Emily Martin
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Final Draft
1728 words
Mad “Human” Disease
On July 10, 1999, Francis Will passed away from a debilitating disease known as variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease. He was a veteran, grandfather, father, and devoted husband to his wife of nearly 50 years. He first showed signs of becoming ill a mere 18 months earlier. From the time the symptoms started until the day he passed away, his family and friends saw a connection to another disease commonly found in cattle. This progressive neurological illness is known as Mad Cow Disease. His passing left his family and doctors with more questions than answers. They wondered when did he get the disease, what could have been done to stop it, and how do they protect themselves from it. However, government officials and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were less than willing to give them any real answers or admit that he actually had it. Through this research hopefully the family will be able to have some answers to their questions.
Mad Cow Disease is also known by the more medical term BSE, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. BSE is a negative, progressive, neurological illness found in cattle. It results from an infection from a transmittable retarded protein known as a prion. This prion doesn’t start out harmful, but as a proactive protein. It is still unclear how the protein changes into the deadly prion, which attacks the central nervous system and connective organs in cattle (BSE 1).
Mad Cow Disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, was first discovered in the United Kingdom in 1986, although it is thought to have origins in the 1970’s (BSE 1). From 1986 to mid 2006 nearly all the cases of Mad Cow Disease were reported in the United Kingdom. In 2005, however, Portugal reported the highest number of cows infected with Mad Cow Disease per million over the age of 24 months (Variant 2). For the first time in history from 2001 to mid 2006, four countries outside of the United Kingdom reported diagnosed cases of Mad Cow Disease in their cattle herds (Variant 1). These countries included Canada, Israel, Japan, and the United States.
It is thought to have started from farmers feeding their cattle herds a scrapie-infected sheep meat and bone meal mix, and then cannibalizing younger cattle. Scrapie, much like Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, is a mutated prion disease, is a neurologically degrading disease commonly found in sheep. It causes sheep to loose voluntary and involuntary organ function (BSE 1). These sheep often stop eating and therefore become to skinny to slaughter and sell for profit. In turn, they become feed for other animals. Cattle farmers often feed this infected meat and bone mix to there cows because it was originally thought that the disease could not be passed from one species to another species. However, the farmers were wrong and cows began to start showing some of the same crazed animal symptoms as the sheep herds shortly after being fed the meat and bone meal. The timeline in which the cattle herds started showing signs after eating the sheep feed varies from a few months to a little more than a year.
Not learning from their original mistakes, and not wanting to waste the meat from their now sick cows, cattle farmers would slaughter them and feed them to the younger calves hoping they would thicken up and make up for the lost profits. Again, the farmers were wrong and saw large numbers of cows and calves becoming ill and even giving birth to sick calves. Cattle farmers needing to make ends meet continued to sell the infected meat to processing plants and distribute it into the public meat market (BSE 3).
Cattle that become infected often experience a sense of confusion, in the sense that they forget how to walk or eat. These cows are often seen walking in circles for long periods of time. More symptoms often witnessed by cattle farmers are a sagging head, staggering foot steps, wide eyes, lack of or loss of appetite, poor skin quality and irritability. After Mad Cow Disease had been discovered in Canada and in the Untied States in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration and Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued nation wide feed bans. These bans included cattle tissue capable of transmitting Mad Cow Disease through any form of animal product, such as the brain, spinal cord, lungs, eyes, and other nervous system organ. The animal products included in the ban were animal feeds, commercial pet foods, and fertilizers used to strengthen pet medication and dietary supplements (Variant 2). However, even with all the new bans on feed, the progression of the disease in humans hasn’t stopped. For many people, they were already infected months, if not years before the ban was even a thought.
From early 1996, there have been an increasing number of patients experiencing some of the same symptoms of the cattle diagnosed with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. Doctors called this human disease variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease, seeing as a Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease already exists but had nothing to do with cattle or prions (Variant 1). Doctors recorded that both diseases, Mad Cow Disease and Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease, are caused by a rare protein malfunction resulting in a central nervous system attacking prion. Both victims, cattle and humans, which are infected by the disease, see long incubation periods, often 18 months to three and a half years, before the fatal brain disease becomes visible (CJD 1). The occurrence of the disease in humans is rare but it can be detected in anyone, anywhere. It is one disease that does not pick its victim from a race, ethnic background, or economic status. The diagnosed cases of variant Creutzfeldt – Jacobs Disease are found in the areas where the cattle have been diagnosed with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that from 1995 to 2006 only 195 cases of variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs disease had been diagnosed world wide. An overwhelming number of them, 162 cases, were discovered in the United Kingdom. 20 cases were discovered in France. 4 cases were discovered in Ireland and 2 cases were discovered in the United States. Canada, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Spain all experienced 1 case (Variant 1). Each of these countries with 1 case found that the infected patients lived in or traveled to the United Kingdom during the 1993 outbreak. Out of all of these patients only 3 of them did not get the disease from cattle. They received the disease through a blood transfusion (">Boen 2). The evidence of a botched blood transfusion urged the United States to set stricter guidelines in 1999, outlining a geography-based donor referral list to reduce the risk of transmitting to disease across the United States (Variant 2).
Even though the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t believe the disease is common, the United States government seems to be doing more to stop the spread of the disease in its own country (">Boen 1). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that there have only been three cases of variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease discovered in the United States (">Boen 2). However, they are doing very little to protect its citizens when visiting other countries. The CDC recommends not eating the meat in the United Kingdom if one should visit there. They suggest that if a tourist has to eat the meat, they should stick to solid pieces of meat such as steak, but never eat beef brains, burgers, sausages, or meat patties (Variant 3).
Even though health standards are getting stronger and stronger there is still no way to stop the spread of the disease. As of August 2006 there was still no known treatment to stop the progression of the prion disease (Variant 4). The only way a true diagnosis of the disease can be acquired is by an autopsy (">Epidemiology 1). By that time it is too late to treat the patient or try to find a cure.
