Role of Traditional Medicine in Third World Countries

Role of Traditional Medicine in Third World Countries Overview According to the National Aboriginal Health Organisation (NAHO, 2003), the term traditional was introduced by the British during the colonial era and often rejected by many indigenous peoples. Authorities in the industrialised world used the term traditional medicine to distinguish between Western medicine and medical knowledge and practices that were local to indigenous tribes in Africa, South East Asia and other parts of the third world. Today traditional medicine is also referred to as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) (Shaikh Hatcher, 2005). Chronic social, economic and political problems in many third world countries means that the vast majority of their populations have little or no access to modern medical resources. By contrast, traditional medicine is often available to the masses and may constitute the only available health care resource. This essay discusses the role of traditional medicine as an essential resource in the third world, with specific reference to Nigeria and Pakistan. Traditional Medicine There is no universally accepted and unambiguous definition of traditional medicine, largely because of differences in culture, language, and medical products and practices across the third world. However, the World Health Organisation defines traditional medicine as health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being (WHO, 2003). Traditional medicine generally refers to any medicinal knowledge and practices that arent within the domain of modern day Western medicine. Like modern medicine the ultimate goal of the traditional healer is to improve the well being of individuals who present with some undesirable physical or psychological malady (Shaikh Hatcher, 2005). However, traditional medicine is unique in that improvements in well-being may incorporate spiritual healing, an d whereas western medicine largely relies on science-based knowledge and procedures, traditional medicine is based on local rituals, herbs, and superstitions indigenous to the local community (NAHO, 2003). Traditional medicine may incorporate different fields of expertise. NAHO (2003) identifies several types of specialists, including the spiritualist, herbalist, medicine man/woman, and healer. Spiritualists specialise in spiritual healing, for example by communicating with dead ancestors and performing ritualised sacrifices (e.g. killing a chicken). They often enjoy a certain degree of authority within local communities, serving as mentors for individuals or families. Herbalists are perhaps equivalent to pharmacists and pharmacologists in western medicine. They are experts on the medicinal properties of local plants and are typically called upon to prepare various medicinal concoctions to cure specific ailments. Such preparations may be in the form of a meal, drink, or even special soap for bathing. Healers are individuals with a natural talent for healing, often through spiritual or other means, perhaps similar to the psychic in Western society. Indeed, there seems to be a high degre e of overlap between healers, and spiritualists, albeit this is debatable and culture-specific. Finally, the medicine man/woman is a traditional healer usually involved in ceremonial activity, such as a funeral. They often carry a lot of material effects, such as mysterious ‘bundles’, bones, and other effects. Chronic shortages of modern health care resources in the third world has led to renewed interest in the role that CAM could play in reducing premature morbidity and mortality. Health care in the third word Populations living in third world countries are plagued by a variety of health problems. These include childbirth problems such as low birth weight (Arif Arif, 1999), nutritional problems, notably malnutrition, hypoglycaemia and hypothermia (Bhan et al, 2003), kidney disease (SantaCruz, 2003), degenerative psychiatric illnesses such as Hodgkin’s disease (Hu et al, 1988), hypertension (Galie Rubin, 2004), tobacco-related illness (Tomlinson, 1997), and so on. The prevailing economic, political, social and environmental conditions arent ideal for maintaining good health (Cooper, 1984). Socio-economic inequalities caused by flawed economic policies and political corruption has meant that modern medicine is beyond the reach of the suffering masses. Environmental decadence manifests in poor sanitary conditions, itself a result (at least in part) of weak economic infrastructure, and political leadership. Governments in many third world countries often spend only a fraction of their gross domestic product (GDP) on health care, so that there is a chronic shortage of both primary and secondary health resources such as clinics, hospitals, staff, and drugs. Health care policies are either absent, inadequate or poorly implemented. Lack of adequate funding stifles research and development, not withstanding positive side effects like increased creativity (Coloma Harris, 2004). These deplorable conditions have persisted despite massive financial investment by the World Bank. The organisation