blog 3 (11-17-11)

There is a lot to compare between the heat wave in Chicago and the Trench foot disease that was going around during war in an area between Germany and France. In the heat wave in the mid 1900's, hundreds of people died. However, not everyone that died during the heat wave died because of the pouncing heat. People most definitely died because of other reasons and illnesses. You cannot blow something like this out of proportion because that only makes matters worse and we all know that people die daily because of natural causes. Mayor Daley stated, "then everybody in the summer that dies will die of heat." He is projected this idea through the media for two reasons. One because he does not want to be blamed as the mayor for any of these deaths, nor does he want people to freak out and also because what he is saying about the deaths is true. Many of the opinions and theories created post heat wave were due to the mayor and politics. These views that they expressed would not be possible without the media because they were screened on public television and through the media. Mayor Daley said a lot of things that than stuck with citizens and now when they think back and refer to the heat wave, they think of the political views expressed through the media as well. The trench foot disease was similar and different to the heat wave in many ways. They were different because they happened in different countries, yet they were similar because both the heat wave and trench foot hit all types of people; young, old, male, female, strong, weak, sick, healthy, etc. These two epidemics differed because the media played a clear role in the heat wave in Chicago, and on the other hand during the trench foot outbreak, there was no media, and things regarding battle and everyday life were much more "old fashioned." They were similar because both groups of people had to remember that just because trench foot was going around, or the heat wave was present, doesn't mean that everyone was affected by it, or that everyone that died during that time period died because of that. Lastly, when a group of people comes together, disease is more likely to result in a higher death toll. In the trenches, there were so many people and so many dirty things such as feces, dead animals, dead bodies, and rain water that all compiled to create this deadly disease. When a group of people comes together, a disease is bound to spread quickly and affect countless people. The heat wave was less of a group dilemma because it was not necessarily contagious, however people did need the support and assistance of others. There is a lot to compare and contrast between the heat wave in Chicago, and trench foot in Europe.