As for Francis Will and his family, they experienced a number of hardships trying to prove he actually suffered and passed away from variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease, the human form of Mad Cow Disease. His family, along with a number of people in the advanced medical community from Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, and the Medical Examiner in Evansville, Indiana, believe the number of people passing away from variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease is much greater than reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they are working hard to open the eyes of the public and make them aware of the real dangers. Many in the medical community feel that the Centers for Disease control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and other government agencies are keeping the realities of the disease as quiet as possible as to not upset the economic balance is the meat industry. However, there is no proof that the CDC or FDA are falsifying evidence, so no one can accuse them of doing anything wrong. Doctors and scientist alike just feel that they are seeing and trying to treat a larger number of infected patients than is being reported to them by the CDC. For now, the only question for Francis Will’s family and the other victim’s families left to wonder is, “when are we going to see an end to this horrible disease?”
Works Cited
Boen, Jennifer L. “’Mad Cow’ variant not now a risk: only 3 vCJD cases in the US were confirmed; all had link to UK beef.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News (16 June 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=34&did=1289500941&SrchMode=1&sid=8&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1187381321&clientId=4130>
“BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (18 May 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/index.htm.
“CJD (Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease, Classic).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (13 April 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease Epidemiology; New Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease epidemiology research reported from National Institute of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology.” Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA (Aug. 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1313343791&SrchMode=1&sid=10&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1187382064&clientId=4130>
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease (Variant) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Prion Diseases).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (10 Mar 2007): 4 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/print.do?url
Friday, August 17, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Mad "Human" Disease
Emily Martin
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Rough Draft
1371 words
Mad “Human” Disease
On July 10, 1999, Francis will past away from a debilitating disease known as variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease. He first showed signs of becoming ill a mere 18 months earlier. From the time the symptoms started until the day he past away, his family and friends saw a connection to another disease commonly found in cattle. This progressive neurological illness is known as Mad Cow Disease. His passing left his family and doctors with more questions than answers. They wondered when did he get the disease, what could have been done to stop it, and how do they protect themselves form it. However, government and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were less than willing to give them any real answers or admit that he actually had it. Through this research hopefully the family will be able to have some answers to their questions.
Mad Cow Disease is also known by the more medical term BSE, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. BSE is a negative, progressive, neurological illness found in cattle. It results from an infection from a transmittable retarded protein known as a prion. It is still unclear how the protein changes into the deadly prion, which attacks the central nervous system in cattle (BSE 1).
Mad Cow Disease was first discovered in the United Kingdom in 1986, although it is thought to have origins in the 1970’s (BSE 1). From 1986 to mid 2006 nearly all the cases of Mad Cow Disease were reported in the United Kingdom. In 2005, however, Portugal reported the highest number of cows infected with Mad Cow Disease per million over the age of 24 months (Centers 2). For the first time in history from 2001 to mid 2006, 4 countries outside of the United Kingdom reported diagnosed cases of Mad Cow Disease (Centers 1). These countries included Canada, Israel, Japan, and the United States.
It is thought the have started from farmers feeding their cattle herds a scrapie-infected sheep meat and bone mix then cannibalizing younger cattle. Scrapies, a mutated prion disease, is a neurologically degrading disease commonly found in sheep that causes sheep to loose voluntary and involuntary organ function (BSE 1). These sheep often stop eating and therefore become to skinny to slaughter and sell. In turn they become food for other animals. Cattle farmers often feed this infected meat and bone mix to there cows because it was originally thought that the disease could not be passed from species to species. However, the farmers were wrong and cows began to start showing some of the same crazed animal symptoms as the sheep herds shortly after being fed the meat and bone meal. Not learning from their original mistakes, and not wanting to waste the meat from there now sick cows, cattle farmers would slaughter them and feed them to the younger calves hoping they would thicken up and make up for the lost profits. Again, the farmers were wrong and saw large numbers of cows and calves becoming ill and even giving birth to ill calves, but continued to sell the infected meat to processing plants and distribute it into the public meat market (BSE 3).
Cattle that become infected often experience a sense of confusion, in the sense that they forget how to walk or eat. These cows are often seen walking in circles for long periods of time. More symptoms often witnessed by cattle farmers are a sagging head, staggering foot steps, wide eyes, lack of or loss of appetite, poor skin quality and irritability. After Mad Cow Disease had been discovered in Canada and in the Untied States in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration and Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued nation wide feed bans. These bans included cattle tissue capable of transmitting Mad Cow Disease to all animal products, such as the brain, spinal cord, lungs, eyes, and other nervous system organ. The animal products included in the ban were animal feeds, pet foods, and fertilizers used to strengthen pet medication and dietary supplements (Centers 2). However, with all the new bans on feed hasn’t stopped the progression of the disease in humans. For many people, they were already infected for years before the ban was even a thought.
From early 1996, there have been an increasing number of patients experiencing some of the same symptoms of the cattle diagnosed with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. Doctors called this human disease variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease, seeing as a Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease already exists but had nothing to do with cattle or prions (Centers 1). Doctors recorded that both disease, Mad Cow Disease and Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease, are caused by a rare protein malfunction resulting in a central nervous system attacking prion. Both victims, cattle and humans, which are infected by the disease, see long incubation periods, often 18 months to 3 and a half years, before the fatal brain disease becomes visible (CJD 1). The occurrence of the disease in humans is rare but it can be detected in anyone, anywhere.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that from 1995 to 2006 only 195 cases of variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs disease had been diagnosed world wide. An overwhelming number of them, 162 cases, were discovered in the United Kingdom. 20 cases were discovered in France. 4 cases were discovered in Ireland and 2 cases were discovered in the United States. Canada, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Spain all experienced 1 case (Centers 1). Each of these countries with 1 case found that the infected patients lived in or traveled to the United Kingdom during the 1993 outbreak. Out of all of these patients only 3 of them did not get the disease from cattle. They received the disease through a blood transfusion (Boen 2). The evidence of a botched blood transfusion urged the United States to set stricter guidelines in 1999, outlining a geography-based donor referral list to reduce the risk of transmitting to disease across the United States (Centers 2).
