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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that discusses the principal thesis in Morris's What is Postmodern Illness? In this text, Morris addresses the topic of disease from the standpoint of how specific illnesses have interacted with culture, embedding themselves into the fabric of a society. As Morris points out, it is a "curious fact that almost every era seems marked by a distinctive illness that defines or deeply influences it" (Morris 50). In the sections leading up to his discussion of what constitutes a defining illness for the postmodern era, Morris explores how "Plague, melancholy, gout, syphilis, tuberculosis and cancer" influenced special eras in history (Morris 56). The writer discusses Morris's take on the bubonic plague, tuberculosis and AIDS. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khdmill.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
fabric of a society. As Morris points out, it is a "curious fact that almost every era seems marked by a distinctive illness that defines or deeply influences it" (Morris
50). In the sections leading up to his discussion of what constitutes a defining illness for the postmodern era, Morris explores how "Plague, melancholy, gout, syphilis, tuberculosis and cancer" influenced
special eras in history (Morris 56). Morriss first example is a defining illness is the Black Plague, which killed twenty-five million people, a quarter of Europes population, between 1346
and 1350 (Morris 50). This paragraph explains how the Black Death (bubonic plague) engrained itself into the fabric of medieval society, changing social mores and causing Christians to lash at
Jews, whom they blamed for the pestilence. Morris goes back to this illness a few pages later and points out that the bubonic plague arose from "altered urban living conditions
in the Middle Ages that brought rates and people into closer contact" and, also, that the plague was carried by a bacterium carried by the fleas that lived on rats
(Morris 53). No knowing anything about the mechanisms behind infectious diseases, medieval doctrine was that the plague was Gods punishment. This observation becomes ironic when one considers that, at this
time, cats were associated with Satanism. One medieval pope actually issued a decree that all the cats in Christendom should be killed. This naturally promoted an increase in the rat
population. As this shows, bubonic plague arose cultural features and then supported the very cultural features that caused its creation. Morris shows that other diseases have been similarly embedded
in culture. His discussion of the place of tuberculosis in nineteenth century society seems particularly apt. Morris comments that "The familiar symptoms of pale skin, hectic flush, emaciated limbs and
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