Plague and Public Health: Treating the Body of the City and the Body of the Poor

2019 ◽  
pp. 84-117
Author(s):  
John Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Political ◽  
Health Board ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Local Structures ◽  
Marginalised Groups ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The City

This chapter examines the ways in which the combined administrative and medical expertise informed the developing strategies of the Italian government during the early stages of the epidemic. While conforming to more general public health policies of Italian states, it also considers how far the Florentine experience of plague was mediated through existing local structures and the political status quo. The influence of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinand II, remained very evident, as he sought to intervene in and to influence the developing policy of the magistrates of the health board, which was constituted by patricians who were members of his court. Meanwhile, the voluntary lay religious group, the Archconfraternity of the Misericordia, played a vital role in the transport and burial of the sick and the dead. While their porters and grave-diggers were paid, the members of the fraternity themselves performed their tasks from a sense of Christian charity towards the poorer members of society, a motivation which formed the obverse of the government's decrees against marginalised groups, such as prostitutes and Jews. A mixed motivation also informed the strategies of the medical staff in the service of the Sanità (health board), and the chapter looks at their role—sometimes distant, sometimes interventionist and sometimes compassionate—in inspecting the sick and recommending a wide range of treatments for the more affluent and the humble.

scholarly journals Survey of compliance with the cigarettes and other tobacco products act, 2003 at schools in Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 3289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Mathias ◽  
Pratap Kumar Jena ◽  
Sanjeev Kumar Shah ◽  
Jay Prakash Sah ◽  
Koshish Raj Gautam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
The Body ◽  
Smoking Ban ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Wide Range

Background: Tobacco use is a major problem of public health significance as the tobacco smoking causes a wide range of diseases and adverse health impacts that affect nearly every organ of the body. The COTPA, 2003 i.e., the Indian smoke-free legislation “Prohibition of smoking in Public places” which forbids smoking in public places, including educational institutions. The main objective of this study is to assess the compliance of Section 4 and Section 6(b) of cigarettes and other tobacco products act (COTPA), 2003 in schools, to observe compliance of smoking ban at public places, to observe compliance of display of signboards at prominent places, to observe for direct and indirect evidence of smoking and other tobacco products used in school buildings and premises, to study the availability of tobacco products within 100 yards of school premises.Methods: A cross sectional survey in 100 schools in Dakshina Kannada district using compliance guide developed by partners of Bloomberg School of Public health to reduce tobacco use.Results: In 100 schools, 55 were rural area and 45 from urban area, further division shows government/semi-government schools were 44 and Private schools were 56. Section 4 for the presence of signboard, there is an association between the Management wise schools and presence of signboards (p=0.001), for section 6(b) of COTPA, there is an association between this Section and type of management (p=0.004).Conclusions: The schools depending upon the location show varied compliance towards the law. The Section 6(b) shows better compliance than Section 4.This study will help to address the implementation issues of COTPA. 

scholarly journals Future perspectives in addressing the global issue of vitamin D deficiency

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Mendes ◽  
K. Charlton ◽  
S. Thakur ◽  
H. Ribeiro ◽  
S. A. Lanham-New
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The Body ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Global Issue ◽  
Wide Range

Vitamin D is a fundamentally critical nutrient that the human body requires to function properly. It plays an important role in musculoskeletal health due to its involvement in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus. Having a low level of vitamin D in the body may be detrimental for a wide range of health outcomes, including risk of osteoporotic and stress fractures, risk of CVD and some cancers, and lowering of the capability of the immune system. Vitamin D is an unusual nutrient; it is not a vitamin, in the true sense of the word but a pro-hormone. The main source of vitamin D is UV exposure, not dietary intake. Interestingly, there are two forms of vitamin D, vitamin D2 and vitamin D3, both of which are metabolised into 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in the liver, the biomarker of vitamin D status. Vitamin D deficiency is a global public health problem, especially amongst older people and ethnic minority groups. The newest publication from the UK Government's Public Health England Department recommends that vitamin D intake should be 10 μg daily and this recommendation compares well (albeit lower) with other guidelines such as the Institute of Medicine recommendation of 15 μg for those aged 1–70 years and 20 μg for those 70 years or over. Few countries, however, have a specific vitamin D policy to prevent deficiency in populations. Finland leads the way, demonstrating impressive results in reducing population-level vitamin D deficiency through mandatory food fortification programmes. Collaboration between academia, government and industry, including countries from varying latitudes, is essential to identify long-term solutions to the global issue of vitamin D deficiency. This paper provides a narrative review of the evidence related to the role of vitamin D deficiency in health outcomes, outlines controversies regarding setting levels of adequacy, identifies the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency across the globe, and identifies population-level strategies adopted by countries to prevent vitamin D deficiency.

