Medical Progress and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-91
Author(s):  
SARAH FRANCES VANNESTE
Keyword(s):  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Yellow Fever ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Medical Progress ◽  
Influenza Outbreak ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Rational Thought

ABSTRACT The influenza outbreak of 1918 spread around the world and left millions of people dead. This pandemic was both a crisis for human life and a crisis for medical professionals attempting to combat the disease. During a period when medicine had become thoroughly professionalized and had made numerous advances in medical treatment, medical professionals perceived their field to be rapidly and consistently progressing, and many believed that there was little medicine could not overcome. Success against such diseases as yellow fever fed the idea that science and rational thought could conquer society's ills drove medical professionals' efforts. However, these modern ideas of progress, perfectibility, and medicine's pending triumph over disease adversely affected the medical profession's ability to deal effectively with the influenza pandemic of 1918. Physicians' efforts had not prevented a serious outbreak, and once it had exploded, they could not control it. Looking specifically at the British medical profession's struggle with the pandemic, as it coursed through both Britain and Britain's armies abroad, this paper examines physicians' own writings and investigates both their initial confidence in the face of disease and their disappointment, fear, and lack of clear direction as the pandemic exploded. In the aftermath of the pandemic, their confusion, dearth of understanding, and pressure to fill the void in knowledge are evident. This paper, then, discusses how confidence affected their mindset when they confronted the pandemic, and how the pandemic, in turn, affected their concept of progress, the ability of medicine, and their duty thereafter.

scholarly journals Metaphysics and the Existential Problematic of Human Finitude

Lumen et Vita ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Nutter
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Finite Horizon ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Intentional Structure ◽  
Working Out ◽  
Human Finitude

Rather than being of little practical importance, the metaphysical underpinnings of a given horizon determine the character of its existential problematic. With the breakdown of classical metaphysics concomitant with the modern turn to the subjective, the existential problematic of finitude as ultimate horizon arose. According to this subjective turn, the human person can no longer engage the world as though it were in itself constituted by transcendently grounded meaning and value. Standing within this genealogical lineage, Martin Heidegger undertook a phenomenological investigation into the existential constitution of the human person which defines authenticity in terms of finitude. For the early Heidegger, human life is essentially ‘guilty’. This guilt, however, is not the traditional cognizance of one’s sinfulness, but the foundational Nichtigkeit (‘nullity’) of life and its attendant possibilities in the light of the ultimate finality of death. Authenticity, then, consists of a resolute working out of one’s life in the face of such inevitable finality. For the later Heidegger, the finite horizon of a particular epochal disclosure gifts Being to thought and determines it thereby. Authenticity in this case consists of giving oneself over to be appropriated by an event of Being. In contrast, Lonergan understands authenticity as being true to that primordial love which beckons us to intellectual probity and responsibility in working out life’s possibilities. This essay will illustrate how Lonergan’s analysis of the intentional structure of human conscious operations stands as a corrective to Heidegger’s early existential analysis of human being-in-the-world and later thought about Being. While Lonergan defines authenticity as loving openness to transcendent Being, Heidegger, because of his forgetfulness of the subject in her conscious operations, does not allow for a transcendence which stands beyond any finite horizon. 

The Death of God

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Michalski
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Gospel Of Matthew ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Death Of God ◽  
New Beginning ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Cross

This chapter turns to Plato's Phaedo as well as the Gospel of Matthew: two narratives about death, and two visions of human nature. Christ's cry on the cross, as told by Matthew, gives voice to an understanding of human life that is radically different from that of Socrates. For Phaedo's Socrates, the truly important things in life are ideas: the eternal order of the world, the understanding of which leads to unperturbed peace and serenity in the face of death. The Gospel is the complete opposite: it testifies to the incurable presence of the Unknown in every moment of life, a presence that rips apart every human certainty built on what is known, that disturbs all peace, all serenity—that severs the continuity of time, opening every moment of our lives to nothingness, thereby inscribing within them the possibility of an abrupt end and the chance at a new beginning.

scholarly journals Is Autonomy a Universal Value of Human Existence? Scope of Autonomy in Medical Practice: A Comparative Study between Western Medical Ethics and Islamic Medical Ethics

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rathor MY ◽  
Azarisman Shah MS ◽  
Hasmoni MH
Keyword(s):  
Medical Ethics ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
World Health ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
World Health Report ◽  
Health Report ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Contemporary Medicine

