Pure Love Displayed in “Lanval” Essay Example

Pure Love Displayed in â€Å"Lanval† Paper Pure Love Displayed in â€Å"Lanval† The Lais of Marie De France’s â€Å"Lanval† is a piece that portrays the core ideals of Middle Age fiction while breaking away from the mold. Much like most Lais in Lais of Marie de France, â€Å"Lanval† displays an example of love and the obstacles over come to obtain such love. The love shared between Lanval and his mistress, Queen Semiramis is the core aspect that sets â€Å"Lanval† piece apart from other fiction pieces of the Middle Age genre. Lanval and Semiramis share pure love that causes them to see each others outside beauty and their beauty within, while staying pure at heart by not concentrating on the physical aspects of love. Of all the Lais of Marie De France, the story of Lanval displays a love that is not only taken seriously, but pure at heart. Due to the constant mention of beauty, and its relation to the love shared between Lanval and his mistress, Queen Semiramis, this love may appear superficial. Yet, beauty is mentioned in a manner that expresses how Lanval and his mistress view each other as beautiful because of their love, rather than loving someone because they are beautiful. Through this, the tie between love and beauty is seen in an entirely different light. Beauty, the cause of love in so many pieces from this genre, is now seen as the effect. At the lovers first meet Lanval sits with his mistress surrounded not only by her beauty, but the beauty of the things that surround her. We will write a custom essay sample on Pure Love Displayed in â€Å"Lanval† specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Pure Love Displayed in â€Å"Lanval† specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Pure Love Displayed in â€Å"Lanval† specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Despite the elaborate description of the â€Å"beautiful bed,† with â€Å"bedclothes† far more expensive than a castle and Semiramis’s beauty that â€Å"surpass[es]† even the most beautiful of flowers, Lanval seems to be oblivious (85-100). It is not untill she explains how she â€Å"Loves [him] more than anything† that he looks at her and realizes â€Å"that she is beautiful† (116-117). The love between them is pure because Lanval thinks that she is beautiful because of their love rather than the material things surrounding her. This true-love that Lanval and Semiramis share begins unveiling the Queen’s beauty, while granting Lanval beauty and wealth that he did not posses before. Lanval transforms from â€Å"a strange man† to with little friends and little to offer into a man full of â€Å"rich gifts† for strangers and friends alike as his mistress continues to shower him with good fortune (36, 209). Because the love between Lanval and Queen Semiramis grants the Queen recognition of her inner beauty while granting Lanval eauty through good fortune, their love symbolizes the idea that pure love betters us. The purity of the love shared between Lanval and Semiramis is also displayed through constant symbolism of white that coincides with the mention of the mistress. Even at their first meeting, although â€Å"her whole side is uncovered,† this image is portrayed as elegant rather than seductive due to the â€Å"white ermine† that she is draped with (102). Not only is Queen S emiramis draped in white, it also explains that she is â€Å"whiter than the hawthorn flower† herself (102-105). Although she has many superficial objects, including all the riches in the world, as well as more beauty than anyone has seen, the confession of her love is humble. Semiramis addresses Lanval as â€Å"sweet love,† and continues on to explain how she loves him â€Å"more than anything† (116). In her purity, she is oblivious of her own worth as she so humbly offers herself to Lanval. The purity of Semiramis’ being remains constant throughout â€Å"Lanval† as she reappears ridding a â€Å"white palfrey† while wearing a â€Å"white linen shift† (150,160). Although it is Lanval who betrays Semiramis, she humbly states before the King Arthur â€Å"I do not want him to suffer† (618). The constant symbolism of purity relating white to Semiramis’ being further supports the importance of the pure love shared between Lanval and Semiramis. In contradiction of purity it is mentioned that Semiramis â€Å"granted [Lanval] her love and her body† (133). Yet, the way Queen Semiramis offers herself to Lanval is not in a way that displays her body as an object as in most pieces in Lais of Marie de France. This offering of Semiramis’ body is more of an expression of the love and devotion she has for him. Lanval is informed by his Queen Semiramis that not only must their affair be secrete, but she will not be there to â€Å"satisify all [his] desires† (168). Regardless he is â€Å"very happy† just to have her love (171). Rather than an in depth description of how Semiramis offers her body, there are brief moments that display vulnerability. Just before leaving his new found love, â€Å"[Lanval] kissed his lady often and held her close†, displaying a form of innocent affection that is not often shown in fictional pieces of Marie de France’s time (187). Innocence is a form of purity, that is also portrayed as Lanval is before King Arthur, the sight of Semiramis causes â€Å"the blood to [rise] to his face† (595). The repetition of purity throughout the piece continually brings the theme back to the idea of pure love. The purity experienced between Lanval and Queen Semiramis strengthens their love while bettering each other. As they obtain knowledge of each others’ beauty and nobility they become strong enough to face the outside world and all its impurities, such that King Arthur’s Queen. With the absence of love derived from solely physical desire, as well as the purity of Semiramis’ being; Lanval and his mistress are an epitome of pure love in a genre that seldom displayed such emotions between adults. ? Work cited Marie de France. Lanval. Trans. Robert Hanning and Joan Ferrante. The Lais of Marie de Frane, Grand Rapids, MI: Bake 2 Books, 1995.