Even though the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t believe the disease is common, the United States government seems to be doing more to stop the spread of the disease in its own country (Boen 1). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that there have only been three cases of variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease discovered in the United States (Boen 2). However, they are doing very little to protect its citizens when visiting other countries. The CDC recommends not eating the meat in the United Kingdom if one should visit there. They suggest that if a tourist has to eat the meat, they should stick to solid pieces of meat such as steak, but never eat beef brains, burgers, sausages, or meat patties (Centers 3).
Even though health standards are getting stronger and stronger there is still no way to stop the spread of the disease. As of August 2006 there was still no known treatment to stop the progression of the prion disease (Centers 4). The only way a true diagnosis of the disease can be acquired is by an autopsy (Medical 1). By that time it is too late to treat the patient or try to find a cure.
As for Francis Will and his family, they experienced a number of hardships trying to prove he actually suffered and passed away from variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease. His family along with a number of people in the advanced medical community from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and the Medical Examiner in Evansville, Indiana, believe the number of people passing away from variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease is much greater than reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they are working hard to open the eyes of the public and make them aware of the real dangers. The only question for Francis Will’s family and the other victim’s families left to wonder is, “why isn’t the United States government, Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control admitting to the public, the overwhelming realities of the disease being discovered by the medical community at large?”
Works Cited
Boen, Jennifer L. “’Mad Cow’ variant not now a risk: only 3 vCJD cases in the US were confirmed; all had link to UK beef.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News (16 June 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (18 May 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/index.htm.
“CJD (Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease, Classic).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (13 April 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease Epidemiology; New Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease epidemiology research reported from National Institute of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology.” Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA (Aug. 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease (Variant) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Prion Diseases).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (10 Mar 2007): 4 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/print.do?url
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Rough Draft
1371 words
Mad “Human” Disease
On July 10, 1999, Francis will past away from a debilitating disease known as variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease. He first showed signs of becoming ill a mere 18 months earlier. From the time the symptoms started until the day he past away, his family and friends saw a connection to another disease commonly found in cattle. This progressive neurological illness is known as Mad Cow Disease. His passing left his family and doctors with more questions than answers. They wondered when did he get the disease, what could have been done to stop it, and how do they protect themselves form it. However, government and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were less than willing to give them any real answers or admit that he actually had it. Through this research hopefully the family will be able to have some answers to their questions.
Mad Cow Disease is also known by the more medical term BSE, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. BSE is a negative, progressive, neurological illness found in cattle. It results from an infection from a transmittable retarded protein known as a prion. It is still unclear how the protein changes into the deadly prion, which attacks the central nervous system in cattle (BSE 1).
Mad Cow Disease was first discovered in the United Kingdom in 1986, although it is thought to have origins in the 1970’s (BSE 1). From 1986 to mid 2006 nearly all the cases of Mad Cow Disease were reported in the United Kingdom. In 2005, however, Portugal reported the highest number of cows infected with Mad Cow Disease per million over the age of 24 months (Centers 2). For the first time in history from 2001 to mid 2006, 4 countries outside of the United Kingdom reported diagnosed cases of Mad Cow Disease (Centers 1). These countries included Canada, Israel, Japan, and the United States.
It is thought the have started from farmers feeding their cattle herds a scrapie-infected sheep meat and bone mix then cannibalizing younger cattle. Scrapies, a mutated prion disease, is a neurologically degrading disease commonly found in sheep that causes sheep to loose voluntary and involuntary organ function (BSE 1). These sheep often stop eating and therefore become to skinny to slaughter and sell. In turn they become food for other animals. Cattle farmers often feed this infected meat and bone mix to there cows because it was originally thought that the disease could not be passed from species to species. However, the farmers were wrong and cows began to start showing some of the same crazed animal symptoms as the sheep herds shortly after being fed the meat and bone meal. Not learning from their original mistakes, and not wanting to waste the meat from there now sick cows, cattle farmers would slaughter them and feed them to the younger calves hoping they would thicken up and make up for the lost profits. Again, the farmers were wrong and saw large numbers of cows and calves becoming ill and even giving birth to ill calves, but continued to sell the infected meat to processing plants and distribute it into the public meat market (BSE 3).
Cattle that become infected often experience a sense of confusion, in the sense that they forget how to walk or eat. These cows are often seen walking in circles for long periods of time. More symptoms often witnessed by cattle farmers are a sagging head, staggering foot steps, wide eyes, lack of or loss of appetite, poor skin quality and irritability. After Mad Cow Disease had been discovered in Canada and in the Untied States in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration and Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued nation wide feed bans. These bans included cattle tissue capable of transmitting Mad Cow Disease to all animal products, such as the brain, spinal cord, lungs, eyes, and other nervous system organ. The animal products included in the ban were animal feeds, pet foods, and fertilizers used to strengthen pet medication and dietary supplements (Centers 2). However, with all the new bans on feed hasn’t stopped the progression of the disease in humans. For many people, they were already infected for years before the ban was even a thought.
From early 1996, there have been an increasing number of patients experiencing some of the same symptoms of the cattle diagnosed with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. Doctors called this human disease variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease, seeing as a Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease already exists but had nothing to do with cattle or prions (Centers 1). Doctors recorded that both disease, Mad Cow Disease and Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease, are caused by a rare protein malfunction resulting in a central nervous system attacking prion. Both victims, cattle and humans, which are infected by the disease, see long incubation periods, often 18 months to 3 and a half years, before the fatal brain disease becomes visible (CJD 1). The occurrence of the disease in humans is rare but it can be detected in anyone, anywhere.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that from 1995 to 2006 only 195 cases of variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs disease had been diagnosed world wide. An overwhelming number of them, 162 cases, were discovered in the United Kingdom. 20 cases were discovered in France. 4 cases were discovered in Ireland and 2 cases were discovered in the United States. Canada, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Spain all experienced 1 case (Centers 1). Each of these countries with 1 case found that the infected patients lived in or traveled to the United Kingdom during the 1993 outbreak. Out of all of these patients only 3 of them did not get the disease from cattle. They received the disease through a blood transfusion (Boen 2). The evidence of a botched blood transfusion urged the United States to set stricter guidelines in 1999, outlining a geography-based donor referral list to reduce the risk of transmitting to disease across the United States (Centers 2).
