Gender In The Ancient World free essay sample

Greece society, while also furnishing a propaganda tool through statuary that greatly influenced the evolution Of male dominance and the enforcement Of rigid gender roles of Ancient Greek culture. A fairly recently found bronze sculpture, Warrior from Race (ca. 450 BCC), is a prime example. This sculpture represents the powerful male norm. While it portrays the concepts of what is considered desirable in the current period, it also portrays the dominance of the strong male over those considered to be less ideal, such as women, children and weaker men.In Ancient Greece, men spent the majority of their time away from their homes and families. Men were the power, the driving force in society. Men ran the Greek government, as well as manufacturing and trade. Men would also spend time in the fields, either overseeing or working the crops, hunting, construction and sailing. Men enjoyed athletics, sporting events and the Olympic games, which wives and daughters were not allowed to attend. We will write a custom essay sample on Gender In The Ancient World or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In his lecture at Purdue University, Professor Nicholas Rah states, As the dominant element in society Greek males imposed their will on all beneath hem. He went on to explain that Greek men, specifically the warrior class imposed their will onto women, children, even other men, by strength, force and both hetero and homo sexual intimidation and aggression. During this period in Greece, artists were primarily men, thus resulting in artwork that gave a one sided male perspective of gender and the rigid gender roles of current society. The Warrior from Race, relays an example of the ideal male, strong and powerful in both body and mind.The sculpture portrays the epitome of beauty and nobility of the human body. The form stands upright with broad square shoulders in an unprotected stance, face expressing his intent, head turned to the side as if something caught his attention. He stands nude, without intended eroticism, grasping his spear, portraying a figure that is not simply confida nt, but is also imposing. This sculpture represents the power of the male warrior and was sculpted with the intent of influencing the Greek audience to automatically infer the superior male dominance in society.The Warrior from Race, was definitely not the only sculpture to monster the message of male virility and dominance over all subordinate elements of Ancient Greek society. This same message is seen in Polytheisms Doorposts (ca. 450440 BCC), which also strongly portrayed the powerful norm of men, intended for the Greek audience to internalize and accept superior male dominance. Doorposts and the Warrior from Race both share similar attributes, such as idealistic form and proportion, as well as a natural pose and expression. The spear and open stance relay the male dominance through use of implied confidence and a phallic weapon.Although Doorposts is nude it is not for the viewers benefit; it is to show the subjects ideal form and to profess heroism. Even if one were to find the image erotic, one could hardly find the subject powerless (Moon). Gender roles in Ancient Greek society favored the male. Men were treated in a different manner then the women. Women were essentially relegated to the job of keeping the house, tending to the slaves and were responsible for ensuring that everything ran smoothly; whereas the men worked and tended to the people that they ruled over. Men enjoyed the dominant role in public fife.Men Were engaged in the politics Of government and public events, while women were kept sheltered, by their fathers and then by their husbands after they were married. Greek women were in charge in their home, their job was to run the house and bear children, only allowed out for brief visits with female neighbors, or to attend weddings, funerals and religious festivals. When men entertained their friends, women were not allowed to attend, this was also extended to the Olympic games, which except for the small event in honor of Hear, was for males only.