Theory and Practice Behind the Creeping Barrage of WW1

Theory and Practice Behind the Creeping Barrage of WW1 The creeping/rolling barrage is a slowly moving artillery attack acting as a defensive curtain for infantry following closely behind. The creeping barrage is indicative of the First World War, where it was used by all belligerents as a way to bypass the problems of trench warfare. It did not win the war (as once hoped)  but played an important role in the final advances.   Invention The creeping barrage was first used by Bulgarian artillery crews during the siege of Adrianople in March 1913, over a year before the war began. The wider world took little notice and the idea had to be re-invented again in 1915-16, as a response to both the static, trench-based, warfare into which the swift early movements of the First World War had stalled  and the inadequacies of existing artillery barrages. People were desperate for new methods, and the creeping barrage seemed to offer them. The Standard Barrage Throughout 1915, infantry attacks were preceded by as massive an artillery bombardment as possible, intended to pulverize both the enemy troops and their defenses. The barrage could go on for hours, even days, with the aim of destroying everything under them. Then, at an allotted time, this barrage would cease - usually switching to deeper secondary targets - and the infantry would climb out of their own defenses, rush across the contested land and, in theory, seize land which was now undefended, either because the enemy was dead or cowering in bunkers. The Standard Barrage Fails In practice, barrages frequently failed to obliterate either the enemys deepest defensive systems and attacks turned into a race between two infantry forces, the attackers trying to rush across No Mans Land before the enemy realized the barrage was over and returned (or sent replacements) to their forward defenses...and their machine guns. Barrages could kill, but they could neither occupy land nor hold the enemy away long enough for infantry to advance. Some tricks were played, such as stopping the bombardment, waiting for the enemy to man their defenses, and starting it again to catch them in the open, only sending their own troops later on. The sides also became practiced at being able to fire their own bombardment into No Mans Land when the enemy sent their troops forward into it. The Creeping Barrage In late 1915/early 1916, Commonwealth forces began developing a new form of barrage. Beginning close to their own lines, the creeping barrage moved slowly forward, throwing up dirt clouds to obscure the infantry who advanced close behind. The barrage would reach the enemy lines and suppress as normal (by driving men into bunkers or more distant areas) but the attacking infantry would be close enough to storm these lines (once the barrage had crept further forward) before the enemy reacted. That was, at least, the theory. The Somme Apart from Adrianople in 1913, the creeping barrage was first used at The Battle of the Somme in 1916, at the orders of Sir Henry Horne; its failure exhibits several of the tactics problems. The barrages targets and timings had to be arranged well beforehand and, once started, could not be easily changed. At the Somme, the infantry moved slower than expected and the gap between soldier and barrage was sufficient for German forces to man their positions once the bombardment had passed. Indeed, unless bombardment and infantry advanced in almost perfect synchronization there were problems: if the soldiers moved too fast they advanced into the shelling and were blown up; too slow and the enemy had time to recover. If the bombardment moved too slow, allied soldiers either advanced into it or had to stop and wait, in the middle of No Mans Land and possibly under enemy fire; if it moved too fast, the enemy again had time to react. Success and Failure Despite the dangers, the creeping barrage was a potential solution to the stalemate of trench warfare and it was adopted by all the belligerent nations. However, it generally failed when used over a relatively large area, such as the Somme, or was relied upon too heavily, such as the disastrous battle of the Marne in 1917. In contrast, the tactic proved much more successful in localized attacks where targets and movement could be better defined, such as the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Taking place the same month as the Marne, the Battle of Vimy Ridge saw Canadian forces attempting a smaller, but much more precisely organized creeping barrage which advanced 100 yards every 3 minutes, slower than commonly tried in the past. Opinions are mixed on whether the barrage, which became an integral part of WW1 warfare, was a general failure or a small, but necessary, part of the winning strategy. One thing is certain: it wasnt the decisive tactic generals had hoped for. No Place In Modern War Advances in radio technology – which meant soldiers could carry transmitting radios around with them and co-ordinate support – and developments in artillery - which meant barrages could be placed much more precisely - conspired to make the blind sweeping of the creeping barrage redundant in the modern era, replaced by pinpoint strikes called in as needed, not pre-arranged walls of mass destruction.

International Sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Sports - Essay Example The review of the literature published in the particular field leads to the following assumption: the educational objectives that Pierre De Coubertin used for reviving the Olympics have been alternated today. This fact does not mean that Olympic values have been extinguished; however, because of the continuous transformation of social and cultural ethics worldwide, Olympic values had, necessarily, to be aligned with existing social ethics and principles. The continuous change of legislation regulating the particular event is the major indicator of this trend. Under these terms, it could be noted that the educational objectives used by Pierre De Coubertin for reviving the Olympics are still critical for evaluating the quality of the Games but the level at which these objectives can affect the structure and the ethics of the Games is not so high as in the past. In order to understand the potential power of Pierre De Coubertin’s educational objectives for reviving the Olympics, it would be necessary to check the criteria on which these objectives have been based. In accordance with Naul (2008) the involvement of Pierre De Coubertin in the revival of Olympics is closely related to his efforts for improving the ‘inflexible French military gymnastics’ (Naul, 2008, p.20). After reviewing the sports activities developed in schools across England, Pierre De Coubertin decided that a new form of gymnastics could be established using the ideas of the Olympic Games – in their ancient form – combined with the values of contemporary sports. This combination has led to the revival of Olympics, in their current form. Today, the above effort of Pierre De Coubertin can be characterized as fully justified. Indeed, any effort for establishing a worldwide sports framework, should refer to the Olympic values and ideas, in the terms that the particular event

Sacred Lands in Wyoming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sacred Lands in Wyoming - Essay Example It is wrong to just appropriate someone's culture without understanding the traditions and history behind it. Moreover, it is unjust to seek to profit from the Lakota spirituality without giving back to the community. The people who dabble in such acts do not usually care that they are offending the owners of the cultural practices. The declaration was quite serious as the Lakota have gone to court to preserve the integrity of their religious beliefs1 and have gone to such lengths as banning non-natives from attending Sun Dances.2 The worst offenders are usually the people who are guided by the profit motive. People who are not Lakota appropriate the ceremonies when in fact they are not entitled. Taking Jews as an example: if the people who do not understand Judaism at all adopt a half -understood calendar of ceremonies and elect a Rabbi who cannot even read Hebrew, the Jews would be deeply offended. These profit-oriented people prey on the need for human beings to find acceptance an d to belong somewhere. As the declaration states, most of the new age religions are led by hucksters and commercial profiteers who are not entitled to take their ceremonies and earn a living off their cultural theft (Mesteth, Elk and Hawk). ... nnabes) are aping the practices of the Lakota without any respect or consideration for the First Nations Peoples’ feelings (â€Å"Responses to War against Exploiters of Lakota Spirituality†). Their interest might be genuine, but then they go too far at times. This has engendered mistrust among the native tribes of America. It is indeed a mockery of the peoples’ traditions when the intent is to become one of them by buying tokens of their religious practices. Tribal members view these people as problematic because they will try to pass themselves off as one of them. This leads to confusion among the rest of the Americans who understand very little about the Indian tribes. The issue of confusion is further exacerbated by the fact that most Indians are not forthcoming about themselves since they are a very proud people. As Lynnette put it, it is all about a way of life and not a fad to be followed when one fancies it. Since the wannabes are following a fad, it becom es disrespectful to the tribes as they do not bother to learn about the First Nations Peoples. These people who are described as wannabes would be best served if they visited the reservations and actually tried to do some good for the tribes and communities. There are serious problems bedeviling the tribes and they would learn about the tribes’ culture as they were doing good works in the communities. 3) Do: Find some responses from individuals who belong to one of the categories you described in #2. Answer: Do you think that these individuals should be able to continue using Native American religious symbols, beliefs and experiences in the manner they have been? Why or why not? Do their responses to the Declaration present a convincing argument to let them continue their activities? Why or why not? The

Contemporary Issues In Health Policy Health And Social Care Essay

Contemporary Issues In Health Policy Health And Social Care Essay Expert knowledge; published research, existing research; stakeholder consultations; previous policy evaluations; the internet; outcomes from consultations; costing of policy options; output from economic and statistical modeling. This essay will explore the ontogenesis of evidence based health policy making whereby according to Buse et al (2005, p.6) health policy is assumed to embrace courses of action (and inaction) that affect the set of institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements of the health system. The essay will use various case study examples to highlight the roles played by evidence from research, social and bureaucratic point of view. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 1999 gives advices on the betterment of acceptable health guidelines for prevention and treatment of diseases in England and Wales. The concept of policy making was not well know before as it these days. The two fundamental rationale for the establishment of health policy includes change in the public health policies and the health care policies ( Gray, p.95, 2001). Public health policy refers to improving the physical, social and biological surroundings. Health care policy refers to financial and administrative changes (Gray, p.95, 2001). Recently the policies are established based on evidence which was not the case before. Health policy making used to be more of recommendation or suggestion based in the past. Quantitative research evidence is likely to be more appreciated in delivering health services (Rycroft-Malone et al 2004). The rise of evidence based healthcare took place in the 1990s in such a way that healthcare researchers, professionals and the health system adopted research evidence for research in clinical decision making. This rise was entitled as evidence based healthcare movement (Davidoff et al. 1995; Sackett and Rosenberg 1995). The terminology