Raising Awareness about Tuberculosis – World TB Day, 24 March 2012 Pt. 2

Why We Should Care About TB Many people in the West have never thought about tuberculosis as a risk to their health.  Tuberculosis is often considered to be a disease of the past.  In 2011 in Canada the incidence of any form of tuberculosis was only 5 per 100,000, according to the World Health Organization [...]

Raising Awareness about Tuberculosis – World TB Day, 24 March 2012 Pt. 1

What is TB? Tuberculosis is caused by an infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, rod-shaped bacteria that are spread mostly through air-born droplets or dust micro-particles of dried sputum.  Once inhaled, the body’s immune system typically reacts by engulfing the bacteria, forming a tubercle that contains the bacteria to help keep it from spreading.  In most cases, [...]

History of Health Care: Transformation of the Hospital

The Main Building of the Kingston Hospital was built between 1833 and 1835, however due to lack of operating funds did not open until 1845, with incorporation in 1849 when a lay board was appointed. They had a mandate to operate the hospital as a charitable institution required to “supply necessities and relieve the condition [...]

History of Health Care: Quarantine and Isolation

Before the nineteenth century, quarantine and isolation had been practiced in an effort to protect the community from contagious diseases such as plague and smallpox in the absence of specific treatment. Such diseases were considered contagious even though the cause and method of transmission were not known. Two important developments occurred during the last half [...]

History of Health Care: Vaccination

Why will Jane and John Jones born in 2010 and 2011 respectively live four score years or longer? Vaccination as a deliberate attempt to protect humans against disease has a short history. In spite of this, vaccination has had a major effect on the reduction of mortality and length of life Since the time of [...]

History of Health: Why is it important?

Jane and John Smith born in Portsmouth Village, now a neighbourhood of Kingston, Ontario, in 1810 and 1812 respectively had a life expectancy of forty years. Jane and John Jones born in Kingston in 2009 and 2011 respectively look forward to a life expectancy of eighty years. What accounts for this striking difference?