Week 5: Notes and Slide (11-12) Flashcards
Define Quarantine
The practice of isolating individuals or groups suspected of carrying infectious disease, typically for a 40-day period, to prevent further spread, even though the reasons for its effectiveness were not understood.
Define Sanitation
The implementation of clean water supplies and waste disposal systems to reduce disease, a practice found effective despite a lack of scientific understanding in premodern times.
Why was the idea of “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” significant in premodern disease prevention?
This concept, found in religious texts, reinforced the importance of personal and communal cleanliness, which inadvertently helped in disease prevention through regular washing and sanitation practices.
What role did religious rituals involving washing play in disease prevention?
Religious practices that required washing before entering places of worship helped reduce the spread of disease by promoting regular hygiene.
Which of the following was a premodern method for combatting disease through “bad smell” theory?
A) Ringing church bells and burning herbs like “posies”
B) Isolation of sick individuals
C) Treating patients with herbal medicines
D) Avoiding interaction with animals
A
Why was clean water provision important in premodern sanitation, even if people didn’t know why it worked?
A) It kept communities hydrated, improving overall health
B) Clean water reduced visible impurities, making it preferable to drink
C) It lowered the transmission of diseases by avoiding contaminated sources
D) It was seen as a religious requirement
C
True or False: Quarantine was based on a scientifically understood method of disease control in premodern times
Answer: False
Reason: Quarantine was effective, but people didn’t understand why it worked; they simply observed its benefits in controlling outbreaks.
True or False: In premodern times, people thought disease could be prevented by separating “unclean” bodily functions from clean areas.
Answer: True
Reason: Many believed that bodily excretions were unclean, leading to early sanitation practices that separated waste from living areas.
Explain why ringing church bells and burning pitch were considered disease prevention methods.
People believed disease could be spread by “bad air” or “miasmas,” so they thought that loud sounds and strong smells from burning pitch could drive away the sickness
Describe the relationship between sanitation and civilization as perceived in premodern societies.
Cleanliness and organized waste disposal were seen as signs of a civilized society.
Providing clean water and having sewer systems became measures of a community’s advancement, even if the specific health benefits were not fully understood.