pays out an estimated $28 billion annually to third world countries, some of which is meant be used for the development of adequate health infrastructure (Pinker, 2000). But this has had little effect, partly because of government corruption, political instability, and crippling national debts. Moreover, technological change is so rapid that investment in essential medical equipment is not viable, unless there is a regular cash flow to finance replacements (Coloma Harris, 2004). Much has been written about the problem of ‘brain drain’ in which locally trained professionals flee their under-resourced and decaying health care systems to take up more lucrative jobs abroad (Fisher, 2003; Latif, 2003; Levy, 2003). Then there is the capitalist constraint. Private companies in the West that provide health services, pharmaceuticals, equipment, and other medical re sources need to make a profit to stay in business. This means selling products to their clients (governments, health service organisations, the general public) at a cost-effective price, which third world countries simply cannot afford. Getting private companies to sell their health services and products at a loss, for example by provide cheap or free drugs, often requires government intervention and corporate will (Enserink, 2000), both of which are often lacking. In the midst of such adversity traditional medicine may provide the only viable source of health care. Nigeria Modern health care in Nigeria incorporates primary care provided by local government and privately owned clinics, secondary care dispensed by hospitals, and tertiary services (e.g. orthopaedics, psychiatry) provided by specialist hospitals (WHO, 2002-2007). Like many third world countries the health infrastructure is severely under funded, with chronic equipment and staff shortages (Kadiri, 2005). Brain drain is a constant problem (Levy, 2003), and adequate health care is expensive and hence beyond the reach of the masses (WHO, 2002-2007). Traditional medicine operates side-by-side with modern health care. Most Nigerians have access to traditional healers, or medicine men’, especially in the rural areas where people lack local health infrastructure and transportation to travel to the nearest clinic or hospital. Thus, CAM is the only health resource available to most Nigerians (Mpyet et al, 2005). Nigeria is actually a melting pot of over 300 different tribes[1], with remarkabl y different languages, cultures, lifestyles, religions and traditional governments (at local level). Thus, the practice of traditional medicine is quite varied across the country. Nevertheless, most medicine men are considered experts in the preparation and administration of various herbal medicines, and the prognosis for patients is often good. The use of herbal drugs remains very popular, especially amongst the older generation and/or less educated. Recent evidence suggests that some Nigerians are suspicious of modern medical procedures and consequently fail to utilise services to which they have access. Raufu (2002) and Pincock (2004) both document a recent health crises in northern Nigeria in which parents refused to get their kids vaccinated against poliomyelitis. There was considerable scepticism about the vaccination campaign, with many parents fearing their children may become infected with the HIV, or worse become infertile, irrespective of what the health officials said. This incident seems to mirror a subtle nation-wide cultural shift towards traditional medicine. For example, there have been calls for traditional healers to be involved in making referrals to secondary care services, along side professional medical doctors (Mpyet et al, 2005). The WHO has specifically encouraged research on traditional medicine in Nigeria, and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), located in Abuja, the capital city, has been identified as a possible location for such research. The NIPRD was set up to conduct research projects designed to improve, refine, and modernise traditional medicine, especially in terms of herbal remedies. The institute has successfully developed some herbal medicines including NIPRD AM-1, a herbal extract for treating malaria. In other parts of the country steps have been taken to blend traditional medicine with modern medical procedures. The Fantsuam Foundation (IHDC, 2003), a womens group founded in 1996 and based in northern Nigeria with over 80,000 members, was set up to help rural women fight their way out of poverty. This organisation is not profit oriented, works in collaboration with local government, and uses modern computer resources, such as electronic commerce. The foundation recognises the value of CAM especially amongst women living in poor communities, and works to reconcile traditional practices with modern medicine. Women in this part of the country are plagued by a variety of health problems ranging from minor ailments (e.g. back pains) to more serious conditions (e.g. HIV/AIDS). Thus, there is an ever-present demand for appropriate health care. Traditional healers are very active, using various emollients and herbs to treat patients. More encouragingly, the