evidence based policy has emerged from the notion of evidence based practice, both of them being ushered from evidence based medicine (EBM). The origin of EBM extended back to the mid 19th century in Paris (David L. Sackett 1997). EBM is widely used in the United Kingdom and in the United States by policy creators and therapist for promoting health and treating illnesses which signifies that EBM has both informative and scientific role . The development of evidence based healthcare was driven up by research-practice gap which means that it took long time for the effective interventions to come into clinical practice and it also took a long time to discard the interventions which were ineffective (Antman et al 1992). The problems of these interventions were classified as underuse, overuse and misuse by the Institute of Medicine (1999). For patients suffering grom heart attack , thrombolytic treatment for myocardial infarction is used as a treatment which decreases the chances of the patient to get another heart attack and it also decreases the mortality rate (Walshe, 2006, p.480). Since it had an evidence of a decade or more it became the poster child for the EBM movement. Example for overuse : merger of an organization due to difficulties in service quality, volume and monetory viability. Example of underuse : substitution of GPs with health care professionals for providing the basic healthcare treatment. It generall y involves the primary care and accident and emergency departments. Example of misuse : The fosterage and application of total quality management (TQM) (Walshe, 2007, p.481). Development of basis for evidence involves 8 principles (Kelly et al 2007) : Princliple 1: An assurance to the value of equity. Principle 2: Acquiring an evidence based proposal. Principle 3: Variance in technology. Principle 4: Gradients and gaps. Principle 5: Social values and its result. Principle 6 and 7: Social structure and dynamics. Principle 8: Clarifying partiality. The new labour government which was formed in 1997 declared publically that what matters is what works, directing a reform from imaginary or visionary theorization to a more practical and technological approach in which a negligible role would be played by evidence of effect and impact (Cabinet Office 1999). A variety of reports and data were generated by the Cabinet office and National office for evidence in policy making and the centre for Evidence Based Policy and Practice has been supported by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (Jennifer Dixon, p.481, 2006). For conducting standardized and organized survey of the best evidence on the effects of social and educational policies and practices, The Campbell Collaboration was established (The Campbell Collaboration 2003). In 1997 the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) was established by the government funds and its aim is to assist evidence based decision making in various health sectors( Dixon, p.481, 2006) . Health policy process involves diverse universal bodies like World Health Organization, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (Rob Baggot, p.199, 2007). Health Policy Process also comprises of the nation states and their alliances, the G8 group of nations being eminently prevailing. Health policy is also influenced by a wide range of non-governmental organizations which represents professional and sectional interests as well as take up a position from which they can examine bureaucratic policies and recommend policies of their own (Chris Ham et al 1995). Health policy in the UK is formulated by authorities outside its communal horizon. The three key elements include global influences, international institutions and organizations as well as multinational corporations (Rob Baggot, p.197, 2007). Sackett and colleagues (1996) distinguishes EBM from EBP, and defines EBM as meticulous, accurate and wise application for the care of individual patients using current evidence in decision making whereas EBP is more about policy decisions for a group or bunch of people and not individual patients. In case of EBM randomized control trials are carried out which can raise certain arguments about outcomes, which is not the case with EBP. Black (2001) specifies that EBP in not merely a continuation of EBM but it differs qualitatively. The outcomes for policy generally depends on peoples thinking and judgemental behavior (Sackett et al 1996).There are two types of critical commentary for EBP, the first being internal critical commentary, which focuses on the appropriateness of the diverse range of methods for gathering, analyzing and using evidence as a foundation for recognizing and enhancing policies ( Head n.d.).. The external commentary is the second type of critical commentary which focuses on in what manner and place are the EBP benefaction more effective and the way in which they fit into the broad picture of policy debate and evaluation ( Head n.d.). Morgan (2010) recognizes six factors that forms the base for the growth of evidence based health policy (EBHP). They are as follows : The significance and advantage of having multi-disciplinary unit. The requirement to possess ample evidence substructure to draw upon. The indirect correlation between policy and research. The demand for policy exertion to be locally sensitive. The advantage of stakeholder engrossment. Aid from the national Government. These six factors yields a powerful foundation on which EBHP may be established (Morgan 2010). If these above mentioned factors are not satisfied in evidence based health policy then the consequence may be resistance of policy change. According to Carolyn Tuohy (1999, p.14) reformation occurs at certain favourable times and not others and it involves not only health care arena but also the political system. In addition, Tuohy (1999, p.14) mentions that reformation is influenced by various parameters such as history, series of reform and evidence based choice and two other terms which she outlined as institutional mix and structural balance. She describes institutional mix as the eveness of power between three main forms of social control : state hierarchy or authority based control; professional collegiate institutions or skill based control and market or wealth based control. She refers structural balance as the evenness of power between the three main stakeholders : the state, healthcare professionals and private financial interests. Tuohy argues that reform of healthcare would be different across different countries and would be incremental most likely. Evidence based health care focuses primarily on safety measures, analysis, detection and care of health related problems ( Haynes et al 1998). It is also important as well as necessary that the evidence based policy should be put into practice at the right pace, in the right position and in the right manner ( Haynes et al 1998). The outcome of the policies that are not designed properly or not tested may be detrimental (Tunis et al 2003). The data (i.e. efficacy and effectiveness) obtained for patients treatment is important but