Assessment Of The Healthcare Sector In India Business Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1931 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Medicine Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? The Indian healthcare sector is expected to become a US$ 280 billion industry by 2020 with spending on health estimated to grow 14 per cent annually, according to a report by an industry body. Healthcare has emerged as one of the most progressive and largest service sectors in India with an expected GDP spend of 8 per cent by 2012 from 5.5 per cent in 2009. It is believed to be the next big thing after IT and predicted to become a US$ 280 billion industry by 2020, the report said. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Assessment Of The Healthcare Sector In India Business Essay" essay for you Create order At present the sector is estimated to be around US$ 40 billion and will grow to US$ 78.6 billion by 2012. As per a study by an industry body and Ernst Young, India would require another 1.75 million beds by the end of 2025. The public sector however is likely to contribute only around 15-20 per cent of the required US$ 86 billion investment. The corporate India is therefore, leveraging on this business potential and various health care brands have started aggressive expansion in the country. Some of the companies that plan to increase their footprints include Anil Ambanis Reliance Health, the Hindujas, Sahara Group, Emami, Apollo Tyres and the Panacea Group. Sahara Group is planning several healthcare projects such as a 200-bed multi-specialty tertiary care hospital at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, a 1,500-bed multi super-specialty, tertiary care hospital at Aamby Valley City and 30-bed multi-specialty secondary care hospitals across all the 217 Sahara City Homes Townships. Meanwhile, Artemis Health Sciences (AHS), a health care venture of the Apollo Tyres Group, is also planning to establish four to eight multi-specialty hospitals in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana over the next three years. The rural healthcare sector is also on an upsurge. The Rural Health Survey Report 2009, released by the Ministry of Health, stated that during the last five years rural health sector has been added with around 15,000 health sub-centers and 28,000 nurses and midwives. The report further stated that the number of primary health centers have increased by 84 per cent, taking the number to 20,107. The size of the Indian medical technology industry may touch US$ 14 billion by 2020 from US$ 2.7 billion in 2008 on account of strong economic growth, higher public spending and private investments in healthcare, increased penetration of health insurance and emergence of new models of healthcare delivery, according to a report Medical Tech nology in India: Enhancing Access to Healthcare through Innovation released by PwC and an industry body. Health Insurance The Indian health insurance market has emerged as a new and lucrative growth avenue for both the existing players as well as the new entrants. According to a latest research report Booming Health Insurance in India by research firm RNCOS released in April, 2010, the health insurance market represents one the fastest growing and second largest non-life insurance segment in the country. The Indian health insurance market has posted record growth in the last two fiscals (2008-09 and 2009-10). Moreover, as per the report, the health insurance premium is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 25 per cent for the period spanning from 2009-10 to 2013-14. Overview of the company Background of the company Piramal Healthcare Ltd, a Piramal Group company, is a globally integrated healthcare company that fulfills unmet medical needs across the world. It has a growth track record of above 29% CAGR since 1988. Piramal Healthcare had consolidated revenues of US$ 656 million in FY2009. PHL is currently ranked 4th in the Indian market with a diverse product portfolio spanning several therapeutic areas. It is also one of the largest custom manufacturing companies with a global footprint of assets across North America, Europe and Asia. At Piramal Healthcare, core values of Knowledge, Action and Care are propelled for improving the quality of lives by democratizing healthcare. Aim is to attain leadership in market share, innovation and profits by: Partnering the medical fraternity Building strong capabilities to deliver product and process innovations Attracting and developing the best in class talent ÂÂ  Nicholas Piramal India Limited is one of Indias largest companies with an unmatched record of managing JVs/Alliances/Partnerships, and a proven commitment to IPR. With strong brand management and sales capabilities, a US FDA site-approved plant for on-and-off patent APIs and Intermediates, Basic Research, Process Innovation, Custom Chemical Synthesis, Formulations RD, NDDS, and a world-class, accredited Clinical Research Organization, NPIL is poised to emerge as Indias pharma powerhouse. With growth fuelled through a strategy of partnerships, quality acquisitions, brand building, focused selling and manufacturing, NPILs consolidated net sales turnover was US$ 313 million (INR 14.1 billion) in 2005-06 (April to March). NPIL has emerged among the leaders in Indian pharma with a unique mix of inorganic and organic growth fuelled through a strategy of acquisitions, brand