Foundations’ work in th e community has highlighted several interesting points concerning the modernisation of traditional medicine. These include the following; Some aspects of traditional medicine can be improved for better health service provision; Traditional healers are open to modernisation initiatives provided there is a sense of partnership and intellectual property rights are protected; Traditional medicine as a body of knowledge can be preserved while simultaneously opening it up to reforms. Overall, the value of traditional medicine as a widely available health resource is universally recognised in Nigeria. Pakistan Pakistan like other third world countries suffers from an under funded and under-resourced modern health care system. Poverty-related health problems are rife, including low birth weight (Bhutta et al, 2004), hepatitis (Yusufzai, 2004), sexually transmitted diseases (Wallerstein, 1998) and high infant mortality and malnutrition (Abbasi, 1999). The health care system is dichotomised into the public and private sectors. The former incorporates a mixture of mostly unregulated private hospitals, clinics, and traditional healers, while the public sector is made up of government run hospitals, mostly in very poor condition (Shaikh Hatcher, 2005). Overall, Pakistan’s health service system does not compare favourably with its neighbours. Poverty, illiteracy and poor sanitation, as well as political instability compound the problem, with infant mortality and infectious disease particularly problematic (Abbasi, 1999; Zaidi et al, 2004). Historically CAM has been a permanent part of the health care landscape in Pakistan, practised in the form of Unani, Ayurvedic and homeopathic systems (Shaikh Hatcher, 2005). Unani medicine entails the use of natural resources normally found in the body, such as clean and fresh water, whereas Ayurveda remedies are sensitive to a womans natural rhythms and cycles. There is particular emphasis in Pakistan on the use of plant-based traditional medicines, albeit animal based products are sometimes used. In the midst of chronic and widespread socio-economic deprivation more and more Pakistanis are turning to traditional healers for their health care (Shaikh Hatcher, 2005). Local ‘hakeems’, religious leaders and medicine men regularly dispense traditional therapies. These individuals enjoy considerable public trust and respect, especially in the rural areas, and patients regularly present with a wide range of medical conditions including gynaecological problems. According to Jafry (1999) traditional medicine was officially acknowledged in Pakistan under the Unani, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic Practitioners’ Act of 1965. The practice of homeopathy in particular has become well established, with increases in the number of homeopathic (privately owned) schools, especially after the Homeopathic Board and National Council for Homeopath y (NCH) was set up. Currently there is an abundance of homeopathic clinics, pharmaceutical companies, and other related organisations in Pakistan. Interestingly, despite these advances Pakistan continues to import homeopathic medicines in large quantities and local drug prices remain high. Consequently many Pakistanis cannot afford homeopathic treatment. Like the modern health care system which is heavily under funded ((Abbasi, 1999), homeopathic medicine remains crippled by under investment (Jafry, 1999). Despite these drawbacks, CAM as a whole remains more accessible than modern health resources, and constitutes an indispensable resource for the vast majority of the population (Shaikh Hatcher, 2005). Exploitation NAHO (2003) has identified a number of important concerns that need to be recognised if CAM is to be successfully integrated with modern medicine in developing nations. Firstly it is essential to recognise the important role played by the elderly, who form the bulk of spiritual healers and medicine men. Less common in Western culture, high reverence for elders in many third world countries is a major reason traditional medicine enjoys considerable public endorsement. Secondly, there is the risk of exploitation by unscrupulous western private enterprise. In particular it would be wholly inappropriate in a cash economy for a private pharmaceutical company, concerned about making a quick profit, to offer symbolic but worthless gifts to a traditional healer in return for valuable knowledge on local medicines, ointments and herbs. Thirdly, there is the issue of intellectual property rights. These must be protected under any circumstances, again to avoid unfair exploitation and profiteerin g by private companies. Health care funding provided to third world governments by the WHO, World Bank, and other financial organisations should be conditional on the establishment and implementation of satisfactory protective policies. For example independent (e.g. WHO) officials can be used to supervise contracts that are drawn up between private enterprises and traditional healer groups. Conclusions As early as 1984 Cooper argued that Western medicine might not really be suitable for the third world (Cooper, 1984). Despite the rapid spread of modern medicine CAM remains an indispensable resource for providing adequate health care to the majority of individuals living in these countries. Socio-economic and political problems have severely limited access to modern health care. However, considerable progress has being made towards harness the potential of traditional medicine, for example by allowing traditional healers to make hospital referrals. Both the WHO and World Bank seem committed to promoting the development of CAM. Given the complexity and variability of health provision across the third world it may be necessary to tailor health care reform to the peculiar requirements of each country (Buch, 2005). Traditional medicine is firmly rooted in local culture and customs (NAHO, 2003), and therefore traditional health protocols cannot be generalised across nations. Additionally , concerns about equality, protection rights, and other ethical issues need to be addressed. References Abbasi, K. (1999) The World Bank and world health Focus on South Asia II: India and Pakistan British Medical Journal, 318, pp.1132-1135 Arif, M.A. Arif, K. (1999) Low birthweight babies in the third world: maternal nursing versus professional nursing care, Journal of Tropical Paediatrics, 45, pp.278 – 280. Bhan, M.K., Bhandari, N. Bahl, R. (2003) Management of the severely malnourished child: perspective from developing countries. British Medical Journal, 326, pp.146 151 Bhutta, Z.A., Khan, I., Salat, S., Raza., F. Ara, H. (2004) Reducing length of stay in hospital for very low birthweight infants by involving mothers in a stepdown unit: an experience from Karachi (Pakistan). British Medical Journal, 329, pp.1151 1155 Buch, E. (2005) The future of health care in Africa. British Medical Journal. 331, pp.1-2. Coloma, J. Harris, E. (2004) Innovative low cost technologies for biomedical research and diagnosis in developing countries. British Medical Journal, 329, pp.1160- 1162 Cooper, J.A.D. (1984) Health resources: the United States and the third world, Health Affairs, 3, pp.149 151 Enserink, M. (2000) Group urges action on third world drugs. Science, 287, p.1571 Fisher, J.P. (2003) Third world brain drain: Brain drain must be halted. British Medical Journal. 327, p.930. Galie, N. Rubin, L.J. (2004) Introduction: new insights into a challenging disease: A review of the third world symposium on pulmonary arterial hypertension. Journal of American College of Cardiology, 43 (12 Suppl S): 1S. Jafry, S.A.A. (1999) Homeopathy in Pakistan [online]. The Homeo Webzine. Available from: http://www.geocities.com/pulsnet2000/homeopak.htm>[Accessed 5 March 2006]. Kadiri, S. (2005) Tackling cardiovascular disease in Africa. British Medical Journal, 331, pp.711-712. Hu, E., Hufford, S., Lukes, R., Bernstein-Singer, M., Sobel, G., Gill, P., Pinter- Brown, L., Rarick, M., Rosen, P. Brynes, R. (1988) Third-World Hodgkins disease at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center Journal of Clinical Oncology, 6, pp.1285 1292. IHDC (2003) Local health content in Nigeria blends tradition and science. Johannesburg: IHDC. Latif, A.S. (2003) Third world brain drain: Causes of exodus need to be examined and rectified. British Medical Journal, 327, p.930. Levy, L.F. (2003) The first worlds role in the third world brain drain. British Medical Journal, 327, p.170 Mpyet, C, Dineen, B.P., Solomon, A.W. (2005) Cataract surgical coverage and barriers to uptake of cataract surgery in leprosy villages of north eastern Nigeria. British Journal of Ophthalmology, 89, pp.936-938. NAHO (2003) Traditional Medicine in Contemporary Context: Protecting and Respecting Indigenous Knowledge and Medicine. Ottawa, ON: NAHO. Pincock, S. (2004) Poliovirus spreads beyond Nigeria after vaccine uptake drops. British Medical Journal. 328, p.310 Pinker, S. (2000) Banking on the Third World. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 163, p.94 Raufu, A. (2002) Polio cases rise in Nigeria as vaccine is shunned for fear of AIDS British Medical Journal, 324, p.1414. SantaCruz, P.L. (2003) Preventing end-stage kidney disease: a personal opinion from the Third World. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 18, p.2453. Shaikh, B.T. Hatcher, J. (2005) Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Pakistan: Prospects and Limitations. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2, pp.139–142. Tomlinson, R. (1997) Smoking death toll shifts to third world British Medical Journal, 315, pp.563 568 Wallerstein, C. (1998) Pakistan lags behind in reproductive health. British Medical Journal. 317, p.1546 WHO (2003) Country Press Releases: WHO encourages Research into Traditional Medicine. Geneva: WHO. WHO (2002-2007) WHO Country Cooperation Strategy: Federal Republic of Nigeria. Geneva. WHO Zaidi, K.M., Awasthi, S. deSilva, H.J. (2004) Burden of infectious diseases in South Asia. British Medical Journal, 328, pp.811 – 815. Yusufzai, A (2004) Pakistan medical association warns of potential rise in hepatitis British Medical Journal. 329, p.530. 1 Footnotes [1] There are three major tribes; The Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba.