The practice of contemporary medicine has been tremendously influenced by western ideas and it is assumed by many that autonomy is a universal value of human existence. In the World Health Report 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) considered autonomy a “universal” value of human life against which every health system in the world should be judged. Further in Western bioethics, patient autonomy and self -determination prevails in all sectors of social and personal life, a concept unacceptable to some cultures. In principle, there are challenges to the universal validity of autonomy, individualism and secularism, as most non-Western cultures are proud of their communal relations and spiritualistic ethos and, thereby imposing Western beliefs and practices as aforementioned can have deleterious consequences. Religion lies at the heart of most cultures which influences the practice patterns of medical professionals in both visible and unconscious ways. However, religion is mostly viewed by scientists as mystical and without scientific proof. Herein lies the dilemma, whether medical professionals should respect the cultural and religious beliefs of their patients? In this paper we aim to discuss some of the limitations of patient's autonomy by comparing the process of reasoning in western medical ethics and Islamic medical ethics, in order to examine the possibility and desirability of arriving at a single, unitary and universally acceptable notion of medical ethics. We propose a more flexible viewpoint that accommodates different cultural and religious values in interpreting autonomy and applying it in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural, contemporaneous society in order to provide the highest level of care possible.

scholarly journals How reminders of the 1918–19 pandemic helped Australia and New Zealand respond to COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-433
Author(s):  
Geoffrey W. Rice
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
North America ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
World Health ◽  
Influenza Outbreak ◽  
Spanish Influenza ◽  
The World ◽  
H7n9 Influenza ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractThis article will argue that the memory of the great ‘Spanish’ influenza pandemic of 1918–19 played a significant role in the preparedness and response of Australia and New Zealand to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may help to explain their success compared with Europe and North America. An obvious alternative explanation for the success of Asian states such as China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan would be their experience of the SARS outbreak in 2002 and the H7N9 influenza outbreak of 2013. However, this explanation does not apply to Australia or New Zealand. All of these states had pandemic plans, initially developed with encouragement from the World Health Organization after the SARS outbreak, but only Australia and New Zealand appear to have directly incorporated ‘lessons’ from 1918–19 into their pandemic plans.

scholarly journals Culture, Education and Truth. The Perspectives on Help Offered to Contemporary Youth

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-109
Author(s):  
Janusz Królikowski
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Semantic Field ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Times ◽  
Culture Education

This paper focuses on three fundamental notions-realities which describe human life and constitute at the same time its foundation and the space of participation in it. The triad culture – education – truth describes the most essential human experiences, simultaneously, defining the direction of their deepening and creative developing. Certainly, in the times like these when everything is questioned notions-experiences that belong to this triad are not problem-free. What is more, they are deemed to be superfluous, especially in ultra-left-wing ideologies in which suicidal tendencies are easily discernible. Taking this into consideration, it is hardly possible to avoid polemic attitude towards numerous questions even those most essential since in their semantic field the greatest confusion may be detected. That is why there are numerous attempts to answer the question how, in the face of such a dynamic spiritual condition of the world, those fundamental issues can be dealt with within the frames of anthropology, and how they can be justified from the anthropological point of view. This reflection is rather philosophical in character, however, it is also inspired by the fundamental Christian truth which says about the incarnation of the Son of God and about the salvation of man made by Him.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan L. Mittleman
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Jewish Tradition ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face

This concluding chapter returns to the theme of the worth or dignity of human life. What are the implications, in the face of the contemporary challenges of biotechnology and scientistic materialism, of a Jewish understanding of human nature and human dignity for our common human future? It argues that the ambivalence of the Jewish tradition toward human nature is an attitude well worth cultivating. We are holy—and capable of unimaginable evil. Judaism reminds us of both. We have the creativity and freedom to remake the world, and now, increasingly, to remake ourselves. Our own survival might depend on cultivating anew a sense of limits. Limits there will always be, many imposed by human nature. Our dignity inheres in knowing when and how to master them, and when and how to accept them with respect.

scholarly journals Islam Dan Tantangan Globalisasi

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-177
Author(s):  
Salamah Eka Susanti
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Global Dynamics ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Role Of Religion