building and focused selling, and manufacturing. The company has one of the widest product portfolios in India, spanning nine key therapeutic areas, in cluding the Cardio-vascular, Neuro-psychiatry, Oncology, Diabetes Management, Respiratory, Anti-infective, Gastro-intestinal, Dermatology and NSAIDS. The company was formed when the Piramal Group acquired Nicholas Laboratories, a small formulations company in 1988 from Sara Lee. It has followed a multi-pronged strategy to integrate and maximize synergies with the planned acquisitions and develop and consolidate its major strength in marketing to therapeutic niches. Managed by a team of highly proficient industry professionals, NPILs key strengths come from its strong brand building, selling and distribution, manufacturing and alliance/partnership management skills. The last, especially, are quite unique in the Indian context few Indian Pharmaceutical have exhibited such a strong and consistent record in successfully and ethically managing JVs/Alliances and Partnerships as NPIL has. Its policy of respecting IPR and managing partnerships, in keeping with both the letter and the spirit of written agreements, has been widely respected and commended by its partners. NPIL is the flagship company of the Rs. 2500 crore (US $ 550 million) Piramal Enterprises (PEL), one of Indias largest diversified business houses. Establishing supply chain excellence Starting the Supply Chain Journey Piramal Healthcare Limited, one of Indias largest pharmaceutical companies, embarked on and ambitious mission to streamline its supply chain. The companys domestic formulations business was witnessing strong competition due to issues around lower brand loyalty and product differentiation. Piramal was also challenged by an increasingly complex supply chain and a rapid growth period. It required tools for handling geographical expansion and product diversification, new product launches and also ongoing cost pressures. Some of the core goals of this strategic initiative were: effective and accurate supply and demand management, proactive supply chain planning for the short and long term, reduction of working capital, improved customer service levels and more effective utilization of resources. Choosing the Tight Partner A rigorous selection process was undertaken by Piramal and after thorough analysis they selected the SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) component. The key reason for selecting SAP APO was tight integration between planning, execution, and performance monitoring processes, also because of the applications robust, best practices- based fucntionality and ability for supporting growth. The decision was taken by them for implementing this functionality firstly fir supply network planning, production planning and detailed scheduling, and the global available-to-promise process. It chose Bristlecone as its implementation partner. Transforming the Business In the phase one, the project team members- comprising business users, IT staff, and Bristlecone consultants- worked together on setting up the key performance indicators(KPIs) that would monitor progress. This gave result to greater degree of ownership across the organization. Implementation of SAP APO was done using the ASAP methodology by the team thereby reengineering Piramals business processes- such as annual budgeting and ales and operations planning- in order to meet company requirements. One of the major challenges faced was linking of the complex processes involved in active pharmaceutical ingredients with formulations. Nonetheless, quick decision making by the senior level management along with the collaboration between Piramal and Bristlecone, helped in ensuring a swift and successful implantation. Other success factors included a strict sign-off policy for introducing enhancements and the involvement of cross-functional teams for ensuring data integrity. Also decisi on was made to implement standard SAP APO functionality in reducing customization costs. Tracking Success Establishing of a performance management system for the company supply chain using the SAP Net Weaver Business Warehouse Component was another aspect of Piramals transformation. The team also developed a very strong framework of KPIs which included a mix of lead and lag indicators and qualitative and quantitative measurements. Also a KPI diagnostic tree was designed so that Piramal could analyze and conduct root cause analysis for eliminating inefficiency and for ensuring continuous improvement Siddhartha Pahwa, President of supply chain and trade management for domestic formulations at Piramal, confirmed that with SAP APO they have integrated all the planning processes which enabled in lead time reduction. And that they also expect to improve further in customer service, cost optimization, and the cash-to-cash cycle. Future Already benefits are being experienced by the pharmaceutical company. The company is enjoying the enhanced visibility of its supply chain end to end which has enabled them to react more quickly to demand along with other measurable KPIs like customer service levels, raw material and finished goods inventory. Still the transformation of supply chain is a continuous process for Piramal. Since presently it has a core SAP business software running in the Indian, UK, and Canadian sites, Piramal plans to follow up its successful implantation of SAP APO at the Indian sites with a full global rollout. Future of ERP systems in healthcare sector Conclusion Piramal Healthcare limited is one of Indias largest pharmaceutical companies. Due to its immense distribution network in multiple geographies and 12 manufacturing facilities in India, the United Kingdom, and North America, Piramal needs the right IT for supporting its complex supply chain processes and continued growth while keeping costs down. The solution: the SAP Advanced Planning Optimization component. Key challenges Some of the key challenges faced by the company were as follows: Elimination of multiple legacy systems Elimination of manual planning processes and dependency on spreadsheets- for accelerating planning cycles and response times Improving data accuracy and completeness Accommodating a complex supply chain Streamline of processes for contact research and manufacturing services. Improve ability for meeting increasing and changing customer expectations and demands. Why SAP was selected For selecting SAP as a system following are the reasons: Robust, best-in-class, integrated IT meeting core business as well as industry-specific needs Tight integration between planning, execution and performance monitoring processes Simplification of the IT landscape SAPs market leadership and commitment to the pharmaceutical industry Implementation of Best Practices The implementation steps included the following: Detailed tracking of implementing progress using key performance indicators Alignment of business objectives with IT Use of ASAP methodology during business blueprint, testing, integration and operational phases. Strict sign-off policy for introducing enhancements Involvement of cross-functional teams to define data integrity and master data management strategy Low Cost of Ownership Simplification f existing IT landscape, enabling the IT team to work more efficiently On-time, within budget project Elimination of high-maintenance legacy application, improving productivity of IT personnel Tightly managed, well-defined project scope Financial and Strategic Benefits Implementing good practices led to many befits both financially as well as strategically. They are as follows: Greater visibility or order and fulfillment data Elimination of redundant data Greater ability to react to changes in demand Streamlined supply chain processes Common platform for collaborative forecasting Operational Benefits Out of the many benefits obtained by its implantation it also included operational benefits which are illustrated below Key Performance Indicator Impact Available-to-promise process Manual to automated Raw material inventory -15% to -20% Finished goods inventory -15% Planning process From macro (groups equipment) to micro level( single piece of equipment)

Industrialization In China Began In 1949 When The Communist

Industrialization in China began in 1949 when the Communist party took power. Ever since, the rapid economic growth of China has overshadowed the violations of human rights. China is a very powerful country that has a direct relationship between its economic growth and human rights abuse. Although others may argue on the positive aspects of industrialization such as creation of wealth, in this paper I argue that the industrialization in China has done more harm than good because it has particularly led to extremely harsh labor conditions within the factory system. The year 1949 is often called the â€Å"great historical watershed from old to new China.† This is when the Chinese Communist Party won the two month long civil war against the†¦show more content†¦Although, China is a great economical world power today, it is not due to The Great Leap Forward. The Great Leap Forward was a giant step backward and is considered the worst famine in human history with an  "estimated 30 million people perished between 1959 and 1962†. The overwhelming desire to industrialize backfired, but became the beginning of human rights abuse caused by harsh labor conditions. In order to fund industrial programs, â€Å"the Party would use profits from the agricultural sector, therefore the first priority was to increase agricultural output. That in turn, meant full-fledged mechanization.† To achieve full-fledged mechanization, thousands of male peasants were transferred to industrial work. They left the farm work for the women and the children. For example, in 1958 â€Å"the [Henan] province allocated 1.604 billion yuan to construction projects† and Wu Zhipu, the Chinese Communist Party governor of Henan, â€Å"crowed that ‘by the end of August, the province will have built or expanded 378,000 factories and mines of all kinds,’† which proved to be true when â€Å"workers employed in the province’s state-owned enterp rises more than doubled in number from 1957.† These workers were not only starved due to the mass starvation, but ridiculed with harsh government policies. â€Å"Anyone who aroused the wrath of a leader could beShow MoreRelatedEssay on Mao Zedong and the Chinese Revolution1583 Words   |  7 PagesIn 1949 a powerful communist leader by the name of Mao Zedong came to power based on his idea for a, â€Å"Great Leap Forward.† This idea was meant to bring China’s economy into the twentieth century. He had assembled a revolutionary government using traditional Chinese ideals of filial piety, harmony, and order. 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Compare And Contrast The Articles Of Confederation And The Constitution Essay Example For Students