is not relevant for policy makers when it is considered for the constitution or implementation of regulations (Sturm et al 2002). Policy makers require evidence about healthcare proposals rather than efficacy and effectiveness data. According to Sturm et al (2002) randomized trials tend to be difficult in acquiring the information because RCT requires vast samples and a large unit, lesser duration would leave negligible time for conducting complex randomized studies and lastly there is a frequent change in the policy and healthcare arena. Ministers and civil servants must be willing to indulge themselves in the result monitoring which channels policy making (Ham, 1999, p.202). The clinicians and managers are not able to seek the evidence based practice because it is difficult to find the correct evidence for assisting decision making. The group of people who have high expectations for high quality evidence includes the clinicians, physicians, health policy makers, common public, patients and health care administrators (Tunis et al 2003). Amongst all of them patients and physicians more concerned for high quality evidence. The patients and physicians are guided by medical professional socities for shaping medical conclusions (Tunis et al 2003). Evans (2005) had analyzed the current reforms for over 11 European countries mentioned in the Journal of Health Policy Politics and Law. Evans (2005) observed that the reforms over the past 50 years were analogous , i.e. variation in the reform but parallel development. There are two apparent aspects of reform. The first aspect being the collection of payments for healthcare either by taxation or by mandatory social insurance which was linked to the World War II. The second aspect was the cost which was drive up by the highly motivated and intelligent opponents like the general practitioners and the pharmaceutical industries (Evans 2005). Nutley et al (2002) points out that a very narrow range of evidence is used by the United Nations in the public sector, precisely for research and statistical data, evaluation of policies and proficient information. According to Maynards (2005) observation the inadequacy of transperancy in describing public policy goals, creating trade-offs and allineating incentives was due to the underpinning of poor evidence of reforms in Europe. Evidence can be graded in terms of effectiveness in the National Service Framework on Mental Health (Department of Health ,1999) Type I evidence at least one good systematic review, including at least one randomised controlled trial. Type II evidence at least one good randomised, controlled trial. Type III evidence at least one well-designed intervention study without randomisation. Type IV evidence at least one well-designed observational study. Type V evidence expert opinion, including the opinion of service users and carers. Subtler strategies would be required by the clinicians to alter their usual procedure as evidence in itself is not adequate (Dopson et al 2002). Systematic reviews of RCTS are carried out in order to overcome inadequate evidence. These RCTs were reinforced by the development of Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care (EPOC) team. Social values and political beliefs plays an important role in the development of evidence based health policy (Kelly et al 2007). A combination of social and political determinants of evidence on health would lead to a powerful response. Social beliefs produce injustice in health amongst the different classes of people. The rich and powerful population has got easy access to health services in comparision to the poor people who die at a younger age (Kelly et al 2005). The description and measurement of social determinants of health is a complex process. The psycho social model suggests that biasness based on the social status of an individual leads to stress which in turn produces a disease because of neuroendocrine response (Karasek 1996; Siegrist and Marmot, 2004; Evans and Stoddart 2003; Goldberg et al 2003). Environmental factors, proper sanitation and pure water, balanced diet, vaccination and good housing are essential for improving health (Graham et al 2004). Apart from socia l values and political belief situational factors like an earthquake or draught or some epidemic are also responsible for processing and implementation of policies (Buse et al 2005). Case Studies : Case Study 1 : Topic: European union policy on smokeless tobacco : a statement in favour of evidence based regulation for public health (Bates et al 2003). The significant aim of tobacco control campaigning is reduction of ailment and death from malignancy, cardiovascular disease and lung disease. Bates et al (2005) case study is about the ill effects due to tobacco and substitution of tobacco by smokeless tobacco. Tobacco contains an addictive substance called nicotine and because of nicotines addictive property many users are not able to quit smoking. Smokeless tobacco is considered to be les injurious as compared to smoking cigarette and there was a proof from Sweden which implies that it is used as a replacement for smoking and smoking cessation. This substitution is substantial argument which depicts that Sweden has the least tobacco related diseases. It is difficult for chain smokers to quit smoking but an alternate option to it could be meagrely dangerous forms of nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) may also reduce harm. Proofs from Sweden implies that snus can be used as a replacement against smoking and it has half mortality rate in comparision to other EU. Chewing tobacco like guthka and paan are officially forbided in the EU but is eminently lethal and Bates et al (2003) suggestion might eradicate more products from the market. In the entire Europe, Sweden ranks least smoking prevalence for male and female. Snus is 90% less injurious as compared to cigarette and the mortality rate can be declined if we use it in a limited manner. Smokeless tobacco is also harmful but to a lesser extent as compared to tobacco. For eg, the products made of smokeless tobacco in India and USA leads to oral cancer. In india the prime reason for oral cancer is smokeless tobacco. Diseases related to deaths in Europe due to smoking includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung disease. However, smokeless tobacco do not produce these above mentioned diseases. A complete ban on the products that are least injurious forms of smokeless tobacco should be substituted by a regulation for all products that are smokeless instead and the products that are seriously harmful to the society should be eliminated. This policy is fair, rational, beneficial for chain smokers, self control might be developed amongst the smokers, toxicity controls would be applied and it might prove to be beneficial worldwide. Case Study 2: Topic: Translating research into maternal health care policy: a qualitative case study of the use of evidence in policies for the treatment of eclampsia and pre-eclampsia in South Africa: (Daniels et al 2008). Deaths of pregnant women and infants due to eclampsia and pre-eclampsia is one of the prime concern of the society. A qualitative case study approach was used in South Africa for analyzing the policy procedure. This case study explores about the usage of magnesium sulphate in curing pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in South Africa from 1970 to 2005 for which RCTs and systematic analysis were carried out. Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are one of the prime reasons for maternal and infant morbidity and mortality universally and this is the case generally in developing countries. South Africa did not have a national maternal care policy before 1994 and hence every institution had its own guidelines for treating eclampsia and pre-eclampsia. In the mid 1990s the democratic government changed and various health policy reforms took place which resulted in the formation of new national policies for maternal care. These policies were evidence based and evidence was generated from RCTs and systematic reviews. The new government identified the health of females and children as a first concern and gave greater importance to it. The new government engaged academics in policy making from local networks in the National Department of Health. The local academics had much more understanding of evidence based practice and they used their strategies for policy process. The research identifies that affiliation amidst knowledge generation and application is critical thus research in healthcare policy making is also converted into an attempt to study. If pregnant females are suffering from hypertension it may lead to her death. Hypertension was regarded to be the main cause of death for females in 1998. Evidence was generated from research by doing two multi-center RCTs and three systematic reviews which shows that magnesium sulphate is effective in curing eclampsia and pre-eclampsia. Garner et al elucidates that in 1995 a survey was carried out which shows that magnesium sulphate was the most promising drug in curing eclampsia. This study thus uses evidence from research for developing guidelines and policies for maternal health. Case study 3: Topic: The impact of Chinas retail drug price control policy on hospital expenditures: a case study in two Shandong hospitals(Meng et al 2005). This is a retrospective case study which deals with the cost reduction of retail drugs and medicines in two Shandong hospitals in China. For the past two decades the pharmaceutical expenditure in China is found to be more than the overall economic growth (Wei 1999). Pharmaceuticals contributed to about 44.4% of the total health cost in 2001 in China. Hence the Chinese government adopted a systematic approach in cutting down the costs of retail drugs. In order to bring a change in the retail costs of drugs the financial data and records were viewed and analyzed. For the examination of the changes in the cost tracer condition approach was used and cerebral infarction was the health issue. About 104 and 109 cases of cerebral infarction were selected from the two hospitals prior to reform as well as after reform. The usage of drug was measured on the basis of prescribed daily dose (PDD). The usage of the drug after reform can be viewed from the literature of the hospital. But it was obse rved that even after implementing the pricing policy in the two hospitals the usage of drugs increased rapidly. In the provincial hospital there was a significant decrease in drug utilization whereas in municipal hospital there was a drastic increment of 50.1% even after reform. The provincial and municipal hospitals spent about 19.5% and 46.5% of the expenditure respectively on the top 15 drugs for treating cerebral infarction whose costs have been decided by the government and this took place after reformation. Allopathic drugs accounted for about 65% and 41% in the provincial and municipal hospitals respectively, though it did not had sufficient evidence for safety and efficacy in treating cerebral infarction. The Chinese government brought about a change in its policies for drug pricing after 2002 so that a control over the pharmaceutical expenditure could be made. In order to overcome the conflicts in pharmacy settings, countries such as Sweden approached direct salary compensation of the pharmacists. The drugs which came under the category of Urban Health Insurance Scheme were set up by the State Commission of Development and Planning. Policy makers have made a number of efforts in order to reduce the cost of pharmaceuticals. Various initiatives taken by the policy makers include preparation of a drug list, sharing costs for various schemes on health insurance, monitoring the GDP of hospitals and marking up regulations. The drug list includes two types of drug: Part A and Part B. Central government decides the cost of drugs for Part A and Part B but Part A drugs are generally used by the retailers whereas Part B drugs are used by the provincial government. Utilization of the drug along with the price determines the drug expenditure hence there should be rational usage of drugs and the prescribers should use various strategies for controlling drug expenditure. Conclusion : According to Walt (1994, p.1) since health policy is about power and processà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. It is concerned with who influences whom in the making of policy and how that happens. Health policy is all about decision making, consistent approach, expertise knowledge and positive action and it is emanated by senior officials, directors, ministers and government bodies. Evidence based policy stimulates a crystal clear and parallel application of evidence in health policy framework. Policy making is influenced by various social values and political belief like racial minority, holy belief, statistical features, unhealthy conditions and contagious diseases. Evidence based healthcare movement brought about a drastic change in the 1990s for the development of health protocols. Scientific research or RCTs play a key role in the development of EBP making. Incorporation of the contemporary nonpareil evidence would decline the hindrance between the creation of evidence and its appliance, and there would be an increment in the bulk of patients to whom the best treatment is offered. Bates case study is more of social belief because the public should co-operate with the health professionals to quit smoking. Even though he replaced tobacco by smokeless tobacco, it is still harmful to health. From the above mentioned case studies it can be observed that not all the health policies are implemented because of issues related to the government or the common public. Policy makers in the earlier period were not aware of the health protocols in depth as they are today and this awareness among the policy makers is brought by reformation in the public health protocols and the healthcare protocols. The support and approval from the government is mandatory for the implementation of the policy which indicates that political support plays more important role than the social support in developing policy.

