We are all lucky enough to live in a world where technology is at our fingertips. And I mean, I need technology to survive, so I’m pretty thankful for its existence too.
But not only does it entertain you, but it’s also probably saved your life. To understand why, let’s take a trip to London in 1854. At this time, a town was struck with a terrible outbreak of cholera, a disease which makes you have watery diarrhea for days, leading to dehydration and potentially death. The reason for the sudden outbreak, you’re wondering?
Well, it turns out that the water from a certain pump was contaminated with...wait for it... sewage water. Yep, about as gross as it can get. But today, for most of you red, this would never happen.
And that’s because of improvements in water purification. These include filtering the water with sand, gravel, or charcoal, and then disinfecting it to kill any parasites.
And it’s fairly safe to say that if it weren’t for this, potentially deadly diseases may be much more common and you would probably not be around to read these post.
But what about other possible threats to your life, like diseases?
Take polio for example. This incurable disease destroys nerve cells, leading to paralysis and possibly suffocation. But vaccines have eradicated it throughout most of the world. And if it weren’t for smallpox vaccines, it’s estimated that 2 million people would die every year from the disease.
And to put that into perspective, it would only take only 15 years for the disease to kill the amount of people currently living in Canada.
So, yeah, vaccines are pretty great. And for the record: no, they do not cause autism.
Please don’t believe those horrifically inaccurate myths...it makes me sad just thinking about it.
But anyway, back to avoiding death! Think of all the medical technology that has helped keep you alive. For diabetics, they have pumps and pens to give themselves insulin. This allows them to use the glucose from food as energy, instead of having it build up in their bloodstream.
Cancer patients have access to chemotherapy and radiation, which help kill the cancer cells in their body. And people with asthma can treat their attacks with inhalers, that relax their bronchial smooth muscles, allowing them to get in more Oxygen.
And the list goes on and on and on. I can only imagine the types of live-saving technology in the future.
Some scientists are working on nanobots in the bloodstream, so I’ll be keeping my eye out out for that. But already, it’s pretty amazing what technology can do.
Sources:
http://www.lenntech.com/history-water-treatment.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/vaccination-saves-lives.aspx
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-17045202
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/diabetes/treatment/insulin-therapy.html
http://www.treatcancer.com/blog/difference-chemotherapy-radiation/