The Rockefeller Foundation and medical education in Ireland in the 1920s

1997 ◽  
Vol 30 (120) ◽  
pp. 564-580
Author(s):  
Greta Jones
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
Medical Education ◽  
Rockefeller Foundation ◽  
Social Background ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Public Health Programmes ◽  
Health Programmes

In 1913 part of the enormous fortune of the American millionaire John D. Rockefeller was put aside for philanthropic and charitable purposes under the direction of the Rockefeller Foundation. Throughout the twentieth century the Rockefeller Foundation disbursed money to a wide range of economic, scientific and artistic projects. Among its interests were health and medical research, and Rockefeller invested funds in public health programmes throughout the world for the eradication of particular diseases or to strengthen the effectiveness of existing public health structures.The Rockefeller Foundation was also interested in providing aid for the reorganisation and modernisation of medical education. It was, however, loath to part with any of its monies unless it was assured of the political and social stability of a country, and also of the competence, honesty and good intentions of those to whom it entrusted funds. In order to assess this, the officers of the Rockefeller Foundation visited potential recipients. They reported back to the New York headquarters of the Foundation on the political and social background of the countries to which assistance might be given and also on the feasibility of the programmes of assistance devised to help them.

Looking Forward to the Past? The Politics of Public Health

1991 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Baggott
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The Political ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Political Dimension ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Agents ◽  
Public Health Reform ◽  
Public Health Movement

ABSTRACTThis article explores the role of political agents, institutions, circumstances, and ideas in the development of public health policies in Britain. The first part attempts to define public health. The second section of the article looks at the experience of the Victorian public health movement. The final part considers the re-emergence of the public health perspective. The underlying theme of the article is that an awareness of the political dimension, both contemporary and historical, improves our understanding of developments in the field of public health. The main conclusions reached are: first, that given the formidable political obstacles which exist, public health reform will only succeed if the reformers themselves operate with full awareness of the political dimension; second, that the modern public health debate is unlikely to be resolved in the short term.

scholarly journals Personal Doses of Cocaine and Coca Paste are Adulterated in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia)

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jefferson Urzola-Ortega ◽  
Luis Mendoza-Goez ◽  
Diofanor Acevedo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
National Security ◽  
Street Drugs ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Illicit Market ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Cartagena De Indias ◽  
The City ◽  
Maximum Content

Knowledge of drug composition consumed on the streets and the identification and quantification of their adulterants is essential for understanding unexpected side effects, tracking routes, and drug profiling. Therefore, this work aimed to determine the purity and to identify and quantify the main adulterants found in personal doses of cocaine (perico) and coca paste (bazuco) in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). The data collected in this study describe a first attempt to introduce the qualitative and quantitative analyses of adulterants present in street drugs in Cartagena de Indias to improve surveillance. Through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the purity and adulterants were quantified in 45 personal doses of cocaine powder and coca paste. 100% of the personal doses in the city were adulterated; caffeine, phenacetin, and levamisole were the main adulterants identified in cocaine. Besides the above, lidocaine was also found in coca paste. The purity of cocaine varied from 8% to almost 70%, with caffeine ranging from 6% to 42%. In the case of coca paste, the maximum content of cocaine found was 60%, while some samples contained as little as 14%. The results are consistent with other research in terms of the widespread use of caffeine as an adulterant, but they also follow the growing trend of the use of levamisole and phenacetin. The wide range of cocaine content in samples sold in the illicit market could cause undesirable effects on cocaine users who do not know the exact intended dose for consumption; so, this study intends to make these results available not only to academic, public health, and national security agencies but also to tourists entering Cartagena de Indias, so that they are aware of what they are consuming and the risks to which they are exposed.

scholarly journals Human Rights in a Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 219-252
Author(s):  
A. Zhebit
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
The Political ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Actions ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
The Face

The article is focused on the problem of human rights (HRs), limited or derogated from, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While addressing some HRs limitations, derogations and even abuses, and their consequent problems, the aim is to try to analyze policy, social, moral and personal dilemmas of HRs restrictions as well as motivations behind the types of public and social behavior, in the course of the pandemic, in response to the public measures of sanitation, social distancing and confinement, travel restrictions and social assistance, recommended by the WHO and selectively followed by governments. Learning from some old experience and deriving new lessons from the pandemic, as well as from public and social actions and reactions, the purpose of the present article is to assess whether or not public health policies in this context, implemented nationally or internationally, can promote change in the HRs paradigm in the face of the existing dilemmas and dichotomies in HRs, aggravated by the pandemic. The conclusion is that the extant HRs paradigm should be redefined to address better the political, social, economic, environmental and, especially, existential exigencies of “rainy times”, thus leading to the creation of a new universal HRs code or to harmonizing the existing one.

scholarly journals One Health or Three? Transmission modelling of Klebsiella isolates reveals ecological barriers to transmission between humans, animals and the environment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry A Thorpe ◽  
Ross Booton ◽  
Teemu Kallonen ◽  
Marjorie J Gibbon ◽  
Natacha Couto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Klebsiella Species ◽  
Public Health Burden ◽  
Carbapenem Resistant ◽  
Ecological Barriers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The City