Hypothalamic Lesion :: Medicine Health Research

Hypothalamic Lesion from the Perspective of Neurologist and Neurosurgeon The hypothalamus is a substructure of the diencephalon and acts as one of the most significant control centers of the brain. It is located inferior to the thalamus, encapsulates the ventral portion of the third ventricle, and lies just superior to the pituitary gland, which it has direct regulatory control over (Gunderson, 1996). Neurosecretory neurons in the hypothalamus secrete releasing and inhibiting hormones which are carried to the anterior pituitary where they exert their effects via hypothalamic-hypophyseal portal veins. Included in the many functions of the hypothalamus are regulation of food and water intake, autonomic function, emotions, body temperature, motor functions, and circadian sleep-wake cycles (Kalat, 2004). Hormones secreted by the hypothalamus include Thyrotropin- releasing hormone, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone, Growth- releasing hormone, Corticotropin-releasing hormone, Somatostatin, and Dopamine (Klaus,n.d.). Medically, a lesion is a term referring to abnormal tissue in the body that can be caused by many factors including disease, trauma, infection, or neoplasm which is an abnormal growth of tissue, such as a tumor (Healthopedia.com, n.d.). For the purpose of this paper tumor and lesion will be used interchangeably. As a neurologist I am a medical doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating, and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system, including diagnosis of brain tumors. As a professional I act as the primary care provider for patients with chronic neurological problems and as a consultant to other physicians who have clients suspected of having a condition involving the nervous system (Life NPH, n.d.). A neurological examination allows me to effectively diagnose the condition of the patient and suggest appropriate treatment options. I first review the patient's health history with special attention to the current condition. A patient suspected of having a disorder of the nervous system will be subjected to a general neurological examination which includes testing of eye movement and pupil reaction, hearing, reflexes, balance and coordination, sense of touch, sense of smell, facial muscle functioning, gag reflex, head movement, mental status, abstract thinking, and memory (Malhi, 2000). A full neurological examination is generally administered, despite any preconceived opinions of a patient’s potential ailment, in order to illustrate the condition as clearly as possible and rule out any alternative diagnosis. An examination takes 90 minutes or more in most cases and consists of a battery of tests. A neurological exam tests for a client’s level of function of the area of the nervous system involved in a given

7 Year War

The war consisting of three names, known to the Europeans as â€Å"the 7 year war,† the Canadians as â€Å"The conquest,† and to the English Americans as â€Å"The French and Indian War. † The French and Indian War started in 1756 and lasted roughly 7 years. It all started at â€Å"The Forks of Ohio. † Present day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Both Great Britain and France hoped to get there first and take control of the land for themselves. The river was a natural highway for trade and both sides had their own plans for the land.France formed alliances with the Native Americans who lived around their forts and would most often live and work along side of the natives taking in their way of life The river would be a way for them to travel faster for trade amongst other colonies, they built most of their trading posts along the rivers. The French traded amongst the Native Americans for valuable animal fur, which later they would send to Europe to be sold. Anothe r reason the French became a great threat to Great Britain, they had and controlled more land.By 1700 the French land stretched from Canada, across the Great Lakes, down to the Mississippi River and to New Orleans. This and the wanting The â€Å"Forks of Ohio† themselves will be the cause of the war we know today as the â€Å"French and Indian War. † The British, busy building their colonies along the coast of the Atlantic. These settlers were brought to America with the desire to become rich or to practice their own religious beliefs freely. Most of their living being made farming or trading.The British outnumbered the French due to the fact that they built more small villages and towns, bringing more British over in their conquest for riches. The vast number of British caused for them to move around in search for more land, moving them west, most often causing conflict with the Native Americans trying to protect their land. Between the years 1689 and 1748 a series of three wars were fought amongst them both all for control of North America, in which neither side fully won.On Great Britain’s side, a young twenty-one commander in chief was the start to the notorious war, firing the first shots starting the first true war, â€Å"George Washington. † The two armies collided near The Forks of Ohio in 1754 causing Britain’s victory over the French for a short period of time. Once French soldiers surrounding the area caught word of the attack they band together and went in search of George Washington and his men.The French soon arrived to find George and his men hiding in a stockade they had built to fend of the French soldiers, the stockade soon developed the name â€Å"Fort Nessecity. † Washington and his men soon out numbered caused the British to surrender and to their surprise was able to return home. When this war began the French teamed with the Canadian colonists and their native alliances they traded amongst for ye ars. The French proved loyal to the Natives over the period of time they conducted business together.This help make up for the vast outnumbering Britain had over the French. Britain teamed with the American colonies and 4 of the 6 Iroquois Nations, who were not to fond of the French to begin with, due to the taking over their land and changing their way of life by driving out their game they used for hunting and destroying their crops. 