Even though the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t believe the disease is common, the United States government seems to be doing more to stop the spread of the disease in its own country (Boen 1). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that there have only been three cases of variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease discovered in the United States (Boen 2). However, they are doing very little to protect its citizens when visiting other countries. The CDC recommends not eating the meat in the United Kingdom if one should visit there. They suggest that if a tourist has to eat the meat, they should stick to solid pieces of meat such as steak, but never eat beef brains, burgers, sausages, or meat patties (Centers 3).
Even though health standards are getting stronger and stronger there is still no way to stop the spread of the disease. As of August 2006 there was still no known treatment to stop the progression of the prion disease (Centers 4). The only way a true diagnosis of the disease can be acquired is by an autopsy (Medical 1). By that time it is too late to treat the patient or try to find a cure.
As for Francis Will and his family, they experienced a number of hardships trying to prove he actually suffered and passed away from variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease. His family along with a number of people in the advanced medical community from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and the Medical Examiner in Evansville, Indiana, believe the number of people passing away from variant Creutzfeldt – Jakobs Disease is much greater than reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they are working hard to open the eyes of the public and make them aware of the real dangers. The only question for Francis Will’s family and the other victim’s families left to wonder is, “why isn’t the United States government, Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control admitting to the public, the overwhelming realities of the disease being discovered by the medical community at large?”
Works Cited
Boen, Jennifer L. “’Mad Cow’ variant not now a risk: only 3 vCJD cases in the US were confirmed; all had link to UK beef.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News (16 June 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (18 May 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/index.htm.
“CJD (Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease, Classic).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (13 April 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease Epidemiology; New Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease epidemiology research reported from National Institute of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology.” Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA (Aug. 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease (Variant) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Prion Diseases).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (10 Mar 2007): 4 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/print.do?url
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Mad Cow Proposal
Emily Martin
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Proposal
776 words
A Research Proposal: Mad Cow Disease
A General Framework
I want to research my chosen topic of Mad Cow Disease, also known as Creutzfeldt - Jakobs disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Prion Disease, because out of all the topics brought up in Fast Food Nation this is the only thing that seemed interesting to me. I am interested in the problems with food in our country such as this disease or 0157.H7 E. Coli. I had a close family member pass away from the disease, and have been interested in his struggle for some time. I also want to research it because there is so much still unknown about the specifics of the disease, such as how it is contracted or how many people are diagnosed with it each year. I would also like to know what government officials and specific government agencies are doing to prevent people from getting it.
A special experience that prepares me for the research is the loss of my grandfather from the disease. He and I were very close and I would like to know what could have been done to prevent his illness, if anything. I have witnessed its effects first hand, but want to know more than its physical affects on the brain and body. I am also fascinated by medical marvels or better yet medical mysteries such as how this disease works or why it mimics the actions of other diseases like that of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
I hope to learn how someone can prevent contracting Mad Cow Disease. I also want to learn more about the statistics of the disease. As I mentioned before, I want to know more of what, when, where, and how our government is going to protect its citizens from infected meat and what they are going to do if there is another outbreak, possibly one in the United States.
I do not expect my professor or classmates to know much about the disease other than the basics, being that you get it from cow brains. I do expect that they have heard of it from the media seeing that the last major outbreak occurred in the United Kingdom in 1993. I am pretty sure that many have no idea what it really is.
Establishing a Specific Focus
Mad Cow Disease in the United Kingdom peaked in January 1993 with nearly 1,000 cases of Mad Cow Disease being reported each week. However, the disease is known to lie dormant in a subject for many years before it takes over, so a specific time period is hard to determine.
Geographically, the disease is seen all around the globe. It has been diagnosed in patients from the UK, France, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and Spain. I am hoping to keep my focus in the United Kingdom and the United States, but with cattle being shipped around the world, I have a feeling it will be difficult.
From my personal experience with the disease and trying to prove that my grandfather had it, I have found that the limitations on the information and diagnosis of the disease are great in the United States. Certain government agencies, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration would like to look the other way and keep Mad Cow Disease as “hush hush” as possible and out of the media seeing as the government controls a large number of cattle farms and meat processing plants, and export our “clean” meat to foreign countries like the United Kingdom at a higher cost because they have such a bad reputation for their tainted meat. I am going to try and work around the limitations to discover as much about the disease as possible, but no government cover up is easy to work around.
The historical and critical contexts are nearly the same. I hope to show that the disease has been around for a hundred years or more and it is more prevalent than previously thought. It is important for people to know the facts of the disease to maintain their safety.
I hope to answer the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how. Who is susceptible to the disease; man, women, children, elderly? What causes the diseases; raw meat, bacteria, poor processing conditions? What is being done to prevent it? When can you become infected; immediately or is it dormant? Where can you contract the disease; in the United States, at home, restaurants? Why the disease is kept secret? And lastly, how does it progress and how can people protect themselves from getting it.
Potential Sources
Boen, Jennifer L. “’Mad Cow’ variant not now a risk: only 3 vCJD cases in the US were confirmed; all had link to UK beef.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News (16 June 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (18 May 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/index.htm.
“BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease) BSE Control Measures.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (27 June 2007): 1 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/prevention.htm
“CJD (Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease, Classic).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (13 April 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease (Variant) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Prion Diseases).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (10 Mar 2007): 4 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/print.do?url
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease Epidemiology; New Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease epidemiology research reported from National Institute of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology.” Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA (Aug. 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease; Scientists at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detail research in Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease.” Pain & Central Nervous System Week (29 Jan. 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
Disney, Helen. “Food policy proves hard to digest.” Public Finance (16 Feb 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
D T Max. “An Invisible Epidemic.” Psychology Today (Sept/Oct. 2006): 4 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“Mad Cow Disease; Study findings from University of Erlangen provide new insights into Mad Cow Disease.” Pain & Central Nervous System Week (30 July 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
Tiffin, Helen. “Foot in Mouth: Animals, Disease, and the Cannibal Complex.” Mosaic: a Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature (Mar 2007): 9 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
Wheeler, Tracy. “Groups to dispel myths of rare Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease: CJD Foundation to raise awareness with DVDs, a seminar for nurses.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News (24 June 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Proposal
776 words
A Research Proposal: Mad Cow Disease
A General Framework
I want to research my chosen topic of Mad Cow Disease, also known as Creutzfeldt - Jakobs disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Prion Disease, because out of all the topics brought up in Fast Food Nation this is the only thing that seemed interesting to me. I am interested in the problems with food in our country such as this disease or 0157.H7 E. Coli. I had a close family member pass away from the disease, and have been interested in his struggle for some time. I also want to research it because there is so much still unknown about the specifics of the disease, such as how it is contracted or how many people are diagnosed with it each year. I would also like to know what government officials and specific government agencies are doing to prevent people from getting it.
