Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Book review - Essay Example After presenting the background, the author shows how â€Å"professionalization of medicine† has affected the residents of Appalachia (Haberland). The author further provides an exploration of the historical perspective of advancements in the context of the Southern Mountains in which differences in gender and social classes are interrelated (Barney 12, 71). The rural areas of mountain countries which included â€Å"Kentucky†, â€Å"Virginia† and â€Å"West Virginia† were also explored by the author and she claims that these countries comprise physicians who were not well trained and only few of them had formal medical training (Haberland). The people of Appalachia, especially the rural population, were self-dependent in regard to different medical aspects, whereas the midwives preferred the medical diagnosis along with its treatment procedures. According to the â€Å"labour historians,† the coal-mine industries provided the best and foremost medica l services; their physicians were claimed to be highly qualified and properly trained in many parts of Appalachia (Haberland). ... Moreover, the natives believed that properly trained and educated medical experts were more expensive as compared to the other untrained and local physicians (27). The issues between the traditional physicians and formally trained medical experts kept on intensifying until the beginning of the twentieth century, after which trained medical experts engaged themselves into alliances with other medical organizations (Barney 17). The author then elaborates how the trained medical experts organized themselves and pursued the traditional physicians in the region by chasing them and demanding their authority to carry out medical services (Haberland). The author’s main focus in the book rests on the â€Å"midwives,† â€Å"clubwomen,† â€Å"nurses† and â€Å"other medical works† (Haberland). The medical trainers, in the beginning, motivated females in particular to provide medical services in a professional manner. As the things progressed, women, who partic ipated in providing the health care services under experts’ supervision, started developing awareness among other locals about the benefits of proper medical treatment under the supervision of formally trained medical staff (Haberland). Moreover, the middle class women health care workers, on behalf of the physicians to provide their medical services, developed awareness among the Appalachian people about the benefits and positive attributes of scientific medicines and to make them understand the differences between the treatment of traditional healers and trained doctors. The author basically feels that a person, who is unaware of the proper medical services because of lack of education, opts for an ordinary healer for medical

On Passion and Self-Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

On Passion and Self-Growth - Essay Example The American novelist, literary-critic, and story-teller Elizabeth Hardwick highlights that "The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination." I strongly believe in her statement as my journey in life has been filled with notable experiences derived from reading various books. Before my passion for reading is developed, I must admit that I was first obsessed in the stories my mom untiringly tells me before retiring to bed. Then, the exciting part of deciphering the meaning of the simple words on my earliest books came. Before I know it, I have become a voracious reader whose interests range from culture, sociology, and literature. Reading has sparked my curiosity and invites me to seek the mysteries of life. My passion for reading has hugely enhanced my intellect. Whenever I open a book, I often see myself unlocking a treasure box which will brings me into other places, provides me a glimpse of other culture, and conveys me a wealth of knowledge. It is amazing to know that every book shares its unique story. No matter how simple, each book offers and adds new ideas. Reading has enriched my intellect by bringing me to the world of Shakespeare, Milton, Julius Cesar and even as far as Aristotle's and Homer's. Reading introduced me to the radical ideas of Karl Marx, the different worlds explored by Gulliver, and the persistence of Helen Keller. Books broaden my horizons by adding new words to my vocabulary, polishing my grammar, and enabling me to find ways to communicate my ideas. My passion for reading enlightens me with knowledge and ushers me from the darkness of ignorance. Reading a book the second or third time does not diminish the knowledge that it offers. Being a passionate reader, I have discovered that it is not the writer which conveys and creates meaning in his or her compositions but in fact, the reader constructs his own comprehension on the material being strongly influenced by his background and experiences. Thus, I never really get tired of reading a single book over and over again as the knowledge it imparts vary each time. Aside from shaping me intellectually, reading also further my emotional development. As a thinking and feeling being, a story moves me and fills me with different kinds of emotion. I believe that the most important thing that my passion for reading brought me is the capability to understand the emotions of other people. Reading often requires empathy and putting one's self in the character's shoes. With this, I have developed the ability to accept, understand, and share the joys and sorrows of the people around me. I credit to my passion to reading the rapport I maintain with my social circles. I can say that my passion for reading is the largest contributor to my personal development. Books enrich and stimulate my mind while keeping me in touch with my emotional side. Reading has taught me the greatest lessons in life. I must stress that Denis Diderot identifies only great passions which can elevate the soul to great things. Considering all the things that my passion for reading accomplished in me, then, I can say that it must be the greatest passion a human can be blessed