Hiv Aids Dbq

In 1962, the criteria for the historical analysis of scientific developments was established; scientific development is not completely gradual and consecutive, but instead characterized by periods of steady progress that are interrupted by scientific revolutions of thought and changes in what was held to be fundamentally true (Kuhn). These significant changes are caused by a crisis that lead to solutions for pressing current problems; in this way the aids crisis acted as a catalyst, for it gave the scientific community the necessary push to investigate the nature of retroviruses. Before this point, significant process had been made; Ellermann and Bang (1908) isolated the first oncogenic retroviruses. Temin and Rubin (1958) were able to describe
All five men were reported as having been previously healthy and all had indicators that their immune systems were becoming ineffective. By the end of the year, out of the 270 reported cases 121 of them ended in mortality (AIDS.gov). In response, The CDC released the report “Current Trends [...] and Precautions for Clinical and Laboratory Staffs” (CDC, 1982), using the increased inflow of data to sketch an outline of the disease:
As cases of HIV/AIDS grew (Figure 2), the massive inflow of statistical data, ranging from common lifestyles to symptoms, allowed doctors to characterize the disease quickly. Trends among those affected revealed that HIV/AIDS spread from the exchange of bodily fluids and that this exchange was primarily sexually linked, it was not limited to sexual exchanges. The CDC report "Epidemiologic Notes and Reports Possible Transfusion-Associated Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) -- California." (CDC, 1982) highlights
Robert Gallo and his colleagues had isolated the retrovirus HTLV-III and a diagnostic blood test was well into development. Less than a year later, FDA licenses HIV blood tests for sale (CDC).This was a momentous achievement; in such a short time the scientific community had persevered against this faceless, mysterious threat and were making progress. Prior to this, the scientific community saw viral infections as impossible to treat, and not serious enough to finance thorough research for a cure (Zurger). “Immunologists now have a far better understanding of the primary immune cells called T-lymphocytes that the virus particularly strikes [...] and the complex links between cancer, immunity and infection have also been cemented by findings in H.I.V.-infected people” (Zurger). The field of retrovirology was born; scientists were able to gain from the massive inflow of data collected over the next years how retroviruses alter the DNA of their host cells, how they evade immune detection, and were able to draw parallels between the spread of cancer and and spread of HIV infection. This provided the necessary context for inferences on the bases for RNA genetic code, sparking research that was able to assess and explain the function of reverse transcriptase (Broder). In 1985, the first treatment for HIV/AIDS, Zidovudine (commonly referred to as AZT), was sold and several wellness programs