MASH TV Show Premiers

MASH TV Show Premiers MASH was an extremely popular TV series, which first aired on CBS on September 17, 1972. Based on the real experiences of a surgeon in the Korean War, the series centered upon the interrelationships, stresses, and trauma involved in being in a MASH unit. MASHs final episode, which aired on February 28, 1983, had the largest audience of any single TV episode in U.S. history. The Book and Movie The concept of the MASH storyline was thought up by Dr. Richard Hornberger. Under the pseudonym Richard Hooker, Dr. Hornberger wrote the book MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors (1968), which was based on his own experiences as a surgeon in the Korean War. In 1970, the book was turned into a movie, also called MASH, which was directed by Robert Altman and starred Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye Pierce and Elliot Gould as Trapper John McIntyre. The MASH TV Show With nearly an entirely new cast, the same MASH characters from the book and movie first appeared on television screens in 1972. This time, Alan Alda played Hawkeye Pierce and Wayne Rogers played Trapper John McIntyre. Rogers, however, didnt like playing a sidekick and left the show at the end of season three. Viewers found out about this change in episode one of season four, when Hawkeye comes back from RR only to discover that Trapper was discharged while he was away; Hawkeye just misses being able to say goodbye. Season four through eleven presented Hawkeye and B.J. Hunnicut (played by Mike Farrell) as being close friends. Another surprising character change also occurred at the end of season three. Lt. Col. Henry Blake (played by McLean Stevenson), who was the head of the MASH unit, gets discharged. After saying a tearful goodbye to the other characters, Blake climbs into a helicopter and flies off. Then, in a surprising turn of events, Radar reports that Blake was shot down over the Sea of Japan. At the beginning of season four, Col. Sherman Potter (played by Harry Morgan) replaced Blake as head of the unit. Other memorable characters included Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan (Loretta Swit), Maxwell Q. Klinger (Jamie Farr), Charles Emerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers), Father Mulcahy (William Christopher), and Walter Radar OReilly (Gary Burghoff). The Plot The general plot of MASH revolves around army doctors who are stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) of the United States Army, located in the village of Uijeongbu, just north of Seoul in South Korea, during the Korean War. Most of the episodes of the MASH television series ran for half an hour and had multiple story lines, often with one being humorous and another being serious. The Final MASH Show Although the real Korean War ran only three years (1950-1953), the MASH series ran for eleven (1972-1983). The MASH show ended at the end of its eleventh season.  Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, the 256th episode aired on February 28, 1983,  showcasing the last days of the Korean War with all the characters going their separate ways. The night it aired, 77 percent of American TV viewers watched the two-and-a-half-hour special, which was the largest audience to ever watch a single episode of a television show. AfterMASH Not wanting  MASH  to end, the three actors who played Colonel Potter, Sergeant Klinger, and Father Mulcahy created a spinoff called  AfterMASH. First airing on September 26, 1983, this half-hour spinoff television show featured these three MASH  characters reuniting after the Korean War at a veterans hospital. Despite starting off strong in its first season,  AfterMASHs  popularity dumped after being  moved to a different time slot during its second season, airing opposite the very popular show  The A-Team. The show was ultimately cancelled just nine episodes into its second season. A spinoff for Radar called  W*A*L*T*E*R  was also considered in July 1984 but was never picked up for a series.

HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY - Essay Example Protein is essential for growth and development. These are necessary for synthesis of hormones, antibodies, enzymes, and tissues. When protein is consumed, the body breaks it into amino acids, and some amino acids are not synthesized within the body. As a result, diet rich in those amino acids is needed to be consumed for a balanced nutrition. Therefore, it is essential that along with carbohydrates, the person should take protein and amino acids in the diet. Cilia are important in mechanical removal of the bacteria from the upper respiratory tract. These treat the deposited bacteria by beating movements outwards, so the bacteria cannot enter the lower respiratory tract. However, with smoking the ciliary function is compromised rendering the lower respiratory tract vulnerable to the deposited bacteria resulting in increased infections. Carcinogens mostly influence very rapid division of already rapidly dividing cells in tissues. As a result rapidly dividing tissues in gastrointestinal tract, blood and bone marrow, respiratory tract, and integumentary system are prone to have cancers. Whereas, less rapidly dividing cells in tissues like nerves are less likely to have malignant diseases. A loss of 50% of a person’s functional skin surface would lead to a gross exposure of the underlying tissues to the environment leading to excessive dehydration due to fluid loss from evaporation and exposure of the underlying tissues to the risk of infection due to loss of barrier. Nursing the person in an environment with air-cooled laminar air flow system reduces this evaporation, hence fluid loss, although these patients must be nursed in a sterile environment with adequate fluid resuscitation and antibiotic coverage. Osteoporosis is a disease of calcium depletion from bones rendering then weak and fragile. The calcium metabolism in case of females is dependent on estrogen receptors on

