Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

1 Do you have a pet that can cheer you up just by snuggling with you? Then you know animals can give comfort in times of trouble. Whether at a nursing home, hospital, school, library, or workplace, therapy animals show sympathy to those who are hurt or worried and help take people’s minds off their troubles. 2 Vaccines can wipe out a disease, but getting them to everyone who needs them can be a challenge. The World Health Organization (WHO) works with governments and businesses to get the vaccines to where they are needed. A cold chain is the series of transportation steps that takes a vaccine from the factory where it was manufactured to the place where it will be administered. 3 A small group of doctors and journalists…

It was midnight at a field hospital in northern Virginia. It was August 9, 1862, and the Civil War battle at Cedar Mountain had just taken place. A force of more than 16,000 Confederate troops had defeated a Union force of only 8,000, leaving many injured and dead soldiers. As the surgeon on duty tried to cope with such an overwhelming number of Union wounded, a wagon full of supplies drawn by a team of four mules suddenly appeared. It was driven by a woman, Clara Barton. The surgeon later wrote, “I thought that night if heaven ever sent out a[n] . . . angel, she must be one—her assistance was so timely.” After that, Barton was known as the Angel of the Battlefield. Clarissa Harlowe Barton, or Clara, as…

OUCH! Shots hurt. But they prevent you from getting sick. How? By teaching your body how to fight germs. Some vaccines contain a few germs of a specific disease that have either been killed or weakened, so the shots can’t give you the disease. Many modern vaccines contain only highly purified parts of the germs. Trillions of white blood cells called “B cells” patrol your body. Each one is programmed to recognize a bit of something that is not part of you. When a germ gets inside your body and meets its match, that B cell becomes active. It replicates itself, and thousands of identical B cells secrete large molecules called “antibodies.” The antibodies bind to the germ and destroy it. Germs multiply very quickly. One germ can turn into…

Tools of the Trade Doctors and nurses have created different tools and clothes to protect them and help them in their work. Well into the 1900s, most surgeons operated in their ordinary clothes, with little to no safety equipment. Their clothes were covered in blood and other fluids as they moved from patient to patient. Doctors began to realize that this practice was dangerous and led to infection. They started wearing disposable gowns and clothes they could put on to disinfect for surgery—as a result the clothes were called “scrubs.” Many doctors and nurses wear scrubs every day. In the 19th century, doctors wanted to distance themselves from superstition and quack medicine. They began to wear white lab coats (which were already standard in university science laboratories) to reflect that…

“Ahhh, do not disturb. I’m in my meditative state.”—Eden P. “I’ll take the pink nail polish.“—Kariana E. “Time to take the ninth nap of the day!”—Elyse S. “Ah, this is the life.”—Nik S. ANSWER TO MYSTERY PHOTO ON INSIDE FRONT COVER: The dial on a blood pressure cuff is called a sphygmomanometer. ANSWER TO WHERE IN THE WORLD ON PAGE 27: The Hospices de Beaune in Beaune, France, was founded in 1443. ANSWERS TO GLOBAL HEALTH CROSSWORD ON PAGE 40: ACROSS: 2. France; 3. Hippocrates; 6. epidemiologist, 8. factory; 9. mass; 10. antibodies. DOWN: 1. dementia; 4. host; 5. Clara Barton; 7. pig. PICTURE CREDITS: Anton Starikov/Shutterstock.com: inside front cover; ASDF_MEDIA/Shutterstock.com: 2-3; ideyweb/Shutterstock.com: 4-5; RedKoala/Shutterstock.com: 5 (spot, skulls); davooda/Shutterstock.com: 5 (spot, Corona virus); Lilanakani/Shutterstock.com: 5 (spot, human bodies); Monkey Business…