1755, General Braddock, appointed general at the time led yet another attack at â€Å"Fort Duquesne,† the new name of the French fort at the â€Å"Fork of the Ohio. Alongside the General came George Washington, now Junior leader of the British army. It was this battle that General Braddock became injured and later died. The battle lasted only about three hours and ended with the British once again retreating. This battle soon came to become â€Å" The Battle of the Wilderness. † The British strategy of attack was no match for the defens e of the French. The French and Natives would hide amongst the trees and the wilderness leaving the British shooting in the dark and wide open targets. 756, this year became the start of what seemed to be a huge loss amongst the British. â€Å"Fort Oswego† in New York was captured by the French. 1757 â€Å"Fort William Henry,† soon became French territory. Attack after attack by the French caught the British army off guard as the French and Natives pulled land after land from underneath the British. This battle caused different countries all over the world to take sides.By 1756 war was not just in North America anymore but consisted of most of the countries throughout the world. In 1757, William Pitt took over the position of leadership for Great Britain. In 1758, Pitt ordered an attack at â€Å"Fort Louisburg† a French fortress off the coast of Canada. They thought that if they could get control of the key then they would have access to the rivers running throu gh, making for battle by water a lot easier of a solution for them.The British brought with the double the men than what existed at the fortress at the time, outnumbering the French, this led to the surrender by the French and gave the British two heads up on the battle. The war started to take a turn for the best for Great Britain. Soon the British had control of â€Å" Fort Frontenac† on Lake Ontario in the year 1758. This loss for the French really made a dent in the British victory, making it harder for the French trade.The fall of 1758, the French abandoned â€Å"Fort Duquesne† causing the British to take control of the Forks of Ohio. The name â€Å"Pittsburgh† soon became the new fort name, after William Pitt, Pitt was the reasoning for the turn of the war in the British favor, earning him the title of the name. 1759, the invasion in Canada was sent under way. â€Å"Lake Champlain† was claimed by the British clearing another path to Canada for the B ritish.Summer, 1759 James Wolfe led a large fleet up the St. Lawrence River, targeting Quebec. Wolfe and his men set up fort across the river from Quebec, planning out a way to carry out their attack. Months pass, several attempts on Quebec’s steep land fails. Wolfe catches word of a secret trail that became ideal for the attack. September, the night attack by Wolfe and his men , sent under way led to the surrender of the French in Quebec.The French retreated to Montreal, although on both sides both generals lost their lives, Wolfe and Montcalm the British proudly marched in to Quebec on September 18th the year 1759. This battle was one of the last chances for the French to have any control over North America. The wars continued but never again did the French see another victory. Great Britain had taken over and their forces seemed to be too overwhelming for the French. The war around the war continued and still led to the French and their allies failing. 763 came around and both the British and the French decided it was time for a Truce. The treaty called â€Å"The peace of Paris† was drawn up and signed. The terms, The French gave up Canada, India and the Florida territories. The British now had control of most of North America. Although it felt like peace had been made at last even though Great Britain’s powerful force took over most of North America, this war had and impact that would not be avoided not only for the colonists but for the Native Americans as well.Great Britain now controlled vast’s amounts of land and more land meant more soldiers to protect this land. This became costly, the new government then imposed new taxes for the colonists. As imagined, the colonists grew unhappy with this decision. They felt the victory had to do with them as well and their new found freedom should be enjoyed, this was not the case. This will soon cause even more conflict in the future. The Native Americans, felt the impact in the worst way.After British victory more and more settlers moved to North America taking control of even more land, creating their tobacco crops and scaring away the wildlife the Natives become accustomed to hunt. The Native American not only were being pushed out of their land but could not continue their way of life they lived for centuries. This became a problem and caused war amongst the natives and the British. 1763, a proclamation was created, making the first reservation between the Appalachian and the Mississippi River for the natives.This was an attempt at peace, trying to avoid war with the natives. War is costly and Great Britain trying to maintain their vast majority of land had too many cost to deal with as it was. This law was to protect the land from the settlers. This treaty did little or nothing for the Natives as the settlers still continued to move west forcing the natives from their land. The taxes and the proclamation caused even more anger amongst the colonists, they beg an a disagreement with the British rule.The relationship between Great Britain and The American colonies would soon fall apart leading to none only than â€Å"The American Revolution. † A new war at hand. Bibliography: Santella, Andrew, â€Å"We the people, The French and Indian war,† (Compass Points Books, 2004) , 4-48 Anderson, Fred, â€Å"Crucible of war,† (A Division Of Random House, New York), 479 Vaugeois, Dennis â€Å"The last of the French and Indian War,† Montreal, (Mcgillqueens University Press, 2002) 1-100