain infectious diseases are caused by worms. We will also discuss how they spread from one perso-  another.  


Related Discussions:- Infectious diseases

The celestial equator, What constellations does the ecliptic pass by?  Wher...

What constellations does the ecliptic pass by?  Where is the Celestial Equator (in relation to the planets & the ecliptic)?  Are the planets east /west of your local meridian?  Whe

Beta catenin for nuclear import, 1.  Beta catenin is a protein that translo...

1.  Beta catenin is a protein that translocates to the nucleus in the presence of Wnt ligand. In the absence of Wnt, beta catenin is targeted for degradation. Using a cell line fro

What is heart sounds, What is Heart Sounds? Have you ever heard your h...

What is Heart Sounds? Have you ever heard your heart go lub...dub...? What are these sounds? "Lub" is the closing of the atrioventricular valves while "dub" is the closing of

Determine the most important soil animals, Explain why earthworms are said ...

Explain why earthworms are said to be the most important soil animals. Earthworms ingest organic matter as well as soil where they mix, granulate and excrete to increase stabil

Levels of orgnization, ehat is protoplasm and other levels of organization

ehat is protoplasm and other levels of organization

Explain processing of minor cereals, Processing of minor cereals Maize...

Processing of minor cereals Maize, jowar, bajra, ragi and other small millets are important minor cereals of our country. They are also termed as coarse grains. They are widel

Physico-chemical properties of vitamin e, Physico-chemical properties of vi...

Physico-chemical properties of vitamin E are as follows: a)  Tocopherols are yellow, oily liquids. b)  They are freely soluble in fat solvents. c)  The  compounds  are

Moon- earth companion, The Moon, the Earth's  Companion What do you norr...

The Moon, the Earth's  Companion What do you norrqally observe about the Moon? Itshinesbrightest, whenever present in the night sky. It seems to go through phases and it seems t

Intrusion into the carbon cycle, Intrusion into the Carbon Cycle   In  t...

Intrusion into the Carbon Cycle   In  the carbon cycle, as long as the average amount of carbon dioxide hair and in water remains the same, a happy situation prevails. If the te

Define the uses of buffer method, Define the uses of buffer method The ...

Define the uses of buffer method The buffer method of Shoemaker and coworkers for determining lime requirement is being widely used in India. In this method 5g of soil is added

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd