History of Global Health Technologies
In what ways do the technologies mentioned in these excerpts reflect new understandings of health, illness, and place in the early twentieth century?
Ideas associated with clothing in relation to the preservation of the Europeans’ health within the tropical climate dates back to the seventeenth century. The physicians tended to believe that the weather had a direct effect on the creation of the disease. During this era, the tropical infections were hugely associated with the tropical heat. Hence, the appropriate dressing was essential to enhance the stability of the physiological functions. In the early periods of the twentieth century, the chemical emissions of the sun, in association with the heat, were introduced as detriments of the common diseases experienced in the areas. As a result, the topical mode of dressing changed. Regardless of whether heat or the chemical sunrays was the biggest concern, the fundamental concern of the travelers was to maintain the bodily appearance within the tropical areas. This factor was facilitated through the development of the tropic clothing to mimic the African outlook and attain considerable tropical possession.
In what ways do they reflect prior understandings?
In the older understanding, the Europeans believed that their health, as well as the health of their slaves, hugely depended on the composition of the humoral system, which included the blood, phlegm, the yellow bile as well as the black bile. The Europeans believed that based on this idea, the human body contained various bodily fluids that facilitated processes such as digestion, thinking, and other body activities. The idea provided that blood is wet and hot, yellow bile is hot and dry, the black pile is cold and dry while water is cold and wet. The ideology further noted that there existed different individuals who were choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, and sanguinary. The view provided that to maintain the balance of these humor, an individual had to seek help from a healer.
Europeans migrated to areas that were much warmer and more humid than their home countries. During their stay in the areas, they noted that they fell sick and died in the new warmer areas. Hence they adopted measures described above, such as change of diet to manage their humoral balance. Additionally, they build their homes in highland areas to enhance a cooler environment. The Europeans also designated some areas as healthy and built highly ventilated houses to allow a good flow of air. Besides, they wore a particular type of clothing to maintain body equilibrium. Additionally, the plantation owners helped the slaves to acclimatize through feeding them with certain foods from their region to enable them to get used to a new environment. The settlers allowed the slaves to cultivate their foods in a bid to help them acclimatize to the new labor regime.
How can we understand changes in medical ideas and the historical context of global health by analyzing these technologies?
Global health alludes to understanding healthcare within an international context, which includes the study and conduct of medicine with a focus on enhancing health and healthcare equity for all individuals in the world. The global health perspective encompasses medical as well as other non-medical disciplines that are critical to the health of individuals. Some of the significant medical ideas discoveries described in the historical era of the European settlement in tropical areas include use on mosquito nets and repellants to manage malaria infection, use of appropriate clothing to prevent health conditions associated with exposure as well as efficient ventilations. Additionally, a clean environment, proper waste disposal, and management of sewerage system played a significant role in promoting the health of the Europeans in tropical areas.