A special experience that prepares me for the research is the loss of my grandfather from the disease. He and I were very close and I would like to know what could have been done to prevent his illness, if anything. I have witnessed its effects first hand, but want to know more than its physical affects on the brain and body. I am also fascinated by medical marvels or better yet medical mysteries such as how this disease works or why it mimics the actions of other diseases like that of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
I hope to learn how someone can prevent contracting Mad Cow Disease. I also want to learn more about the statistics of the disease. As I mentioned before, I want to know more of what, when, where, and how our government is going to protect its citizens from infected meat and what they are going to do if there is another outbreak, possibly one in the United States.
I do not expect my professor or classmates to know much about the disease other than the basics, being that you get it from cow brains. I do expect that they have heard of it from the media seeing that the last major outbreak occurred in the United Kingdom in 1993. I am pretty sure that many have no idea what it really is.
Establishing a Specific Focus
Mad Cow Disease in the United Kingdom peaked in January 1993 with nearly 1,000 cases of Mad Cow Disease being reported each week. However, the disease is known to lie dormant in a subject for many years before it takes over, so a specific time period is hard to determine.
Geographically, the disease is seen all around the globe. It has been diagnosed in patients from the UK, France, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and Spain. I am hoping to keep my focus in the United Kingdom and the United States, but with cattle being shipped around the world, I have a feeling it will be difficult.
From my personal experience with the disease and trying to prove that my grandfather had it, I have found that the limitations on the information and diagnosis of the disease are great in the United States. Certain government agencies, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration would like to look the other way and keep Mad Cow Disease as “hush hush” as possible and out of the media seeing as the government controls a large number of cattle farms and meat processing plants, and export our “clean” meat to foreign countries like the United Kingdom at a higher cost because they have such a bad reputation for their tainted meat. I am going to try and work around the limitations to discover as much about the disease as possible, but no government cover up is easy to work around.
The historical and critical contexts are nearly the same. I hope to show that the disease has been around for a hundred years or more and it is more prevalent than previously thought. It is important for people to know the facts of the disease to maintain their safety.
I hope to answer the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how. Who is susceptible to the disease; man, women, children, elderly? What causes the diseases; raw meat, bacteria, poor processing conditions? What is being done to prevent it? When can you become infected; immediately or is it dormant? Where can you contract the disease; in the United States, at home, restaurants? Why the disease is kept secret? And lastly, how does it progress and how can people protect themselves from getting it.
Potential Sources
Boen, Jennifer L. “’Mad Cow’ variant not now a risk: only 3 vCJD cases in the US were confirmed; all had link to UK beef.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News (16 June 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (18 May 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/index.htm.
“BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease) BSE Control Measures.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (27 June 2007): 1 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/prevention.htm
“CJD (Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease, Classic).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (13 April 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease (Variant) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Prion Diseases).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (10 Mar 2007): 4 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/print.do?url
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease Epidemiology; New Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease epidemiology research reported from National Institute of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology.” Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA (Aug. 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease; Scientists at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detail research in Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease.” Pain & Central Nervous System Week (29 Jan. 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
Disney, Helen. “Food policy proves hard to digest.” Public Finance (16 Feb 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
D T Max. “An Invisible Epidemic.” Psychology Today (Sept/Oct. 2006): 4 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
“Mad Cow Disease; Study findings from University of Erlangen provide new insights into Mad Cow Disease.” Pain & Central Nervous System Week (30 July 2007): 2 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
Tiffin, Helen. “Foot in Mouth: Animals, Disease, and the Cannibal Complex.” Mosaic: a Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature (Mar 2007): 9 pg. 2 Aug. 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
Wheeler, Tracy. “Groups to dispel myths of rare Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease: CJD Foundation to raise awareness with DVDs, a seminar for nurses.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News (24 June 2007): 3 pg. 2 Aug 2007 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Mad Cow Disease
I have chosen to respond to the subject of "Mad Cow Disease." I had a close relative who past away from the disease and there is so much more that I could learn about it. I think that the public is very unaware of what Mad Cow Disease is and how common it is. As the book stated, Oprah tried to talk about it and she got in trouble for doing so. This shows that the government is covering it up for some reason and I want to know more.
The specific topics I am going to research are the possible different strands and the effects on the human body and what can be done about it. I also want to know more about what the government is doing to prevent anyone else from getting this disease either from our home grown meat or imported meats.
I think that anyone who heard the name "Mad Cow Disease" would be interested in reading this research paper. I would want people to take the research paper seriously after they realized the severity of the disease. The name of the disease tends to make you think of crazy cows, and I would want to know more about it.
I will use information from government websites such as the FDA, CDC, and USDA to do help me find the information I need. Also, I will look into the Mad Cow outbreak coverage from articles and newspapers in both Europe and the United States. I will try to use medical websites or databases to try and find out as much as possible about the disease.
After reading chapter nine in the FFN book, I decided that I was going to do this topic, so I have no yet compiled any research on the topic. I was previously going to do a research paper on the proper nutrition required to have and maintain a healthy pregnancy...seeing as fast food is not part of that healthy diet equation. However, finding out as much as possible about the disease is more interesting to me. As for all the research I now have left to do, I am going to start by first looking up the clinical definition for the disease. Then I would like to see if there are more strands or similar diseases to compare it to. I would like to find out how many people are diagnosed with it each year, and what is the Government doing to stop the spread of the disease.
