Homework 23- Book Response # 2

(Side-note: I find when trying to write a précis for more then a couple of chapters at a time, it is hard to keep it short while trying to express all the ideas that need to be expressed. Which is why for this post I am only writing my précis about one chapter. I will continue to include insights from all throughout the book.)

Mountains Over Mountains- The Quest of Paul Farmer, A Man Who Could Cure The World By Tracy Kidder, 2003.

Chapter 9.

Précis-

Doctor farmer was now in the place that he would turn into a fine example of medicine. Cange, Haiti. But at this time Doctor Farmer was still just a student, and was just learning about the area. One thing that he learned very quickly was that there was not a good health system, and it needed to be changed. Doctor Farmer conveyed a health census of the area, which is a torrid, poor area, that was ruined by a dam the American government funded. The results of the health census were not good. It showed a high rate of child and pregnant woman mortality. Doctor Farmer was appalled by these facts and in turn he published stories about the conditions. After the stories were published, Doctor Farmer basically dedicated his next few months to learning and instating a health system in Cange. Meanwhile, back in Boston, where the stories had been published, a very wealthy man named Tom White agreed to fund a clinic for Cange, through Doctor Farmer. This was the beginning of the health system that Doctor has put together in Cange.

Insights from the book-

“They were no longer merely asking if infant diarrhea was caused by germs but asking whether the germs were caused by dirty water. And didn’t dirty water come from the neglect of feckless, greedy, governments?” Page 98


Response: Ignorance is bliss? Education is the key to survival.

“ ‘This is terrible. You can’t even get a blood transfusion if you’re poor.’ And she said, ‘We’re all human beings’ ” Page 80


Response: You don't have to be a marxist to realize that socialized health is beneficial to all. 

“He didn’t stick around in Leogane to see the blood bank get installed. He’d found out that the hospital would charge patients for its use. He told me he had these thoughts, as he headed back to the central plateau: “I’m going to build my own fucking hospital. And there will be none of that there, thank you.” Page 81


Response: I thought that this was a great line as he realizes that if he wants a fair health system, he has to take control. 'If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.'

“In the region, only Zanmi Lasante had dared to treat people who had been beaten or shot. The army had shut the clinic down once, briefly. The place was marked. Afraid to be seen there, afraid to travel at all, many patients hadn’t come until they’d grown very ill. Many had simply stayed away.” Page 119


Response: It's horrible and unthinkable that a government would ever be there to turn people away from getting treated for whatever problem they have, but it clearly is very real. 

My thoughts/Insights-

What worries me the most is that these events were from the 90’s, but Haiti is still the same way today. Poor. I’m sure it’s just as bad now after the earthquake. The big difference now would be that because of the earthquake, more people are there to help. Whereas before it just seemed like Doctor Farmer. I’m still shocked at his perseverance towards creating a health system. He had to educate himself in creating a system, and then actually create it, essentially by himself once again. There is no way I could do that, even with the proper education. I wouldn’t be able to adapt to the lifestyle he lives. He is always around disease, poverty, and filth. I couldn’t imagine what would be running through my mind approaching somebody who hasn’t bathed in a couple of weeks, with TB, and AIDS, and not be scared for myself. Yeah it sounds wrong to be scared of somebody because they’re sick, but I think I’d like to minimize my chances of getting sick. I know there are people going out and saying, “I want to make a difference!” And then they realize what they actually have to do to help, and never do. I guess I never say I want to make a difference, that way I’m not letting anyone down when I don’t. The truth is I rather be the Tom White, the contributor through cash.

Another interesting and horrible thing I realized in the book was that the government used the health system as a weapon. You either agreed with their ideas, or didn’t get what you needed to get better. Which in a lot of cases means death. In a nation plagued by poverty and disease, this technique works well. It’s scary because there’s nobody to turn to in that situation. Especially when the countries superhero (America)  is helping the villain kill you.