Overpopulation Is Caused by Poverty Essay

Bangladesh is one of the poor countries with one of the highest population of the world. Is the country poor because of the huge number of people or the poverty itself is the reason behind the overpopulation? To answer this question, I have looked at the overall development condition and population of the world and tried to find the missing links between the two. First I presented some facts about world population and demography. Then I analyzed the Malthusian and Marxist views on population. I talked about the existing views that considered population growth as the main reason behind poverty. Then I discussed my arguments about those view and discussed how population growth is not the primary cause of low standard of living, gross inequalities or limited freedom choice that characterize much of the developing world. I tried to find the main reasons behind the impoverishment of the poor countries and how those lead to overpopulation. Background: Human race came into existence around 2 billion years ago. Agricultural Revolution took place about 10,000 years ago when people used to hunt and gather food. At that time the estimated world population was about 4 million. The population started to grow significantly after the agricultural revolution. However, the most dramatic population growth occurred after the Industrial Revolution in 1750s. The world population was approaching one billion people and was increasing by more than two million every year. This dramatic population growth is termed population explosion because within less than 300 years the number of people mushroomed to more than 6 billion whereas before this, world population grew very slowly for millions of years. At this very moment, nearly 7 billion people are sharing this planet. By 2050, the population is expected to reach 9 billion. The world population is very unevenly distributed by geographic region, fertility and mortality levels and age structure. Here we also have to consider the term demographic transition: transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates. Most of the developing countries are in stage two and the developed countries in stage three. So in the developing countries, though death rate has dropped significantly due to improvement in medicine and health care, fertility rate remains high. So population growth is highest in the developing and poor countries. Existing literature: Now the question is why birth rates are so high in the developing countries? In 1798, Thomas Malthus proposed a theory that determines the relationship between population growth and economic development. According to him, the poor countries are poor because of the population growth. Eliminate the population problem and the problem of poverty will be solved by itself. To eliminate the extra people, positive and preventive checks are necessary. Positive checks are famine, natural disasters, war etc which according to him is a good way to get rid of the unnecessary people who are burden to the society. Preventive checks would be only moral restrain because birth controls were considered as sins according to the Catholic Church. Malthus was not aware of the technological progress that would occur and thus he came up with the theory that food production will not be able to keep up with the population growth. Thus the solution was to get rid of the poor people. Karl Marx saw the Malthusian point of view as an outrage against humanity. Marx pinpointed the fact that with technological progress, there would be more production. So capital would be increasing too. However, the few capitalist who own all the resources exploit the poor workers and keep them poor. So poverty is the result of a poorly organized capitalist society where there is no equal distribution of wealth. From the Marxist point of view, overpopulation is not the reason behind slow economic growth and development. Though the theory of Malthus is much criticized and controversial, his ideas are still remaining in the present world. Many theorists and economists see the reduction of population growth through severe measures as the easiest way of ensuring economic prosperity in a developing country. According to them, unrestrained population increase is the main reason behind low standard of living, malnutrition, ill health, environmental degradation, and many other economic and so cial problems. There is a theory known as ‘population-poverty cycle’. This theory states that overpopulation makes the economic, social, and psychological problems more complicated. As more children are born every day, there is less savings rate per person in the household and national level. Because of the uncontrolled population growth, the government fails to provide the basic necessities for the additional people. This leads to low living standard of the existing generation and eventually poverty is transferred to the next generation. At present China is the most populous country in the world with a number of 1.34 billion. This country has undertaken one of the most harsh and coercive population control policies in the early 1980s- one child per family policy. Though this policy dramatically reduced the growth rate, is caused many socio-economic problems and controversies. However, the decline in the fertility rate in China through one child policy is less successful than approaches based on women empowerment and education in some parts of India, such as the state of Kerala. This shows us that population no longer remains a problem even though there is slow economic growth by focusing on empowering people, especially women. Defending my thesis: My thesis is that poverty causes overpopulation and to solve both the problems, other issues are needed to be taken care of. One of the main causes that keep poor countries and poor people poor is unequal distribution of wealth and natural resources. The developed countries consist of one quarter of the world’s population but consume almost 80% of the world resources. In 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest 20% consumed just 1.5%. When one child is born in a developed country, the amount of money and resources spend behind it is equivalent to 16 children in the developing countries. Therefore the developed countries should cut back their very high consumption instead of asking developing countries to control their population growth. However they do not do that in an attempt to