ENGL 102 - Health Care Focus

For your second major essay, you will build on the material and themes of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by researching the history of a disease or disorder and its treatment in the 20th or 21st century; you will be writing within the framework of medical humanities, so along with the broader history of the disease/disorder, you are going to explore the role of on individual within that history—it could be a particular researcher or scientist; it could also be a specific patient. Possible topics might include the development of the polio vaccine, the influenza epidemic of 1918, treatments for cancer, infertility treatments, AIDS/HIV, autism, ALS, and so on.

History of the disease/treatment: Trace the medical history of the disease/disorder and the treatments that developed in the period you have chosen.

Narrative of a specific individual: Tell the story of a specific individual within the broader history—a patient, a doctor, a research scientist, for example.

Historical data: Include at least one graph or table that lays out key statistical information related to the disease/disorder. You can use tables found in sources (you don’t have to generate your own).

Impact/Lessons learned/need for further research: Use the information you have found to draw conclusions regarding the development on medical science. How you handle this element will vary widely, but here are some possible ways to approach the closing: How did the treatment of this disease/disorder change medical practices? What were the broad social changes? What lessons were learned from the treatment of this disease/disorder? What are areas for further research?

Strong papers will include high-quality primary and secondary sources.  

Primary Sources:  Think of original sources created while your disease/treatment was in full swing!  This is not an exhaustive list, but examples include:

• Newspapers
• Public Service Announcements
• Journals, diaries, or memoirs
• Letters or correspondence
• Photographs
• Radio clips

Secondary Sources:  These types of documents include someone's summary or analysis of information surrounding an event or time.  They are often published much later and removed from the moment. Examples include:

• Reference articles (Credo Reference, Encyclopedias, etc.)
• Academic history publications
• History books