The specific topics I am going to research are the possible different strands and the effects on the human body and what can be done about it. I also want to know more about what the government is doing to prevent anyone else from getting this disease either from our home grown meat or imported meats.
I think that anyone who heard the name "Mad Cow Disease" would be interested in reading this research paper. I would want people to take the research paper seriously after they realized the severity of the disease. The name of the disease tends to make you think of crazy cows, and I would want to know more about it.
I will use information from government websites such as the FDA, CDC, and USDA to do help me find the information I need. Also, I will look into the Mad Cow outbreak coverage from articles and newspapers in both Europe and the United States. I will try to use medical websites or databases to try and find out as much as possible about the disease.
After reading chapter nine in the FFN book, I decided that I was going to do this topic, so I have no yet compiled any research on the topic. I was previously going to do a research paper on the proper nutrition required to have and maintain a healthy pregnancy...seeing as fast food is not part of that healthy diet equation. However, finding out as much as possible about the disease is more interesting to me. As for all the research I now have left to do, I am going to start by first looking up the clinical definition for the disease. Then I would like to see if there are more strands or similar diseases to compare it to. I would like to find out how many people are diagnosed with it each year, and what is the Government doing to stop the spread of the disease.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Food and Memories Final Draft
Emily Martin
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Final Draft
1224 words
Tragedy and Recovery Through Meat
Often when we look back in our memories we can remember a time and place best by what we ate that day. Some of these events are best forgotten because the experience was so horrible. However, for the lucky few there are great food experiences that will be remembered and talked about for years to come. Some foods may even mark a terrible life event and a wonderful one at the same time. For me, that awe inspiring food is beef.
There once was a time in my life where hamburgers and steak ruled the family dinners. Beef was seen on our table at least three nights a week. My dad loved cooking for all of us, my four brothers and sisters. Plus, I think hamburgers were just easier for him to make with so many mouths to feed. However, a tragic passing in the family changed our dinner menu for the next decade.
Nearly 10 years ago, my grandfather, Francis Will, was diagnosed with Cruetzfeld Jacobs Disease, the human form of "Mad Cow Disease." The disease is a slow killer much like that of AIDS. It lay dormant in my grandfather's body for 40 years. My grandfather, an unsuspecting victim, didn't even know that something was wrong with him until it was too late to do anything about it. The disease is marked by uncontrollable seizures, forgetfulness similar to Alzheimer’s disease in its latter stages and loss of bodily function and control. The debilitating disease was found to be caused by eating beef brain sandwiches in Europe during the war. However, after watching my grandfather suffer for months and forget who I was, I swore of beef as a whole, not just beef brain sandwiches. At the age of 13, I made a pact with myself and refused to eat steak, hamburger and all other beef products. To me, it was the beef that took my grandfather away from me not just the disease. I was furious with the cattle farmers, meat processing plants and even cows for not doing their part to protect him. However, not everyone in my family agreed with my decision to ward off beef.
My mom feared that I wouldn't be getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals that I needed to stay healthy. I informed her that vegetarians live just fine without meat. My brother and sisters didn't quite understand why I had taking such a drastic action against beef. However, I witnessed my grandfather's final year of life diminish at an alarming rate first hand unlike them. Being the first granddaughter and all, I was very close to my grandfather and the only grandchild mature enough to help take care of him. My dad disagreed with my decision at first because he had to cook me a separate meal for dinner every time he cooked beef products. I think he thought it was a teenage phase I was going through and it would eventually pass. After about a year of not eating anything beef, he finally gave up trying to make me eat it, and just made me chicken instead. It was nice when he finally saw where I was coming from and took me serious.
Sometimes in life there are people that change your world, and it happened to me some years after my grandfather passed away. It has been eight years since my grandfather’s passing and I recently ate my first piece of beef since his untimely death. While Brian, my boyfriend, and I were out at dinner one night he asked me to try a piece of his steak. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Brian knew my grandfather quite well, and what I had been threw with his passing. He knew I had been so against eating beef or having anything to do with it, and was now asking me to trust him and just try it. Well, reluctantly, I tried the steak piece and showed that I trusted him. It was so delicious; I loved it. I really loved it, but on the inside I felt so guilty, as if I had defied my grandfather. Eating the piece of steak that night had a great impact on my life. Not only did I try beef for the first time in several years, but Brian also gave me my “I will always care for you” ring that night. Eating steak marked a milestone in my life. I had began a process of getting over a fear of beef that I had had for so many years, and received a symbol of love and compassion from Brian.
Brian and I's love for each other grew immensely over the next couple of months. We were inseparable just as we had been when we were kids many years earlier. I decided to leave St. Louis and move to Evansville, and pursue my education in Indiana closer to Brian. The first couple of months here were hard for me being away from my family in St. Louis and trying to get used to the slow pace in Evansville. The hardest part of moving to Evansville was moving in across the street from my grandfather's home into Brian’s house. It brought back all the great memories that my grandfather and I had shared when I came to visit every summer. It was also because of my grandfather that I met Brian.
Brian was a scrawny, neighborhood boy that liked to play in the dirt with his tractors and build tree houses right across the lane from my grandfather’s house. I would spend my summer days running back and forth in my grandfather’s yard waiting for Brian to walk over and ask me to play with him. Brian would come over, and talk to my grandfather and help him with yard chores, but always avoided me. I think because I was a girl and he was shy. I was only three when my grandfather finally introduced me to the then skinny, short, blonde haired, four year old boy, but it was worth the wait. Brian and I have been attached at the hip since then. We shared our first kisses with each other when we were nine and ten years old, spent years mad at each other over silly “becoming teenagers” drama, and ended up rekindling the old flame and becoming as crazy about each other as we had been in our childhood years.
Coincidently, a year after trying my first piece of beef with Brian, I had big news for Brian to be shared over another steak dinner. I was about to tell him that we were expecting our first child, when I realized this was only the second time I had eaten beef since my grandfather had passed away eight years earlier. Beef seems to have an effect on my life. It marked a horrible event and two of the greatest events of my life. I loved my grandfather more than anything in the world, and quit eating beef for him. Then Brian became my greatest love, and I started eating beef again with him. It’s a good thing I trusted him, because I order steak at a bunch of restaurants now to celebrate the wonderful gifts in life.