Compare And Contrast The Articles Of Confederation And The Constitution Essay The Constitution of the United States was written as a set of rules forthis country. Many of the rules have helped the country stay in order, but agreat many have been abused and taken out of context. Three provisions in theConstitution that are important to my individual rights and liberties arefreedom of speech, freedom to vote, and that all people should be treatedequally. These rights represent what is important to me and what I believe in. Freedom of speech is an important right to me. It is found under Amendment oneof the Constitution. I am a very outspoken person and I like to speak my mind onissues of all kind. The country I was born in did not guarantee freedom ofspeech. People could be arrested or even killed for expressing their opinion. As adopted, the articles provided only for a firm league offriendship in which each of the 13 states expressly held itssovereignty, freedom, and independence. The People ofeach state were given equal privileges and rights, freedom ofmovement was guaranteed, and procedures for the trials ofaccused criminals were outlined. The articles established anational legislature called the Congress, consisting of two toseven delegates from each state; each state had one vote,according to its size or population. No executive or judicialbranches were provided for. Congress was charged withresponsibility for conducting foreign relations, declaring waror peace, maintaining an army and navy, settling boundarydisputes, establishing and maintaining a postal service, andvarious lesser functions. Some of these responsibilities wereshared with the states, and in one way or another Congresswas dependent upon the cooperation of the states forcarrying out any of them. Four visible weaknesses of thearticles, apart from those of organization, made it impossiblefor Congress to execute its constitutional duties. These wereanalyzed in numbers 15-22 of The FEDERALIST, thepolitical essays in which Alexander Hamilton, JamesMadison, and John Jay argued the case for the U.S. CONSTITUTION of 1787. The first weakness was thatCongress could legislate only for states, not for individuals;because of this it could not enforce legislation. Second,Congress had no power to tax. Instead, it was to assess itsexpenses and divide those among the states on the basis ofthe value of land. States were then to tax their own citizensto raise the money for these expenses and turn the proceedsover to Congress. They could not be forced to do so, and inpractice they rarely met their obligations. Third, Congresslacked the power to control commercewithout its powerto conduct foreign relations was not necessary, since mosttreaties except those of peace were concerned mainly withtrade. The fourth weakness ensured the demise of theConfederation by making it too difficult to correct the firstthree. Amendments could have corrected any of theweaknesses, but amendments required approval by all 13state legislatures. None of the several amendments that wereproposed met that requirement. On the days fromSeptember 11, 1786 to September 14, 1786, New Jersey,Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia had a meeting of theredelegates at the Annapolis Convention. Too few states wererepresented to carry out the original purpose of themeetingto discuss the regulation of interstatecommercebut there was a larger topic at question,specifically, the weakness of the Articles of Confederation. Alexander Hamilton successfully proposed that the states beinvited to send delegates to Philadelphia to render theconstitution of the Federal Government adequate to theexigencies of the Union. As a result, the ConstitutionalConvention was held in May 1787. The ConstitutionalConvention, which wrote the Constitution of the UnitedStates, was held in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. It wascalled by the Continental Congress and several states inresponse to the expected bankruptcy of Congress and asense of panic arising from an armed revoltShayssRebellionin New England. The conventions assigned job,following proposals made at the Annapolis Convention theprevious September, was to create amendments to theArticles of Confederation. The delegates, however,immediately started writing a new constitution. Fifty-fivedelegates representing 12 states attended at least part of thesessions. Thirty-four of them were lawyers; most of theothers were planters or merchants. Although GeorgeWashington, who pre sided, was 55, and John Dickinsonwas 54, Benjamin Franklin 81, and Roger Shermen 66,most of the delegates were young men in their 20s and 30s. .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 , .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .postImageUrl , .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 , .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5:hover , .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5:visited , .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5:active { border:0!important; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5:active , .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5 .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ueb79b1f75568aeb3ec974d57cbe911b5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Gathering of Old Men EssayNoticeable absent were the revolutionary leaders of theeffort for independence in 1775-76, such as John Adams,Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson. The delegatesknowledge concerning government, both ideal and practical,made the convention perhaps the most intelligent suchgathering ever assembled. On September 17 theConstitution was signed by 39 of the 42 delegates present. A period of national argument followed, during which thecase for support of the constitution was strongly presented inthe FEDERALIST essays of Alexander Hamilton, John Jay,and James Madison. The last of the 13 states to ratify theConstitution was Rhode Island on May 29, 1790. BIBLIOGRAPHYCategory: History

