“Expertise, Health, and Popular Opinion: Debating Water Fluoridation” – Catherine Carstairs
This article discussed the idea that despite the opinions of the experts, and in this case, that was dentists, and doctors. At a point in history, the opinions of the experts were taken seriously, and over anything else. The issue of fluoridation of the water, became a bigger debate than expected. Women’s groups took the argument of individuals rights to their bodies, and their rights to choose. Dentists claimed that a small amount of fluoride in the water was actually beneficial to the health of teeth, and from an economic perspective this would save on dental bills. There were two sides to this debate and it has historical importance as to how society, debated over the issue, opposed to accepting the opinions of the experts. The people who were against fluoride in the water, suggested that it took the rights to choose away from individuals, they also strongly enforced all the negative effects of the exposure to fluoride, such as cancer. The opposing argument was that it was especially beneficial in the health of children’s teeth. This article has historical significance because the change in health advances and how society adapted to it. It was suggested in this article that because the impact of fluoride was seen especially in the health of children, this was a much bigger deal during the Baby Boom. During this time, the debate whether fluoride in the water was to go forward, was relay in the best interest of the children, so it fell on the parents to make the decision.
““The Rising Generation”: Laying Claim to the Health of Adolescents in English Canada, 1920-1970” – Cynthia Comacchio
This article was interesting to read, as the stage of the adolescent was being constructed from the 1920s to the 1970s, and the various changes that took place in society that changed the norms, and ways of thinking and dealing with certain topics and situations in societies. During this time, the idea sex underwent a dramatic change, youth were taking part in what was consider and “adult domain.”[1] Premarital sex is always considered in this time frame as the gender ideals are changing. We see the introduction of the flapper, and how that brought a new idea to how women could behave. This brought many changes to the idea of females in what was expected and what was tolerated. There was still a double standard placed on them in their relations with men, and it was continuing to be fought against. This article is important to the historiography of this topic as it adds to the issues and ideas discussed in terms of sex and this younger generation. Sex education was being introduced in schools during this time, and it was debated as to whether it was the job of the doctors, teacher or parents, and from this article, it seemed that there were many opinions as to who was the best to intervene in the knowledge of this topic. The other main topic discussed in this article is the emphasis placed on reproduction, especially the health of female. It was suggested that they did different forms of work, just so they did not jeopardize their abilities to reproduce, and that they were considered delicate and fragile. This has been seen as an important aspect of female health through history, and isn’t as much of a concern in society now, but it continuously been acknowledged through history.
“Doctors, Hospitals, and Field Matrons: On the Ground with Indian Health Services” – Mary Ellen Kelm
This article has significant historical evidence due to the fact that the pluralism of indigenous medicine. It was suggested in this article that there was not enough money, for there to be a hospital in Bella Bella, and the assistance of the non-Indigenous doctors and others to support the hospital. This, in term required the Indigenous community to use the medical knowledge of non-indigenous cultures. To ensure their medical techniques and teachings were not lost in the future generations, they continued to use their own, and then take advantage of the other health care. This did cause some issues with the non-indigenous patients at the hospitals, they were requesting that the hospitals were the segregated so there was no contact with indigenous patients. We see this continuously through history, where the Indigenous communities are either isolated or attempted to be assimilated. This was much the case in this article as it discussed the segregation in the hospital, as well as the assimilation of this community. There were field matrons that were sent out to assist the indigenous people that the hired doctors refused to go help. These women were chosen as they were less expensive, due to their limited education. It was becoming the job of a women, to assist the sick, to a certain extent. With the mothering, and caregiving aspects of the gender constructed ideas, these women were primarily sent out to help these people. They still provided non-indigenous health care, so it was a form of assimilation, but it wasn’t the only form of is suggested in this article. There were missionaries that focused on medical care, and their goal was to convert as many Indigenous people as possible. A continuous struggle for the Indigenous people was seen as a group that could be taken advantage of.
“Effects of Alcohol on Threatened Premature Labor” – Anna-Riitta Fuchs, Fritz Fuchs, Vicente F. Poblete Jr, and Abraham Risk
This article ties slightly into the article of this week, as the information and evidence of the use of alcohol has changed over time. This article is an American source, and I do plan on incorporated it into my paper to build on the Canadian sources. The discussion of alcohol being used to prevent premature labour, and influenced the oxytocin levels in the pregnant women, which would influence the lactation process. This article is helpful to my research as it shows that the use of alcohol was useful in the prevention of the contractions. Now through research that has been done, we can see that this might have solved one problem, in this case preterm labour, but it would have caused another issue, such as the negative and permanent impact on the growing fetus. I’m using this article to show that there is a gap in the information gathered on the effects of alcohol on a growing fetus, I’m going to try to use this as an example when I look at the research involving the medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth.
Bibliography
Carstairs, Catherine, “Expertise, Health, and Popular Opinion: Debating Water Fluoridation, 1945- 1980,” Canadian Historical Review, 89 (2008): 345-371.
Comacchio, Cynthia, “‘The Rising Generation’: Laying Claim to the Health of Adolescents in English Canada, 1920-70,” Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, 19 (2002): 139-178.
Fuchs, Anna-Riitta, Fritz Fuchs, Vicente F. Poblete Jr, and Abraham Risk. “Effects of Alcohol on Threatened Premature Labor” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, (1967) 99(5) p.627-637.
Kelm, Mary Ellen, “Doctors, Hospitals, and Field Matrons.” In Colonizing Bodies: Aboriginal Health and Healing in British Columbia, 1900-1950, Vancouver: UBC Press, 1998: 129-152.
[1] Cynthia Comacchio, “‘The Rising Generation’: Laying Claim to the Health of Adolescents inEnglish Canada, 1920-70,” Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, 19 (2002): 146.