Impacts of TNCS on Host Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Impacts of TNCS on Host Economy - Essay Example The current concept of trans-border business operations began to intensify after the Second World War, even though such business operations have been in existence for some centuries (Ietto-Gillies, 2012, p.7). The wide coverage of these organizations cutting across cultures make them have positive and negative impacts on, and become a point of concern for, their employees, the competitors, the domestic customers, the host government, alongside the other international organizations that may operate in the country (Sat, 2009, p.41; Fuller, n.d). The effects realized will be determined by the nature of operations by the TNCs. This paper focuses on the economic impacts that the foreign direct investments established by the transnational corporations have on the economy of the host nations. It examines how the workers, the suppliers, the domestic competing organizations, and the host communities are affected by the operations of a transnational corporation within a given country. Particul ar attention is given to the effect that acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft had on the economy of the United Kingdom. The Positive Contributions of TNCs to the Host Country’s Economy The operations of transnational corporations have certain positive impacts on the economy of the host nations. One of the benefits of TNC is transfer of technology into the host economy (Berger & Diez, 2008). The transnational corporations often get into a given country through different entry modes such as exporting, joint ventures with the domestic firms, foreign direct investments, or licensing among many others (Rugman, 1996, p.29). They develop various linkages that form the basis for technology spillover (Berger & Diez, 2008). The local employees will get to learn the modern technologies that the TNCs apply in their production operations. The learnt technologies can than be transferred to the domestic companies when these employees move on to take employments with the domestic firms. In this w ay, the technology shall have been transferred into the economy of the host nation at a relatively lower cost than other methods of acquisition such as buying the technology from the developers or domestic development of the technology. Similarly, the transnational corporations can acquire or enter into joint ventures with domestic firms. The transnational corporations have better responses to organizational changes. The organizations work in different cultural, institutional, and regulatory environments and they are forced to modify their organizational structures continuously (Lowe & Wrigley, 2010, p.382). The management approaches may be copied by local managers (Berger & Diez, 2008, p.1049) who would transfer the techniques to the management of other organizations if their tenure with the TNC comes to a halt. A manager who has worked for a significantly long period for some TNC may develop new ideas (owing to the research and development carried out by the TNCs) to go ahead and establish his or her new investment scheme. The transnational corporations producing goods locally may help reduce the imports to a given country if the domestic customers are attracted to their products in preference to the alternative imports (Fuller, n.d). The goods made locally by the TNCs are likely to be cheaper since other costs like shipment and duties have been reduced considerably. On a similar perspective, the TNCs can help increase the export from a given economy if the TNC exports

Technology as an Aide to Developing Cleaner Solutions in Environment Essay

Technology as an Aide to Developing Cleaner Solutions in Environment - Essay Example Big bold measures are needed to make a difference now. New technology is the medium that will help address the issue of environmental issues from a "prevention" perspective rather than a "solution". Both developed and developing countries air pollution is a common hazard. While acid rain is more common in developed nations, serious air pollution is more common in the developing nations. Millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide and nitrogen are released into the atmosphere by industry and vehicles. These gases react with rain, mist, snow etc and fall as acid rain, far removed point of origin being transported by winds that blow. Air pollution is considered to be worst in Canada, USA, Central and northern Europe. Other pollutants include volatile organic compounds or VOC, associated with vehicle emissions like ammonia and ozone forming near surface of earth fuelled by the combination of nitrogen oxides and voc. Lead pollution has been curbed in developed nations but the leaded petrol still being sold affects developing nations. 450000 tonnes of lead released by humans every year, vehicle exhausts being a major cause. Pollution of our water resources is another area of concern. The numerous bodies of water are now big dumping grounds. 83% of all marine pollution is from land-based activities. Agricultural pesticides and herbicides, domestic and industrial sewage with toxic oils, human waste and radioactive wastes have contributed to declining water quality. Accidental oil seepage from refineries adds to the pollution and upsets the very fragile marine life and ecosystem. Sellafield, UK and Cap de la Hague, France has been blamed for local deaths and sickness due to polluted water. Unclean water kills 25 million people in developing nations every year at least three fifths of them being children. Third world countries that do not have enough potable water force people to draw water from contaminated sources that harbour pathogens, or carriers of disease. The increase i n population around the world has heralded a burst of numerous problems. Their increasing need for food and housing has accelerated the degradation of the soil and forest resources. To cater to the volumes of food needed to support the exploding population due to industrialized nations and automations, the use of pesticide and toxins in agriculture has become widespread. As more and more pesticides are used, these "super pests" develop more resistance and stronger pesticides are needed, increasing land contamination and contributing to a vicious cycle. This population and the industries catering to them also generate staggering amount of wastes. Uncontrolled waste presents environmental and health risks. Managing this waste gives rise to a