Islamic Spread Essays - Religion, Asia, Islam, Arabs,

Islamic Spread From its beginnings in Arabia to its extensive empire encompassing the Middle East, parts of Asia, North Africa, and parts of Europe,paul duffy is fat the spread of Islam in the late 600s and 700s has drawn much study. The spread of Islamic beliefs and civilization have been described from a variety of perspectives. One way in which Islam spread was by the military conquests of the Muslims. Mohammed gave choices to non-Moslem peoples. They could either accept Islam or war would be waged against them and many lives would be taken. These threats by the Moslems caused many to convert and become followers of Allah. When a group defied these words they were punished severely by the Moslems. Moslem warrior were known to be fierce and were quite capable of forcing nations into Islam. There were other times when military conquests were made by the Moslems in order to gain riches, or booty, as opposed to punishing a group of peoples. These campaigns were not made with the intention of gaining permanent footholds but once the Moslems finished their raids it was inevitable that the areas would become part of the Arab empire. Not everyone was forced to follow Islam though. There were many people to whom the Islamic culture appealed. The promise to devout Moslems of a paradise with an abundant supply of water appealed to many desert-dwellers. The belief in equality among all followers of Islam appealed to many impoverished nations. These people willingly converted to Islam from their ancestral religions, causing the Islamic empire to grow. Then you have peoples like the Christians or Jews, who were respected by most Moslems because of their monotheistic beliefs. These two groups did have to pay, however, for the protection of the Moslems. If they did not pay, they too would be punished. Because although they were respected by some Moslems, there were others who believed that Christians were evil because they stifled the liberty of their followers and where Christianity prevailed, no other religion could be followed without persecution. It becomes clear that Islamic civilization spread to different areas by different means but the end result was the same: an extensive empire covering the Middle East, parts of Asia, North Africa, and parts of Europe. Islam still remains one of the most widely followed religions today.

The Plague in Athens - Thucydides Peloponnesian War

The Plague in Athens - Thucydides' Peloponnesian War During wartime, Plague was the worst enemy.... The Plague - Thucydides Peloponnesian War Book II Chapter VII Second Year of the War - The Plague of Athens - Position and Policy of Pericles - Fall of Potidaea From Internet Classics Archive Such was the funeral that took place during this winter, with which the first year of the war came to an end. In the first days of summer the Lacedaemonians and their allies, with two-thirds of their forces as before, invaded Attica, under the command of Archidamus, son of Zeuxidamus, King of Lacedaemon, and sat down and laid waste the country. Not many days after their arrival in Attica the plague first began to show itself among the Athenians. It was said that it had broken out in many places previously in the neighbourhood of Lemnos and elsewhere; but a pestilence of such extent and mortality was nowhere remembered. Neither were the physicians at first of any service, ignorant as they were of the proper way to treat it, but they died themselves the most thickly, as they visited the sick most often; nor did any human art succeed any better. Supplications in the temples, divinations, and so forth were found equally futile, till the overwhelming nature of the disaster at last put a s top to them altogether. It first began, it is said, in the parts of Ethiopia above Egypt, and thence descended into Egypt and Libya and into most of the Kings country. Suddenly falling upon Athens, it first attacked the population in Piraeus- which was the occasion of their saying that the Peloponnesians had poisoned the reservoirs, there being as yet no wells there- and afterwards appeared in the upper city, when the deaths became much more frequent. All speculation as to its origin and its causes, if causes can be found adequate to produce so great a disturbance, I leave to other writers, whether lay or professional; for myself, I shall simply set down its nature, and explain the symptoms by which perhaps it may be recognized by the student, if it should ever break out again. This I can the better do, as I had the disease myself, and watched its operation in the case of others. That year then is admitted to have been otherwise unprecedentedly free from sickness; and such few cases as occurred all determined in this. As a rule, however, there was no