The Klebsiella group is highly diverse both genetically and ecologically, being commonly recovered from humans, livestock, plants, soil, water, and wild animals. Many species are opportunistic pathogens, and can harbour diverse classes of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. K. pneumoniae is responsible for a high public-health burden, due in part to the rapid spread of health-care associated clones that are non-susceptible to carbapenems. Klebsiella thus represents a highly pertinent taxon for assessing the risk to public health posed by animal and environmental reservoirs. Here we report an analysis of 6548 samples and 3,482 genome sequences representing 15 Klebsiella species sampled over a 15-month period from a wide range of clinical, community, animal and environmental settings in and around the city of Pavia, in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. Despite carbapenem-resistant clones circulating at a high frequency in the hospitals, we find no genotypic or phenotypic evidence for non-susceptibility to carbapenems outside of the clinical environment. The non-random distribution of species and strains across sources point to ecological barriers that are likely to limit AMR transmission. Although we find evidence for occasional transmission between settings, hierarchical modelling and intervention analysis suggests that direct transmission from the multiple non-human (animal and environmental) sources included in our sample accounts for less than 1% of hospital disease, with the vast majority of clinical cases originating from other humans.

scholarly journals China's Public Health Policies in Response to COVID-19: From an “Authoritarian” Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinghua Gao ◽  
Pengfei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Authoritarian State ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Wide Range

Background: China is generally regarded internationally as an “authoritarian” state. Traditional definitions have assigned many negative connotations surrounding the term of authoritarian. We realize that it might not be considered value-neutral in other countries. But authoritarian in the Chinese context emphasizes more on centralized decision making, collectivism, coordinating all activities of the nation, and public support, which is considered a value-neutral term. Therefore, it is adopted in this paper. We would like to clarify this. Authoritarian governance is considered an important mechanism for developing China's economy and solving social problems. The COVID-19 crisis is no exception. Most of the current research on crisis management and government crises focuses on advanced, democratic countries. However, the consequences of crisis management by authoritarian governments have not been fully appreciated. Although prior research has addressed authoritarian initiatives to manage crises in China, authoritarian interventions have rarely been theorized in public health emergencies.Methods: Based on a literature review and theoretical analysis, we use a descriptive and qualitative approach to assess public health policies and mechanisms from an authoritarian perspective in China. In light of the key events and intervention measures of China's government in response to COVID-19, the strategic practices of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to construct, embody, or set political goals through authoritarian intervention in public health crisis management are discussed.Results: China's government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with a comprehensive authoritarian intervention, notably by establishing a top-down leadership mechanism, implementing a resolute lockdown, rapidly establishing square cabin hospitals, enhancing cooperation between different government departments, mobilizing a wide range of volunteer resources, enforcing the use of health codes, imposing mandatory quarantine on those returning from abroad, and implementing city-wide nucleic acid testing. These measures ensured that China was able to contain the outbreak quickly and reflect on the unique role of the Chinese authoritarian system in responding to public health crises.Conclusions: Our paper contributes to expanding the existing understanding of the relationship between crisis management and authoritarian system. China's response to COVID-19 exemplifies the unique strengths of authoritarian institutions in public health crisis management, which is a helpful and practical tool to further enhance the CPC's political legitimacy. As a socialist model of crisis management with Chinese characteristics, it may offer desirable experiences and lessons for other countries still ravaged by the epidemic.

scholarly journals Civil Society Organizations and Global Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-152
Author(s):  
Soma Hewa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Rockefeller Foundation ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Epidemic Disease ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Public Health Strategies

Civil society organizations are playing a vital role in capacity building at the grassroots level around the world. Rockefeller philanthropy pioneered this civic responsibility, both at home and abroad, in controlling epidemic disease and developing public health. Since its inception in 1913, the Rockefeller Foundation had been involved in a wide range of public health programs in Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon), which was regarded as the key to the Foundation’s activities in Asia. Rockefeller philanthropy arrived in Sri Lanka during the European colonial rule in the early twentieth century and received a hostile reception from the colonial administration. The Foundation’s officials acted cautiously and listened to local citizens in developing public health strategies. Such efforts succeeded not only in combating disease and promoting health, but also achieving sustained community support. This paper is a critical inquiry of the program and its role in the development of a modern public health network in Sri Lanka.

scholarly journals Advancing public health policy making through research on the political strategies of alcohol industry actors

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim McCambridge ◽  
Kypros Kypri ◽  
Trevor A Sheldon ◽  
Mary Madden ◽  
Thomas F Babor
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
The Political ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Alcohol Policies ◽  
Alcohol Industry ◽  
Mortality Burden ◽  
Global Influence

Abstract Development and implementation of evidence-based policies is needed in order to ameliorate the rising toll of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Alcohol is a key cause of the mortality burden and alcohol policies are under-developed. This is due in part to the global influence of the alcohol industry. We propose that a better understanding of the methods and the effectiveness of alcohol industry influence on public health policies will support efforts to combat such influence, and advance global health. Many of the issues on the research agenda we propose will inform, and be informed by, research into the political influence of other commercial actors.

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