The Importance Of The Physical Evidence Marketing Essay

The Importance Of The Physical Evidence Marketing Essay Services are radically different from products and need to be marketed very differently. So the classical 4 P structure of the Marketing Mix needs to be modified suitably to incorporate the 8 Ps for services marketing, which was previously known as 7 Ps only. Services can range from financial services provided by the banks to technology services provided by the IT Company or hospitality services provided by hotels and restaurants Services marketing are dominated by the 7 Ps of marketing namely  Product, Price,   Place, Promotion, People, Process  and  Physical evidence. All of these factors are necessary for optimum service delivery. While everyone knows about the 7 Ps of services marketing, the  8th P of Services Marketing  has emerged in research very recently. The 8th P is  Productivity and Quality. 8-P-Marketing-Mix Physical evidence Physical evidence is the ability and environment in which the service is delivered.  Both tangible goods that help to communicate and perform the service, and the intangible experience of the existing customers and the ability  of  the  business  to  relay  that  customer  satisfaction  to  potentialcustomers.Physical  evidence  is  the  element  of  the  service  mix  which  allows  thecustomer again to make judgments on the organization. Consumers will make perceptions based  on their  sight of the  service provision which will have an impact on the organizations perceptual plan of the service. For e.g. If one moves into a restaurant his expectations are of a clean, friendly environment, besides high quality food which is  the core  service of  the restaurant. On an aircraft if he travels he expects enough room to be able to laydown.Some  points  stating  the  importance  of  physical  evidence  in  service m arketing are- à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Physical evidence  is packaging for services, therefore creation of  service environment should not be left to chance. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Customer  judges  the  service  quality  through  the  process  of  deduction. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Physical evidences both- dominant and peripheral should be co-ordinated to achieve uniformity in its projected service image. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Peripheral  evidences  are  small  and  trivial  but  have  impact  oncustomer  perception  about  services  and  are  real  source  of  competitive differentiation. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢It makes the intangible service apparent. Physical Environment of Hotel: à ¢Ã…“†location   Ã‚  What kind of customers prefers a city centre?   What  kind  of  customers  prefers  a  hotel  at seaside? à ¢Ã…“†Signs and logos Many hotels belong to chains and their signs and logos are well known. Different chains help hotels to profitable business. Competition is very hard nowadays. Good reputation and recommendations help very much a hotel to get new customers and also make them to come again. à ¢Ã…“†Style, furniture, colors, lighting à ¢Ã…“†Clean air: some customers want luxury, and they are ready to pay for it. Other customers are satisfied with a little lower level. à ¢Ã…“†Reception What is good customer service at the reception? à ¢Ã…“†Office, information, customer service Is it easy to reserve a room? What is the easiest way to reserve a room today? Good customer service is very important in the competition  today. à ¢Ã…“†A hotel room What does a customer want from a good hotel room? The room itself and the bath room must be clean and the bed must be comfortable. Something extra  provided  that  a  customer  has  not  expected gives a good feeling. à ¢Ã…“†Restaurant- heart of the Hotel The restaurant and its kitchen create the heart of a hotel. At a big hotel there can be many different types of restaurants. Reception A hotel receptionists job is to make guests feel welcome, to check them in and out efficiently, and to deal professionally with enquiries, face to face and by phone, fax or email. When guests call at a hotel to make a booking, the receptionist is the first person they speak to and may also be the first person whom they meet at arrival. The receptionist in short represents the entire hotel in front  of the customer. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The Hotel should provide a 24 hour reception service. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢At the Hotel  there should  an  array  of  experienced  and  qualified receptionist to handle the customers. They should work in a batch of three that is at any time there should be three receptionists in the front office for  the convenience of the customers.  They should change the shifts to ensure the best service possible. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The  receptionists should  act  as  a  guide,  a  friend,  a counselor to the  customer. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢They should use laptops and telephones to manage the accounts and to handle the queries or to provide service to the customer.   Ãƒ ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The front office plays the most important part in hospitality industry. Welcoming the customer with a smile, making them feel important is the valuable job of the receptionist. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Receptionists at Hotel should provide extra services such as calling the in house porter to carry the luggage, arranging for conveyance for  sightseeing or official visits, booking flight or rail tickets and arranging parties. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Receptionist should look after the customers personal taste such as his menu, movies and music and proper functioning of equipments in his room. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The  receptionist should  also  allott  time  for  visits  to  the  spa  and  fixeappointments with doctors. This aspect of service  in a  Hotel  accounts  for  the  high  satisfaction  among  its customers. Rooms at Hotel Rooms should be spacious and attractively decorated. The rooms can be differentiated on two major criterias.   Space  Facilities  provided. The rooms can be categorized as follows: superior, deluxe, club, crescent, terrace, executive and presidential suite. However the superior, deluxe and club  rooms  must be  the same  in  area The visitors of  the presidential suite should be  provided with  superior  services  and  the  most  spacious  rooms. The services provided inside the rooms can be as follows: à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Mini bar à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Coffee and tea maker to provide the ease of making it according to their own preference. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Hairdryer à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Iron and an ironing board. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Television  facility  with domestic  channels  and  international channels.   Ãƒ ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢DVD  players  and  a  variety  of  video  tapes à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢High speed internet facility. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Telephone  with speaker  facility. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Refrigerator. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Smoke detector. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Newspapers and magazines. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Convenient and adequate plug points in the room. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Electronic safe and door locks for ensuring the safety of the visitor. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Bathrobes and slippers. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢User friendly bathroom fittings. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Jacuzzi. Restaurant Human aspect of a service sector industry sets it apart from the productionsector.  The  inherent  quality  of  a  product  and  also  its  physical  outlook attracts  the  customers  towards  it.But  when  it  comes  to  service  theapproach is totally different. Through its service, i.e. the quality of service provided, an industry in the service sector, tends to retain as well as create a customer. The service has to be made tangible in this fashion. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The  entrance  made should wear a majestic look. The warm welcome by the man at the gate should make the guests comfortable and wanted. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢ The overall ambience should be mesmerizing. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The furniture laid around: The chairs and table should have wooden finish. The tables should be arranged to cater to the customers needs i.e. buffet and sitting arrangement. The buffet should have table  with expensive copper,  steel and  glass cutlery. The  sitting arrangements should be  planned judiciously keeping in  mind the  customers comfort as well as taking care of the economic aspect of spaceutilization.  The  furniture  should be  elegant  and  highly  comfortable.  The chairs should have soft cushions. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The  most  attractive  and  significant  part  should be  the  attitude  and professionalism of the waiters. They should be in a proper dress code. The ratio of waiters and table should be 2:1, because of which customers can always be at ease and taken care of. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢To satisfy a customer  in service sector especially in restaurants where the service delivered should provide the maximum satisfaction- which itself differs from one individual to another. Gym The physical environment at the gym should include the following: à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Stairs à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Front door: There  should be  a  guard  at  the  entrance  who  checked  the membership cards of each customer. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Smoothie  bar  Area- There  should be  a  bar  area  which should  include drinks such as: energy and fruit drinks besides providing normal water.   Ãƒ ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Membership Card- All the customers should be given membership cards for easy recognition and catching the defaulters. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Appearance of Employee- All the employees should have a dress code which should be similar to the other employees of the Hotel. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Walls- The walls of the gymnasium should be with posters suggesting health  and gymming  tips and motivational phrases. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Lockers- Locker  facility  for all  customers  to  keep their  belongings  safely. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Music à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Equipments-  The  gym should  have  all  equipments  related  to  cardio  and weight training. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Light- The hall should be well illuminated with focused lights. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Appearance of staff- The trainers and the supervisors should be wearing branded sportswear. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Towels- The towels should be very clean and  dirt free. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Hair Dryer- Hair drying facility for customers. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Cleanliness- It should be well maintained to keep the entire area spic and span. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Therapist- There should be a therapist to look after any unexpected injury. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Temperature- The room should be conducive for  comfortable exercising. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Merchandise-If  the  customers  intend  to  purchase  any  similar  health product, the same should be available. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Sauna and steam bath à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Jacuzzi Parking à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Hotel should provide valet parking for its  customers. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Valet parking is a service whereby a valet takes the car from the customer and parks it in the parking lot. The customer is hence spared of the hassles involved in car parking. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢In most five star  hotels the parking lot becomes jammed during peak hours. Car parking by the valet proves beneficial for both customers as well as the hotel officials. On one hand the customer does not need to worry about the parking place; on the other hand the valet has the car at  his own disposal. This means that he  can park the car  wherever he feels it convenient to do so. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢This leads to better service of the customers as they can enjoy the stay at the hotel without caring for maintenance of their vehicle. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Offering a valet to take care of the car adds luxury to the service à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢This can be further increased by the valet bringing the car up to the main entrance and holding the door opened to allow the customer to get in. Conclusion   Its not always words that impressà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  Truly, physical evidence in hotels and restaurants speak louder than words. It is through these evidences that the  customer  attaches  himself.  A  hotel  is  an  abode  of  customer delight. During this Endeavour we learnt the importance of physical evidence in a service industry like the hotel industry. Physical evidence serves as an entire package for a service industry. It holds the power to tangible the intangibles. In the end we can conclude that the physical evidence of the services provided at Hotel should be highly impressive and efficient. It should make sure that the customer makes repeated visits. For a hotel industry viral marketing is the strongest advertising tool, hence all efforts should be made to make the customer satisfied. s

