Author: Amanda England

Reflection

| Amanda England

John Cogan gave an interesting about the Tale of two chemists, a story I had been somewhat familiar with from my past studies. However, Cogan also tied in the historical context to the story, something I was unaware of previously. I thought it was particularly interesting to do the thought experiment about air. Cogan instructed us to forget everything we know about air. Not only is it hard to simply forget about everything that someone has learned about an object, but it is also hard to think about how someone who was observing first hand would describe the object, in this example, air. I had difficulty, as I am sure others did as well, trying to describe air without using knowledge I had learned and only use my senses and observations to describe air. Many of my classmates had turned to a mystical observation or that it was made of at least something as it has an effect on life and other characteristics.

After the thought experiment, Cogan went on to lecture about how the experiments of Joseph Priestly and Marie and Antoine Lavoisier had led to the discovery of air and its different components in a similar way that we do today. I found it particular interesting how Cogan tied in the different viewpoints from history were present at the time, specifically those from the Enlightenment and French Revolution, and how the two chemists had crossed paths. I found that I was able to build upon some of the knowledge I had already had and reminded of details that had slipped my mind.

Dr. Root Reflection

| Amanda England

Dr. Root gave an interesting perspective to medicine and global health from a viewpoint I had ever considered, that from a geologist. Dr. Root started her discussion with the story of John Snow and his map that helped explain the outbreaks of Cholera in London. John Snow is considered the father of modern epidemiology and was the first health geographer. His map traced the different water systems that explained the transmission of Cholera and led to interesting discoveries, such as how drinking beer prevented some of the workers from contracting the disease. Dr. Root used John Snow as an example of a paradigm shift, as termed by Thomas Kuhn in the reading for this class.

Before John Snow, it was believed that disease was spread by miasma or “bad air.” However, this was before the creation of germ theory and little was understood about the transmission of diseases. John Snow’s map and discoveries started to shift the thinking when he concluded that contaminated water supply was causing people to get sick with Cholera. Dr. Root also explained how her research with vaccines and other research coming about is leading to mini paradigm shifts in the world of medicine.

Dr. Root finished her discussion with topics that are helping shift medicine from the biomedical model to the “OneHealth” model, which integrates not only the human behaviors but environment which we are situated in. Root gave insight about how her research team used geographically random trials to improve the efficacy of their developing Cholera vaccine. Dr. Root then connected this to how one’s environment can effect someone’s overall health and how it connected to the OneHealth concept. Overall, I was very fond of Dr. Root’s discussion and how much it made me think about health from the perspective I never would have considered before. In the long run, it makes sense as to why having a geologist on a research team for something health related is important but it is something that often gets missed when thinking in a biomedical model as opposed to a more inclusive approach to health.

Amanda England – Anelli Discussion

| Amanda England

Dr. Anelli gave an interesting talk about Darwin and his various influences leading up to his publishing of, “On the Origin of Species.” Going into the lecture, I had very little knowledge about Darwin other than his influence on the theory of evolution which was held at face value. Anelli’s lecture, however, gave me insight to what the current theories about species were in Darwin’s time and what previous works influenced him. Before the lecture, I thought of Darwin as being very much a true scientist as is thought about today. Someone who is above the “silly” thoughts of religion and believes in facts and evidence. Although this is obviously not true of every scientist, it is a common thread and misconception in society, especially surrounding theories that shake the very pillars of beliefs that many religions hold. In Darwin’s case, those specifically about the ideology of a perfect creator. Nonetheless, after watching “Creation” and Anelli’s lecture, I found that not to be true.

It is not exactly clear where Darwin’s religious beliefs landed. According to Anelli, there are many speculations about Darwin’s belief in a higher power. After discussion, it was clear that Darwin struggled with publishing his book for quite some time because of the very real consequences that could entail. Darwin’s theory was believed to destroy the naturalist’s ideology that everything was created in its perfect form by the creator and that the little variations held no bearing. Darwin’s theory said quite the opposite. To Darwin, every single variation added up over generations and in fact did matter. Also, Darwin’s book being published risked his relationship with his wife, Emma, and their children.

Darwin was very much a family man and was hesitant about how his words could change his relationship with his wife and inevitability, their children. Darwin’s wife was stronger in her faith and had objections about the ethereal consequences of Darwin’s theory, as was evident in the movie and lecture. Emma believed that Darwin may be eternally damned and would not be able to spend forever in heaven with her. Given the time period, religion was a very important part of life and considered of utmost importance for an individual’s soul. Clearly there was some inner turmoil for Darwin surrounding his theory and publishing of his book.

Dr. Anelli’s lecture, along with the movie, “Creation,” have helped me correct some of my misconceptions about Darwin, as well as fill in gaps about my knowledge about him. I am glad I was able to attend and see what exactly Darwin was about and some of the struggles he faced about his theory that some still struggle to accept today for the exact same reasons. Learning about the historical context surrounding Darwin is invaluable and should not be taken lightly as it helps frame the situation and gives a more human approach to Darwin.