hold down the development of the poor countries to continue dominance over them and to maintain the very expensive living style. So they mad e population growth the main reason behind poverty to distract everyone from the real reasons. They pressurize the poor nations to adopt aggressive population control programs even though they themselves went through a period of sizable population increase that accelerated their own development processes. So as the LDCs are kept poor, no or less development occurs and thus generates overpopulation. Also a huge amount of resources are hold idle. For example, only 12% of all the potential arable land is under cultivation. So the land actually being cultivated amounts only a fraction of its potential. According to one web resource- ‘Enough arable land exists in India to give each person in the country approximately half an acre. In famine-ravaged Ethiopia, each person could have three-quarters of an acre of arable land. Africa, the poorest continent, has 20.2% of the world’s land area, and only 13% of its population. North America has a whopping 2.1 acres of arable land per person!’ So many areas with potential resources are under populated and many small areas (urban areas in the LDCs) are concentrated with too many people. This unequal distribution of people in terms of land causes poverty rather than the population growth. Underdevelopment itself is a huge problem. If the governments of the developing countries adopt correct strategies that promote higher levels of living, greater self-esteem and expanded freedom, population will take care of itself. If people are healthy and better educated, they will themselves be aware of the fact that smaller families are better than larger families. On the other case, if they are uneducated and physically and psychologically weak, the large family will be the only real source of social security. So the birth control programs and severe child control policies will be unsuccessful if there is no motivation to empower and enlighten the people, especially the women. If the women have equal roles and status like the men and have access to birth control, fertility rate will fall by itself. However, the richest people of the developing countries consume most of the resources and deprive the rest of the people of their daily necessities. As the poor people are kept poor they fail to get educated and empowered which leads to low quality of life and overpopulation. Conclusion: Overpopulation is not the main cause behind poverty. It is the other way around. However, fast population growth is not desirable too. So in order to develop, countries like Bangladesh need to adopt policies that focus on making people aware of the ways to keep the family small. The consequences of rapid population should neither be exaggerated nor minimized. However, it is pretty clear problem of population is not simply a problem of huge number. It is about quality of life and material well being. So if there is not equal distribution of wealth, idle resources, and subordination of women, poor countries and poor people would remain poor and this will lead to the problem of overpopulation. References: Todaro, Michael P. and Smith, Stephen C. (2009). Economic Development. Ninth Edition. Addison-Wesley. Weeks, J.R. (2012). Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues. 11th edition. California: Wadsworth Publishing. http://www.henrygeorge.org/popsup.htm http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html

Religion and Bioethics Physician Assisted Suicide, a...

The article I read examined the link between bioethics and religion in regards to Physician-Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia. Specifically, it made an obvious point of defining the distinction between killing and letting one die. In addition, it focused on the link between Faith and Reason, the development of tradition throughout history, modern statements on this ethical dilemma, and then drew conclusions based upon these analyses. These are all significant points to consider when attempting to determine the morality of physician-assisted suicide/euthanasia. In order to fully understand the â€Å"euthanasia debate,† it is crucial to look at our two main theoretical camps: deontological or â€Å"Kantian† ethics, and teleological or â€Å"utilitarian†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦That is, that everyone affected is to be considered equally. This feature alone makes it possible for actions to be declared moral based upon their consequences without taking motives into question. The best way to illustrate this key difference between deontological and teleological theories is by examining Philippa Foot’s trolley problem. Overall, this illustration attempts to clarify under what circumstances it would be morally just for one person to violate the rights of another for the purpose of benefiting the group. In doing so it helps one essentially justify harming someone in order to benefit the group/larger number of persons. It is able to do this by assigning equal utility to those involved. In doing so, this shows the practical nature of Utilitarianism, and how it is â€Å"content heavy† – making very evident the right way to make decisions. Inevitably, the opposing side to this argument (deontologists) refute this way of thinking by arguing that it could very easily lead us to â€Å"repugnant conclusions;† which in theory could be used to justify almost any action if the consequences of the situation worked out just right. 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Analysis Of Gilman s Yellow Wall Paper Essay