ostensible cause; but people in good health were all of a sudden attacked by violent heats in the head, and redness and inflammation in the eyes, the inward parts, such as the throat or tongue, becoming bloody and emitting an unnatural and fetid breath. These symptoms were followed by sneezing and hoarseness, after which the pain soon reached the chest, and produced a hard cough. When it fixed in the stomach, it upset it; and discharges of bile of every kind named by physicians ensued, accompanied by very great distress. In most cases also an ineffectual retching followed, producing violent spasms, which in some cases ceased soon after, in others much later. Externally the body was not very hot to the touch, nor pale in its appearance, but reddish, livid, and breaking out into small pustules and ulcers. But inter nally it burned so that the patient could not bear to have on him clothing or linen even of the very lightest description; or indeed to be otherwise than stark naked. What they would have liked best would have been to throw themselves into cold water; as indeed was done by some of the neglected sick, who plunged into the rain-tanks in their agonies of unquenchable thirst; though it made no difference whether they drank little or much. Besides this, the miserable feeling of not being able to rest or sleep never ceased to torment them. The body meanwhile did not waste away so long as the distemper was at its height, but held out to a marvel against its ravages; so that when they succumbed, as in most cases, on the seventh or eighth day to the internal inflammation, they had still some strength in them. But if they passed this stage, and the disease descended further into the bowels, inducing a violent ulceration there accompanied by severe diarrhoea, this brought on a weakness which was generally fatal. For the disorder first settled in the head, ran its course from thence through the whole of the body, and, even where it did not prove mortal, it s till left its mark on the extremities; for it settled in the privy parts, the fingers and the toes, and many escaped with the loss of these, some too with that of their eyes. Others again were seized with an entire loss of memory on their first recovery, and did not know either themselves or their friends. But while the nature of the distemper was such as to baffle all description, and its attacks almost too grievous for human nature to endure, it was still in the following circumstance that its difference from all ordinary disorders was most clearly shown. All the birds and beasts that prey upon human bodies, either abstained from touching them (though there were many lying unburied), or died after tasting them. In proof of this, it was noticed that birds of this kind actually disappeared; they were not about the bodies, or indeed to be seen at all. But of course the effects which I have mentioned could best be studied in a domestic animal like the dog. Such then, if we pass over the varieties of particular cases which were many and peculiar, were the general features of the distemper. Meanwhile the town enjoyed an immunity from all the ordinary disorders; or if any case occurred, it ended in this. Some died in neglect, others in the midst of every attention. No remedy was found that could be used as a specific; for what did good in one case, did harm in another. Strong and weak constitutions proved equally incapable of resistance, all alike being swept away, although dieted with the utmost precaution. By far the most terrible feature in the malady was the dejection which ensued when any one felt himself sickening, for the despair into which they instantly fell took away their power of resistance, and left them a much easier prey to the disorder; besides which, there was the awful spectacle of men dying like sheep, through having caught the infection in nursing each other. This caused the greatest mortality. On the one hand, if they were afraid to visit each other, they perished from neglect; indeed many houses were emptied of their inmates for want of a nurse: on the other, if they ventured to do so, death was the consequence. This was especially the case with such as made any pretensions to goodness: honour made them unsparing of themselves in their attendance in their friends houses, where even the members of the family were at last worn out by the moans of the dying, and succumbed to the force of the disaster. Yet it was with those who had recovered from the disease that the sick and the dying found most compassion. These knew what it was from experience, and had now no fear for themselves; for the same man was never attacked twice- never at least fatally. And such persons not only received the congratulations of others, but themselves also, in the elation of the moment, half entertained the vain hope that they were for the future safe from any disease whatsoever. An aggravation of the existing calamity was the influx from the country into the city, and this was especially felt by the new arrivals. As there were no houses to receive them, they had to be lodged at the hot season of the year in stifling cabins, where the mortality raged without restraint. The bodies of dying men lay one upon another, and half-dead creatures reeled about the streets and gathered round all the fountains in their longing for water. The sacred places also in which they had quartered themselves were full of corpses of persons that had died