1997-01-23_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

was an unpopular and frightening theory. Many people believed that the poor suffered as a result of their shiftlessness and sinful living and deserved retribution in the form of catastrophic disease. Even though many people doubted and disapproved of Snow's contami- nated water theory, Dr. Snow persuaded the authorities to remove the Broad Street pump handle. This simple act saved the lives of many people and marked the beginning of the end of a tragic situation. We now know that people can avoid cholera infection by making sure their water supplies are clean. Unfortunately, in developing coun- tries where only 35 percent of the population has access to clean water, cholera epidemics continue. Modern medicine has produced a vaccine against cholera, but it must be repeated every six to twelve months because the antibodies are short lived. Too often, though,. citizens of impoverished nations do not have the funds to procure the vaccine. Used for centuries in India, the most effective treatment is to provide the victim with copious amounts of liquids and. rehydration salts. This method replaces lost body fluids and electro- lytes and flushes out the bacteria. After the pathogen has been purged from the body, antibiotics can. promote the victim's recovery. Cholera has been absent from the Western Hemisphere for most of this century. Nonetheless, health officials warn that the United States could. experience outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases. As population increases, more waste products are generated, a situation that can strain the abilities of mtuuci- palities to maintain plentiful and clean water supplies. r edure Warm Up Ask students to share mysteries they have read or seen on television. Discuss how detectives solve crimes in general: they identify the crime, Dr. John Snow is considered fo be the father of epidemiology. determine the method or weapon used, seek and question eyewit- nesses, search for clues, etc. Narrow the discussion to serial crimes, such as a series of burglaries. Haw do investigators track the culprit? Have students list what they would look for. Students may have seen television shows in which detectives post a map of an area and mark the location of each crime, looking for a pattern. The detectives then try to determine if the crimes occurred within similar time frames and if the victims shared common characteristics. Explain that scientists, particularly epidemiologists, identify, trace, and arrest diseases in the same manner that detectives solve crimes. Tile AC{'taSfYf 1. Tell students that in 1854 a cholera epidemic broke out in the slums of London. Without mention- ingwater describe the symptoms of cholera. Tell the class that through- out history this disease has killed millions of people, and that hun- dreds died in the 1854 epidemic One man, Dr. John Snow, discovered the source and stopped the epidemic. 2. Inform the class that they will be given the same information that Dr. Snow possessed and will try to solve the mysterious epidemic. . 3. Davide students into groups and give each group a Broad Strect Area Map, a set of Victim Cards, and a mazking pen. (If after five minutes, any group has not begun to mark the location of victims on the map, suggest this as a logical strategy.) 4. Allow the lass 20 minutes to fill out the map, study the Victim Cards, and write down all common characteristics. 5. Ask if any group has located the source of the epidemic. Without telling the groups whether they are right or wrong, ask how they arrived at their conclusions. 6. One at a time, have different students read the Clue Cards aloud. The cards reveal additional informa- tion uncovered by Dr. Snow. As more information is given, students will either confirm or revise their conclusions. 9~ ©The Watercourse and Western Regional Environmental Education Council (WREEC).