Reflection Paper Sample about the Plague of Athens 427-430BC

Learning about the history of time and the conditions of the period is very crucial in understanding the disease. This is because when we face a particular disease, it would not be easy to know how the disease started, how it operates, the various media through which the disease is well propagated and how exactly it can be prevented from spreading further to the uninfected persons. The past plagues or any instances of major infections of a given disease serves as the mirror through which the disease can be monitored. First, it is very crucial to find out how the disease started, where, and when. The conditions during the time a disease outbreak was recorded are very important in understanding the possible favourable media for the outbreak. For example, in the case of the plague of Athens, the dangerous disease outbreak happened during the war. During the war, the battling opponents came from different regions and met each other on the battlefield where the main fighting was happening. Most probably, the disease started from just a single area; then it was carried on by the people who spread it while interacting in the battlefield. Looking at the prevailing conditions in the area during that time, we see that there were several factors which could help in determining the possible causes of the plague.

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First, the plague was observed to be killing those people with long hairs which probably contained lies. The condition of people maintaining shaggy hairs was a favourable environment for the spread of the disease. By learning that the death occurred among the people with lies-infested long hairs, we can understand that the plague was spread by lies which infested people's hairs, bit them and resulted into the continuous spread of the pathogens which caused the disease.

Another prevailing condition during that time was the unhealthy water. The people who drank the water infected with the disease pathogens showed the signs and symptoms of the disease, this means that the pathogens were easily carried by water.

Another condition that greatly encouraged the spread of the plague of Athens was that the several people who died in the city were too many to be carefully buried. Moreover, the survivors during that time were terrified of contacting the corpses thinking that they would contract the disease and equally die. As a result, the dead bodies crowded the city streets, giving an opportunity for the birds of prey, and dogs to feast on them. Afterwards, the birds and dogs further contributed to the massive spread of the plague to the uninfected persons. Suppose those people could take the initiative to bury the dead bodies, it could have helped to curb the spread of the disease. The fear, during that time, coupled with ignorance contributed to massive deaths of many people since no one knew the appropriate measures to curb the prevalence.

Now, since we have information of how the disease spread in the historical period, we can quickly understand what exactly to target in the research to know more about the disease. In addition to that, by learning about the history of time and the conditions of the particular period, we can deduce the possible means of eradicating the further spread of the disease suppose it breaks out later on. The history is also helpful in finding the most suitable measures for eliminating the disease infection and saving those who may have already contracted the pathogens through the administration of the most appropriate drugs and treatment methods.

By knowing the history, the culture and the societal norms of the period, it is straightforward to understand the nature of the disease under study. For example, according to the historical plague of Athens, it was their culture to leave their hairs long. This cultural practice mostly favoured the epidemic. According to the study, lies infested those long hairs. By spreading in the hairs of people, the lies bit them thereby, constantly spreading the pathogens among them. Consequently, this led to the death of many people. The massive deaths overwhelmed the people of Athens, over time, it was normal seeing corpses lying along the city streets, and this gave an opportunity for birds of prey to scavenge on them, and also the dogs to feed on the dead bodies, further intensifying the spread of the pathogens to the healthy people. The societal norms during the historical period provide very crucial information on the spread of the disease. One can deduce the appropriate way to approach the research on the disease. For example, the people of Athens were terrified to touch the dead bodies, even for burial. As a result, the ever-increasing number of those who were dying continuously spurred further infections and the consequent deaths. Furthermore, according to the history, the disease spread to other people through water. From the historical information, it can be said that the disease is a waterborne disease whose pathogens can be spread to other people through the water medium. Moreover, the disease can be transmitted through infestation by the lies in long hairs, and also through the urine of rats which lives inside the house and are more likely to infect with the pathogens the foods which are not correctly stored.

Learning about the background of the disease determines the kind of approach to researching the disease. Since the disease was undeniably very contagious, the approach to studying the disease must take into account stringent measures to curb any possible risks of getting infected with the disease in the course, of carrying out the research. Strict methods can, therefore, be carefully administered while researching the disease. When drawing specimen for study, strict hygienic measures must be considered; this may involve the use of safety hand gloves to avoid the direct contact with the dead persons which may likely provide the opportunity for the infection by the disease. Other essential considerations while researching the disease involve secluding those who have contracted the disease from those who are not yet infected. In doing so, the proper manner of handling the disease victims can be adopted, and the appropriate measures of control are administered.

To fully understand the disease, its causes, ways through which it spreads, and the measures of control, it is very much essential to dig into its historical background. By learning about the history of time, conditions that existed during that time, the way of life of the people, the technology, and the people's cultures, the way you research a particular disease is dramatically transformed. History provides the roots of disease thereby, making it easy to understand it better by knowing its causes, methods of spread and the appropriate measures of control that can more appropriately work to curb the infections and its effects. Moreover, by learning about the history of the disease and the prevailing conditions during the focussed period, a researcher who is interested in knowing more about the disease can precisely know what to expect while researching the disease. As a result, this opens a better way to approach towards the disease control.