there, just as they were; for as the disaster passed all bounds, men, not knowing what was to become of them, became utterly careless of everything, whether sacred or profane. All the burial rites before in use were entirely upset, and they buried the bodies as best they could. Many from want of the proper appliances, through so many of their friends having died already, had recourse to the most shameless sepultures: sometimes gett ing the start of those who had raised a pile, they threw their own dead body upon the strangers pyre and ignited it; sometimes they tossed the corpse which they were carrying on the top of another that was burning, and so went off. Nor was this the only form of lawless extravagance which owed its origin to the plague. Men now coolly ventured on what they had formerly done in a corner, and not just as they pleased, seeing the rapid transitions produced by persons in prosperity suddenly dying and those who before had nothing succeeding to their property. So they resolved to spend quickly and enjoy themselves, regarding their lives and riches as alike things of a day. Perseverance in what men called honour was popular with none, it was so uncertain whether they would be spared to attain the object; but it was settled that present enjoyment, and all that contributed to it, was both honourable and useful. Fear of gods or law of man there was none to restrain them. As for the first, they judged it to be just the same whether they worshipped them or not, as they saw all alike perishing; and for the last, no one expected to live to be brought to trial for his offences, but each felt that a far severer sentence had been already passed upon them all and hung ever over their heads, and before this fell it was only reasonable to enjoy life a little. Such was the nature of the calamity, and heavily did it weigh on the Athenians; death raging within the city and devastation without. Among other things which they remembered in their distress was, very naturally, the following verse which the old men said had long ago been uttered: A Dorian war shall come and with it death. So a dispute arose as to whether dearth and not death had not been the word in the verse; but at the present juncture, it was of course decided in favour of the latter; for the people made their recollection fit in with their sufferings. I fancy, however, that if another Dorian war should ever afterwards come upon us, and a dearth should happen to accompany it, the verse will probably be read accordingly. The oracle also which had been given to the Lacedaemonians was now remembered by those who knew of it. When the god was asked whether they should go to war, he answered that if they put their might into it, victory would be theirs, and that he would himself be with them. With this oracle events were supposed to tally. For the plague broke out as soon as the Peloponnesians invaded Attica, and never entering Peloponnese (not at least to an extent worth noticing), committed its worst ravages at Athens, and next to Athens, at the most populous of the other towns. Such was the history of the plague. For more from Thucydides, see Pericles Funeral Oration. Also see resources on ancient medicine, including:Â   Types of Greek MedicineThe Four HumorsThe Hippocratic OathThe Hippocratic Writings

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Research - Essay Example Activities such as data collection, analysis, and communication of results that are associated with a potential to shift power or structural balance, are therefore prone to communication of a researcher’s political opinion or those of other parties. As a result, an action researcher ought to be tactical in order to achieve the research’s objectives. A good tactical approach ensures that all stakeholders in the research are managed for acceptance and implementation of the research findings. The researcher should therefore be an influential leader who facilitates an understanding between himself and stakeholders to the research as well as the relationships among the stakeholders. Some of the ways of achieving the two types of relationships are understanding the involved stakeholders, avoiding controversies with them, building relationships with them and knowing the type of information to discuss with them and what to reserve. A researcher’s ‘self-awarenessâ⠂¬â„¢ and how other stakeholders view the researcher is also important in managing the relationships (Brannick and Coghlan, 2009). The scope of action research and its potential impacts on stakeholders also elicits ethical considerations for observance of â€Å"democracies, justice, freedom, and participation† (Brannick and Coghlan, 2009, p. 132). Such ethics relies on pillars of â€Å"interdependency, cogeneration of knowledge and fairer power relations† (Brannick and Coghlan, 2009, p. 133) and varies with the level of research. In action research for example, the researcher is expected to incorporate participants right from the planning stage and ethical considerations extends to the entire community in which the research is conducted. Higher levels of research demands higher scopes of ethical considerations. Action research particularly involves ethical principles such as â€Å"confidentiality and anonymity,† informed consent, and beneficence that can only be

Week eleven forum Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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