SSC495: Discussion Questions on Emily K. Abel, “Taking the Cure to the Poor: Patient’s Responses to New York City’s Tuberculosis Program,” American Journal of Public Health 87: 11 (November 1997): 1808-1815 and Ming-Jung Ho, “Sociocultural aspects of tuberculosis: a literature review and a case study of immigrant tuberculosis,” Social Science and Medicine, 59 (2004), 753-762
What perspective does Emily Abel claim is missing from recent public health history? How do you think this omission might affect our views of the past?
What sources does Abel use for this essay? How does it expand our perspective? How doesn’t it?
How had the demography of tuberculosis changed by 1900? Where was tuberculosis concentrated, and how did this concentration change the image of the disease?
In what ways did the New York City Department of Health battle tuberculosis, 1894-1918? List and explain the main regulations and programs.
Using the example of the Charity Organization Societies (COS), explain how the “rich and poor were treated differently.” (p. 1809)
Consider the issue of compliance here. How might the view of COS workers differ from their clients? Give examples. Issues to mention include ignorance, assimilation and stigma.
In each of the following sections, provide descriptions of the differences in perspective between the poor and the public health workers:
- Diagnosis
- When COS staff made home visits (The “Issues behind Noncompliance” section)
- Outpatient Services
- Inpatient Care
- Disinfection
- Protecting Children
In the “Discussion” section, Abel attempts to illustrate individual resistance of poor people but also provides some cautions. What do you think this articles affects your understanding of compliance and perspective of patients, and how can we apply this past example to current programs?
According to Ming-Jung Ho, we need to “reconsider the existing explanations of disease.” (See the abstract.) According to Ho, why is the biomedical explanation NOT enough? Explain in the context of the resurgence of tuberculosis in the 1980s.
In her literature review, Ho lists other factors besides the biomedical/biological ones. Provide a definition of each of the following factors and its significance to understanding tuberculosis:
- Cultural factors
- Environmental Factors
- Political-economic factors
What does Ho say about how public health establishments have incorporated the above factors into their approach to tuberculosis?
Ho’s own research was a qualitative examination of Chinese immigrants with tuberculosis (as well as their doctors and members of their community). Explain her methods.
Ho uses the example of one immigrant, Ms. Zeng, to illustrate her findings. What is Zeng’s story, and what does it reveal related to tuberculosis and Ho’s scholarly question about sociocultural aspects? What are her main conclusions?
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