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Final Draft
1224 words
Tragedy and Recovery Through Meat
Often when we look back in our memories we can remember a time and place best by what we ate that day. Some of these events are best forgotten because the experience was so horrible. However, for the lucky few there are great food experiences that will be remembered and talked about for years to come. Some foods may even mark a terrible life event and a wonderful one at the same time. For me, that awe inspiring food is beef.
There once was a time in my life where hamburgers and steak ruled the family dinners. Beef was seen on our table at least three nights a week. My dad loved cooking for all of us, my four brothers and sisters. Plus, I think hamburgers were just easier for him to make with so many mouths to feed. However, a tragic passing in the family changed our dinner menu for the next decade.
Nearly 10 years ago, my grandfather, Francis Will, was diagnosed with Cruetzfeld Jacobs Disease, the human form of "Mad Cow Disease." The disease is a slow killer much like that of AIDS. It lay dormant in my grandfather's body for 40 years. My grandfather, an unsuspecting victim, didn't even know that something was wrong with him until it was too late to do anything about it. The disease is marked by uncontrollable seizures, forgetfulness similar to Alzheimer’s disease in its latter stages and loss of bodily function and control. The debilitating disease was found to be caused by eating beef brain sandwiches in Europe during the war. However, after watching my grandfather suffer for months and forget who I was, I swore of beef as a whole, not just beef brain sandwiches. At the age of 13, I made a pact with myself and refused to eat steak, hamburger and all other beef products. To me, it was the beef that took my grandfather away from me not just the disease. I was furious with the cattle farmers, meat processing plants and even cows for not doing their part to protect him. However, not everyone in my family agreed with my decision to ward off beef.
My mom feared that I wouldn't be getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals that I needed to stay healthy. I informed her that vegetarians live just fine without meat. My brother and sisters didn't quite understand why I had taking such a drastic action against beef. However, I witnessed my grandfather's final year of life diminish at an alarming rate first hand unlike them. Being the first granddaughter and all, I was very close to my grandfather and the only grandchild mature enough to help take care of him. My dad disagreed with my decision at first because he had to cook me a separate meal for dinner every time he cooked beef products. I think he thought it was a teenage phase I was going through and it would eventually pass. After about a year of not eating anything beef, he finally gave up trying to make me eat it, and just made me chicken instead. It was nice when he finally saw where I was coming from and took me serious.
Sometimes in life there are people that change your world, and it happened to me some years after my grandfather passed away. It has been eight years since my grandfather’s passing and I recently ate my first piece of beef since his untimely death. While Brian, my boyfriend, and I were out at dinner one night he asked me to try a piece of his steak. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Brian knew my grandfather quite well, and what I had been threw with his passing. He knew I had been so against eating beef or having anything to do with it, and was now asking me to trust him and just try it. Well, reluctantly, I tried the steak piece and showed that I trusted him. It was so delicious; I loved it. I really loved it, but on the inside I felt so guilty, as if I had defied my grandfather. Eating the piece of steak that night had a great impact on my life. Not only did I try beef for the first time in several years, but Brian also gave me my “I will always care for you” ring that night. Eating steak marked a milestone in my life. I had began a process of getting over a fear of beef that I had had for so many years, and received a symbol of love and compassion from Brian.
Brian and I's love for each other grew immensely over the next couple of months. We were inseparable just as we had been when we were kids many years earlier. I decided to leave St. Louis and move to Evansville, and pursue my education in Indiana closer to Brian. The first couple of months here were hard for me being away from my family in St. Louis and trying to get used to the slow pace in Evansville. The hardest part of moving to Evansville was moving in across the street from my grandfather's home into Brian’s house. It brought back all the great memories that my grandfather and I had shared when I came to visit every summer. It was also because of my grandfather that I met Brian.
Brian was a scrawny, neighborhood boy that liked to play in the dirt with his tractors and build tree houses right across the lane from my grandfather’s house. I would spend my summer days running back and forth in my grandfather’s yard waiting for Brian to walk over and ask me to play with him. Brian would come over, and talk to my grandfather and help him with yard chores, but always avoided me. I think because I was a girl and he was shy. I was only three when my grandfather finally introduced me to the then skinny, short, blonde haired, four year old boy, but it was worth the wait. Brian and I have been attached at the hip since then. We shared our first kisses with each other when we were nine and ten years old, spent years mad at each other over silly “becoming teenagers” drama, and ended up rekindling the old flame and becoming as crazy about each other as we had been in our childhood years.
Coincidently, a year after trying my first piece of beef with Brian, I had big news for Brian to be shared over another steak dinner. I was about to tell him that we were expecting our first child, when I realized this was only the second time I had eaten beef since my grandfather had passed away eight years earlier. Beef seems to have an effect on my life. It marked a horrible event and two of the greatest events of my life. I loved my grandfather more than anything in the world, and quit eating beef for him. Then Brian became my greatest love, and I started eating beef again with him. It’s a good thing I trusted him, because I order steak at a bunch of restaurants now to celebrate the wonderful gifts in life.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
foods and memories draft 1
Emily Martin
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Food and Memories Draft 1
988 words
eamartin@usieagles.org
English 201.501
Food and Memories Draft 1
988 words
Beef in My Life
Often when we look back in our memories we can remember a time and place best by what we ate that day. Some of these events are best forgotten because the experience was so horrible, but for the lucky few there are great food experiences that will be remembered and talked about for years to come. Some foods may even mark a terrible life event and a wonderful one at the same time. For me, that magical food is beef.
There once was a time in my life where hamburgers and steak ruled the family dinners. Beef was seen on our table at least three nights a week. My dad loved cooking for all of us, my four brothers and sisters. Plus, I think hamburgers were just easier for him to make with so many mouths to feed. However a tragic passing in the family changed our dinner menu for the next decade.