WHERE DOES IT HURT? Malaria is responsible for one in five of all childhood deaths in Africa. Measles deaths around the globe have been reduced by 60 percent since 1999. Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. COVID-19 As of January 21, 2021, there have been 95,321,880 confirmed cases, including 2,058,227 deaths, reported to the World Health Organization. The average height for a U.S. woman aged 20–74 is 5' 4". The average weight is 164 pounds. The average height for a U.S. man aged 20–74 is 5' 9›/›". The average weight is 191 pounds.…

MUSIC AND HEALING More than 2,500 years ago in Greece, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used music to treat his mentally ill patients. Pythagoras, the famous Greek philosopher, mathematician, and musician, also believed in the power of music. He said that listening to music every day was good for a person’s health. Aristotle and Plato, famous Greek philosophers from that time period, made similar statements. The ancient Greeks recognized the connection between music and medicine so much so that their god Apollo was the god of both. It wasn’t until thousands of years later that the link between music and healing was widely recognized. When World War II ended in the 1940s, many United States soldiers returned from the war with terrible injuries. Musicians began visiting military hospitals to…

Should soda advertisements be banned? Should French fries carry health warnings? What would cause people in the United States to ask these questions? It’s our country’s growing weight problem, and it can be hard to ignore. But you may be surprised to learn that the United States isn’t the only country battling obesity. In fact, obesity is a growing problem in many countries, including some unexpected ones—developing nations. Obesity Affects the World Don’t believe it? Consider this—according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “2 out of 3 overweight and obese people now live in developing countries.” Places such as India, China, and African nations are fighting growing levels of obesity despite many of these countries’ ongoing problems with famine. India, for example, has more undernourished people than any other country…

Anyone who loves animals understands the love a favorite pet can give in times of trouble. Therapy animals provide comfort to people who are sad, in pain, or need a friend. Whether at a nursing home, hospital, school, library, or workplace, therapy dogs show sympathy to those who are hurt or worried and help take people’s minds off their troubles. What does it take to be a good therapy animal? It takes a good temperament and a calm, easy-going personality. Not all animals can meet these requirements. Therapy animals must pass a test to prove that they enjoy meeting people of all ages, are comfortable being touched anywhere on their bodies (including ears and tails), know how to behave, and aren’t bothered by sudden movements or loud sounds, like crying…

Doctors Without Borders delivers emergency medical aid to people who need it most. They help those affected by wars, famine, and epidemics. They work in areas where no health care is available. At the very heart of the organization is the belief that all people have the right to medical care regardless of their race, gender, or religion. Doctors Without Borders was created in 1971 by a small group of doctors and journalists in France. They wanted to help people in the wake of major disasters. They considered people’s needs to be more important than national borders. “It’s simple really: go where the patients are. It seems obvious, but at the time it was a revolutionary concept because borders got in the way,” said founding member Dr. Bernard Kouchner. This…

Probably everyone on the planet is aware of COVID-19, the deadly disease that spread across the globe in just a few months. But have you heard about the heroes who investigate killer pandemics? First, a few words about COVID-19. Then, a meeting with a disease detective. COVID FACTS The term COVID-19 is a combination of several words. COrona means “crown” in Latin. (There are crown-like spikes on the surface of coronaviruses.) A VIrus is a tiny organism that can cause Disease. The coronavirus was first identified in 2019. Mash up the pieces, and you have CO-VI-D-19. Viruses are tiny organisms that can’t be seen without a high-powered microscope. They are found in dirt, water, and air. Because viruses need energy to grow, they can’t survive long without attaching to a…

Art for Global Health Health organizations work to help people become healthier. They provide education about safe drinking water and healthy food choices. Recently, the World Health Organization asked the question, “If medicine is art, can art be medicine?” The Art and Global Health Center in Los Angeles recognizes that art can transform a person, helping them be healthier. They use the making of art to promote good health. They use art to communicate and help others learn more about being healthy. Art in Global Health hired artists to work with medical researchers to help them to use creativity to expand their thinking in their work in fighting disease. Art therapy is becoming more recognized as a way to help people who struggle with mental health issues such as anxiety.…