â€Å"An atheist may be simply one whose faith and love are concentrated on the impersonal aspects of God† (Weil, n.d.). Just like the narrator’s husband, who believes in facts and not in faith. His faithless actions cause him to isolate and imprison his wife. By isolating and imprisoning his wife, she finds a means of escape by using her imagination and obsesses over the yellow wallpaper. In the â€Å"Yellow Wall-paper,† Gilman use characterization to suggest that when a depressed wife is isolated and imprisoned by her faithless husband, her only way of escape is her obsessive imagination towards the wallpaper. In Gilman’s story, we see the narrator’s point of view of her husband as she characterizes her husband as faithless which causes him to use a treatment that is not helping his wife. In the beginning, we see the narrator’s description of her spouse, John, as a practical thinker, preferring the facts instead of faith, for example, â€Å"John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures† (Gilman, 2016, p. 60). This quote is the perfect example of John being faithless or having â€Å"no patience with faith,† it also states that John is a practical thinker in the â€Å"extreme,† only believing in what can be seen, felt, or put as a figure. With John having this mindset he doesn’t want to hear his wife’s point of view and his profession prevents him to hearShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Yellow W allpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1269 Words   |  6 Pages1002-63639 15 February 2017 Analysis of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Life during the 1800s for a woman was rather distressing. Society had essentially designated them the role of being a housekeeper and bearing children. They had little to no voice on how they lived their daily lives. Men decided everything for them. To clash with society s conventional views is a challenging thing to do; however, Charlotte Perkins Gilman does an excellent job fighting that battle by writing â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† one of theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Yellow Wall Paper1699 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well underway in following, it turns a back-somersault and there you are. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream.†(Knight 175) Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Early in her life her parents divorced, so her father could remarry.(Wladaver) Despite family problems, she loved an intellectual environment. She studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she met herRead MoreAnalysis Of The Yellow Wallpaper1727 Words   |  7 Pages Analysis of the Short Story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Originally published in January 1892 issue of New England Magazine. Charlotte Perkins Gilman s short story The Yellow Wallpaper was personal to her own struggles with anxiety and depression after the birth of her daughter with her first husband and S. Weir Mitchell s resting cure treatment she received. The Yellow Wallpaper describes, from the patients point of view, the fall into madness of a woman who is creativelyRead More Critical Analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins1179 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a detailed account of the author’s battle with depression and mental illness. Gilman’s state of mental illness and delusion is portrayed in this narrative essay. Through her account of this debilitating illness, the reader is able to relate her behavior and thoughts to that of an insane patient in an asylum. She exhibits the same typeRead More Oppression of Women in Chopins Story of an Hour and Gilmans Yellow Wallpaper 1246 Words   |  5 PagesOppression of Women in Chopins Story of an Hour and Gilmans Yellow Wallpaper    The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman share the same view of the subordinate position of women in the late 1800s. Both stories demonstrate the devastating effects on the mind and body that result from an intelligent person living with and accepting the imposed will of another. This essay will attempt to make their themes apparent by examining a brief summeryRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins1189 Words   |  5 PagesAubi-Ann Genus Ms.Vedula 4 December 2015 â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† a Feminist Story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gillman focuses on the oppression of women in the 19th century. The story introduces us into the awareness of a woman who is slowly going insane over the course of the summer. She recently just gave birth to a baby and is most likely suffering from some type of depression. Analyzing this story, we see the frustrations of women during The Victorian era. Women were manipulatedRead More Confinement in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman1360 Words   |  6 PagesConfinement in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman      Ã‚   Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper is a commentary on the male oppression of women in a patriarchal society.   However, the story itself presents an interesting look at one womans struggle to deal with both physical and mental confinement.   This theme is particularly thought-provoking when read in todays context where individual freedom is one of our most cherished rights. This analysis will focusRead MoreFeminist Analysis : The Yellow Wallpaper 2184 Words   |  9 PagesJoe Purcaro English 155 Literary Analysis 04/17/2016 Feminism in the Yellow Wallpaper Everyone experiences life, whether it be happy times, bad times; it’s one big circle every human being goes through. In the story, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper, which is a feminist story that portrays the terror of the rest cure which is a period spent in inactivity or leisure with the intention of improving one s physical or mental health. Women especially, as it opposes manyRead MoreSymbolism Of A Street Car Named Desire And The Yellow Wallpaper1487 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism of One’s True Nature in A Street Car Named Desire and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† What is humanity s true nature? Are people basically good, or basically evil? Over the centuries, many people have tried to find the answers to these questions, to no avail. Author Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Tennessee Williams take a definite stance on the issues throughout their work, arguing that people are basically evil hiding their truths. Many times, this theme is obviously stated in the stories, but sometimesRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper: Male Oppression of Women in Society1313 Words   |  6 PagesThe Yellow Wallpaper: Male Oppression of Women in Society Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper is a commentary on the male oppression of women in a patriarchal society. However, the story itself presents an interesting look at one womans struggle to deal with both physical and mental confinement. This theme is particularly thought-provoking when read in todays context where individual freedom is one of our most cherished rights. This analysis will focus on two primary issues: 1)