Multiple Sclerosis :: essays research papers

Multiple Sclerosis Jason Garoutte November 18, 1996 English / Mr. Blunt Multiple sclerosis is one of the most misunderstood diseases of this century. Since it's discovery, there is still no known causes, no proven treatments, and no known cure, yet it affects possibly five hundred thousand people in the United States alone. People need to learn more about this disease so it can be brought to the attention of the nation. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system. It destroys the fatty myelin sheath that insulates your nerve cells. Without this insulation, nerve communication is disrupted. The body then makes this worse by repairing it, and clogging the area with scar tissue. Signals going from your brain and brain stem, such as muscle coordination signals or visual sensation signals, are slowed greatly, or just blocked off. Thus, a person afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis can suffer any number of symptoms. Researchers are not sure yet as to the cause of Multiple Sclerosis. There is a kind of deadlock among scientists and doctors whether it's hereditary, viral, or a combination of the two, with the disease being hereditary, but with a viral trigger, or just a simple chemical imbalance in the immune system. One thing is certain, though. Some sort of defect in the immune system causes white blood cells to attack and destroy the myelin sheath. There are five main types of Multiple Sclerosis. The first type is Benign Multiple Sclerosis. It is the least severe, has little progression, and takes up twenty percent of all cases. The second type is Benign Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. It carries symptoms that fluctuate in severity, mild disability, and it makes up thirty percent of the total. The third type is Chronic Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. It is characterized by disability that increases with each attack, and it is the most common with forty percent of all cases. Chronic Progressive Multiple Sclerosis is the fourth type. It has continuous disability that worsens as time goes by, and ten percent of all cases are this. The last type is a very rare class called Acute Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. This kind can kill in weeks or months, in contrast with the usual years or decades. Due to the type of disease and the areas it affects, there are a great number of possible symptoms. These symptoms can fool the most experienced physician into thinking that it is a psychological disease. The most common symptoms are bouts of overwhelming fatigue, loss of coordination, muscle weakness, numbness, slurred speech, and visual difficulties. These symptoms may occur for a number of years before one is actually diagnosed, and these symptoms