Essay 1 Hist 1301
Orlando Carreon
HIST 1301- 421
February 12, 2015
Today, one of the most dreaded diseases by women is breast cancer. The advancement of medicine and technology has allowed us to come up with better ways to treat the disease. However, not everyone was fortunate to enjoy the treatments that we have available today. In the reading "Dying of Breast Cancer" by Robert Shadle and James S. Olson we are shown the pain that women had to deal with in the 19th century when they developed the malignant breast cancer. In this reading, we are told the story of Nabby Smith who unfortunately had to face the terror of breast cancer. Nabby Smith, daughter of John Adams and husband of Colonel William Smith was an educated and highly regarded woman. Despite all that she was not able to escape from breast cancer. In 1808 she discovered a dimple in her breast which would soon develop into a tumor. After visiting a doctor, she was told that she had the "dreaded disease." She attempted to cure with medicine, but it all failed. As a result Dr. Benjamin Rush insisted that she undergo surgery, but in the 19th century surgery was a method of last resort because of the risk of massive infections. Nonetheless after careful thought and persistence of the doctor, she had the grotesque surgery, as there was no anesthetics and she would feel everything. The operation was deemed successful when 7 months later Nabby felt well. However, she would later die because of remains of malignant cells that would cause to be terminal. While I knew that today we enjoy a lot of technology and medicinal advancement, I was not aware of the things that women had to endure in the 19th century. We view chemotherapy as a harsh treatment, but as I can now see we live in better times. However, I will not be surprised if chemotherapy will be viewed as a grotesque treatment later on in history. With the fast advancement of medicine and technology we are abound to find a better solution.
HIST 1301- 421
February 12, 2015
Today, one of the most dreaded diseases by women is breast cancer. The advancement of medicine and technology has allowed us to come up with better ways to treat the disease. However, not everyone was fortunate to enjoy the treatments that we have available today. In the reading "Dying of Breast Cancer" by Robert Shadle and James S. Olson we are shown the pain that women had to deal with in the 19th century when they developed the malignant breast cancer. In this reading, we are told the story of Nabby Smith who unfortunately had to face the terror of breast cancer. Nabby Smith, daughter of John Adams and husband of Colonel William Smith was an educated and highly regarded woman. Despite all that she was not able to escape from breast cancer. In 1808 she discovered a dimple in her breast which would soon develop into a tumor. After visiting a doctor, she was told that she had the "dreaded disease." She attempted to cure with medicine, but it all failed. As a result Dr. Benjamin Rush insisted that she undergo surgery, but in the 19th century surgery was a method of last resort because of the risk of massive infections. Nonetheless after careful thought and persistence of the doctor, she had the grotesque surgery, as there was no anesthetics and she would feel everything. The operation was deemed successful when 7 months later Nabby felt well. However, she would later die because of remains of malignant cells that would cause to be terminal. While I knew that today we enjoy a lot of technology and medicinal advancement, I was not aware of the things that women had to endure in the 19th century. We view chemotherapy as a harsh treatment, but as I can now see we live in better times. However, I will not be surprised if chemotherapy will be viewed as a grotesque treatment later on in history. With the fast advancement of medicine and technology we are abound to find a better solution.