The progress of information, communication and transportation technology has had a wide influence on daily life, and even overhauled the social system. It is difficult to put the process of social, cultural and political change nowadays apart from the development of global dynamics. The process of globalization has a huge influence on the development of religious values. Religion as a view that consists of various doctrines and values has a great influence on society. They recognize the importance of the role of religion in social life - the politics of the world community. plays an important role in the process of globalization. Because of the importance of the role of religion in people's lives, it is necessary to understand the extent of religion in responding to various social problems. Religion is reduced to provide rules of life and as an instrument for understanding the world that will bring happiness to human life. In line with these changes, finally emerged three forms of fundamental paradigms that developed among Muslims in the face of globalization, namely: conservative, liberal and alternative paradigms. Keywords: Paradigm, Islamic, Globalization.

scholarly journals Pandemic Accelerates Datacracy And The Goals Of Sustainable Development Goals

Khazanah ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ais Amin Rais ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Large Database ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Action ◽  
The Face ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Very Large Database

In December 2019, an entropy emerged which caused many changes to occur in the world today. A virus that causes the whole world to quickly organize and condition itself. SARS-CoV2 or SARS Coronavirus 2 or better known as Covid-19 is a new corona virus that is responsible for these changes. Covid-19, which was first known to infect a resident of China in December 2019, has now spread to 214 countries and all regions of the world, and affecting every aspect of everyday human life. All nations strive to position themselves in response to this entropy. Especially in the 21st century today. Where development of AI is a prototype that is continuously being cared for by all countries today. Many countries are taking advantage from big tickets of AI in the face of a pandemic. One of them is datacracy. A concept that accumulates all data, all information, then extrapolated from all data and information that has been obtained using certain algorithms which are made into a very large database. Datacracy will be one of the pillars in order to realize the goals that contained in the global action of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Datacracy will also be very helpful in realizing some of the goals of the 17 goals in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are expected to be achieved by 2030. This essay will discuss how the contribution of AI in dealing with the pandemic as well as speeding up datacracy and so that it can contributes to the realization of the goals from global action Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

scholarly journals Por uma nova ética

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (253) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
José Wiliam Corrêa de Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Market Economy ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ethical Discourse ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Nature And Society ◽  
International Social

A modernidade atrelou o ser humano ao dogma da racionalidade instrumental e aos mecanismos da economia de mercado. Conseqüentemente, hoje somos ameaçados pelo modo de pensar quantitativo, produtivista e impessoal a serviço do projeto de dominação da natureza e da sociedade. Vivemos hoje uma realidade de mundo que se caracteriza por uma ética apenas do provisório e da imediatez, que considera o comportamento utilitarista do ser humano como o móvel de toda atividade econômica. Nossa época está pedindo uma nova consciência do lugar do ser humano no mundo. As relações sociais hoje a nível mundial são de grande destrutividade da natureza e de grande exclusão social. Ante os desafios ambientais torna-se urgente resgatar novas experiências paradigmáticas que revelem a dignidade de toda criatura. É preciso uma nova compreensão do próprio ser humano, um modo diferente de construir o discurso ético, com uma visão de mundo que reconheça o valor inerente da vida não-humana.Abstract: Modernity has harnessed human beings to the dogma of instrumental rationality and to the mechanisms of the market economy. Consequently, we are now threatened by a quantitative and impersonal way of thinking geared only to production and in the service of a project to control nature and society. We experience a world reality that has as its main characteristic an ethics that seeks only provisional and immediate aims and that considers human beings’utilitarian behaviour as the prime motive of all economic activity. Our times are demanding a new awareness of the human being’s place in the world. International social relations promote nature’s destruction and great social exclusion. In the face of environmental challenges we must develop new paradigms that will bring to the fore the dignity of all creatures. And we need a new understanding of the human being him/herself, a different way of building the ethical discourse with a worldview that recognizes the inherent value of the non-human life.

scholarly journals Pendidikan Islam dan Lapangan Kerja

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Mifedwil Jandra
Keyword(s):  
Social Communication ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Islamic Education ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
Human Quality ◽  
Islamic Values

Today the Islamic education is faced with the challenge of modern human life that is filled with a variety of issues are quite complex, among other things how the Islamic education able to prepare human quality, high morals in the face of societal changes so quickly, so that the products of Islamic education is to serve the needs of the hereafter but should be able to compete in a competitive and proactive in the world of modern society. In life and work, it teaches the importance of future-oriented. This grows with consequent attitude in the form of behavior that always lead to efficient ways of working (energy saving). This attitude is the basis in an effort to make the man who is always oriented to the productive values. Casual work, without a plan, lazy, wasteful of energy, time and costs is contrary to Islamic values. Islam teaches that every second of the time should be filled with three things; increase in faith, pious charity and social communication.

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