2014 Shaping the Future of New York Fridays: 11:00-1:45 Boylan Hall, 2231

When reading anything about public health, it’s almost impossible for me not to get absolutely livid reading about not only all the natural obstacles epidemiologists face but also all the the social and political obstacles they face from people trying to maintain the shape of the current social ladder.

With the introduction of public health in society there has been significant improvement in health for all but social inequalities remain. Yet it seems as science modernized there has grown a significant need from certain groups of people to separate health and socioeconomic and political reform. This in result, leads to a focus on personal responsibility in health. It becomes your own fault if you cannot maintain your health.

If it’s your own fault you are unhealthy, why is there so much inequality in health among the different socioeconomic classes? Are they implying one can determine how responsible a person is by their place on the socioeconomic ladder? Ludicrous.

Jairam Ganpat wrote this

As London expanded in the 19th century, London got very dirty very fast. Without a proper system of disposing waste, London was pushed into a time of disease and death at a time when no one could explain it.

However, just by observing the situation, it was strange that most scientist did not figure out that giving water to their patients would essentially cure them and leave them with just a bad case of diarrhea.

It’s to be noted that in much the same way that Cholera broke out mostly among the poor, HIV in a similar manner is breaking out among those with out proper resources today.

So I guess my question is if there is a precedent for disease targeting the poor and the less resourceful, why doesn’t the government act on that and work on providing resources for them. It would seem the economical thing to do since dealing with healthy citizens is a lot cheaper than dealing with the sick.