Nearly 10 years ago, my grandfather, Francis Will, was diagnosed with Cruetzfeld Jacobs Disease, the human form of "Mad Cow Disease." The disease is a slow killer much like that of AIDS. It lay dormant in my grandfather's body for 40 years. My grandfather, an unsuspecting victim, didn't even know that something was wrong with him until it was too late to do anything about it. The disease is marked by uncontrollable seizures, forgetfulness similar to Alzheimer’s disease in its latter stages and loss of bodily function and control. The debilitating disease was found to be caused by eating beef brain sandwiches in Europe during the war. However, after watching my grandfather suffer for months and forget who I was, I swore of beef as a whole, not just beef brain sandwiches. At the age of thirteen I made a pact with myself and refused to eat steak, hamburger and all other beef products. To me, it was the beef that took my grandfather away from me not just the disease. I was furious with the cattle farmers, meat processing plants and even cows for not doing there part to protect him. However not everyone in my family agreed with my decision to ward off beef.
My mom feared that I wouldn't be getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals that I needed to stay healthy. I informed her that vegetarians live just fine without meat. My brother and sisters didn't quite understand why I had taking such a drastic action against beef. However, I witnessed my grandfather's final year of life diminish at an alarming rate first hand unlike them. Being the first granddaughter and all, I was very close to my grandfather. My dad disagreed with my decision at first because he had to cook me a separate meal for dinner every time he cooked beef products. I think he thought it was a teenage phase I was going through and it would eventually pass. After about a year of not eating anything beef, he finally gave up trying to make me eat it, and just made me chicken instead. It was nice when he finally saw where I was coming from and took me serious.
It has been eight years since my grandfather past away and I recently ate my first piece of beef since his untimely death. While Brian, my boyfriend, and I were out at dinner one night he asked me to try a piece of his steak. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Brian knew my grandfather and what I had been threw with his passing. He knew I had been so against eating beef or having anything to do with it, and was now asking me to trust him and just try it. Well, reluctantly, I tried the steak piece and showed that I trusted him. It was so delicious; I loved it. I really loved it, but on the inside I felt so guilty, as if I had defied my grandfather. Eating the piece of steak that night had a great impact on my life. Not only did I try beef for the first time in years, but Brian also gave me my ring that night. Eating steak marked a milestone in my life. I had began a process of getting over a fear of beef that I had had for so many years, and received a symbol of love from Brian.
Brian and I's love for each other grew immensely over the next couple of months. We were inseparable just as we had been when we were kids many years earlier. I decided to leave St. Louis and move to Evansville and pursue my education in Indiana closer to Brian. The first couple of months here were hard for me being away from my family in St. Louis and trying to get used to the slow pace in Evansville. The hardest part of moving to Evansville was moving in across the street from my grandfather's home. It brought back all the great memories that my grandfather and I had shared every summer I came to visit. It was because of my grandfather that I met Brian though.
Coincidently a year later, over another steak dinner, I had big news for Brian. I was about to tell him that we were expecting our first child, when I realized this was only the second time I had eaten beef since my grandfather had passed away eight years earlier. Beef seems to have an effect on my life. It marked a horrible event and two of the greatest events of my life. I loved my grandfather more than anything in the world, and quit eating beef for him. Then Brian became my greatest love and a started eating beef again with him.
Good thing I trusted him, because I order steak and burgers at a bunch of restaurants now to celebrate the wonderful gifts in life!
Often when we look back in our memories we can remember a time and place best by what we ate that day. Some of these events are best forgotten because the experience was so horrible, but for the lucky few there are great food experiences that will be remembered and talked about for years to come. Some foods may even mark a terrible life event and a wonderful one at the same time. For me, that magical food is beef.
There once was a time in my life where hamburgers and steak ruled the family dinners. Beef was seen on our table at least three nights a week. My dad loved cooking for all of us, my four brothers and sisters. Plus, I think hamburgers were just easier for him to make with so many mouths to feed. However a tragic passing in the family changed our dinner menu for the next decade.
Nearly 10 years ago, my grandfather, Francis Will, was diagnosed with Cruetzfeld Jacobs Disease, the human form of "Mad Cow Disease." The disease is a slow killer much like that of AIDS. It lay dormant in my grandfather's body for 40 years. My grandfather, an unsuspecting victim, didn't even know that something was wrong with him until it was too late to do anything about it. The disease is marked by uncontrollable seizures, forgetfulness similar to Alzheimer’s disease in its latter stages and loss of bodily function and control. The debilitating disease was found to be caused by eating beef brain sandwiches in Europe during the war. However, after watching my grandfather suffer for months and forget who I was, I swore of beef as a whole, not just beef brain sandwiches. At the age of thirteen I made a pact with myself and refused to eat steak, hamburger and all other beef products. To me, it was the beef that took my grandfather away from me not just the disease. I was furious with the cattle farmers, meat processing plants and even cows for not doing there part to protect him. However not everyone in my family agreed with my decision to ward off beef.
My mom feared that I wouldn't be getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals that I needed to stay healthy. I informed her that vegetarians live just fine without meat. My brother and sisters didn't quite understand why I had taking such a drastic action against beef. However, I witnessed my grandfather's final year of life diminish at an alarming rate first hand unlike them. Being the first granddaughter and all, I was very close to my grandfather. My dad disagreed with my decision at first because he had to cook me a separate meal for dinner every time he cooked beef products. I think he thought it was a teenage phase I was going through and it would eventually pass. After about a year of not eating anything beef, he finally gave up trying to make me eat it, and just made me chicken instead. It was nice when he finally saw where I was coming from and took me serious.
It has been eight years since my grandfather past away and I recently ate my first piece of beef since his untimely death. While Brian, my boyfriend, and I were out at dinner one night he asked me to try a piece of his steak. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Brian knew my grandfather and what I had been threw with his passing. He knew I had been so against eating beef or having anything to do with it, and was now asking me to trust him and just try it. Well, reluctantly, I tried the steak piece and showed that I trusted him. It was so delicious; I loved it. I really loved it, but on the inside I felt so guilty, as if I had defied my grandfather. Eating the piece of steak that night had a great impact on my life. Not only did I try beef for the first time in years, but Brian also gave me my ring that night. Eating steak marked a milestone in my life. I had began a process of getting over a fear of beef that I had had for so many years, and received a symbol of love from Brian.
Brian and I's love for each other grew immensely over the next couple of months. We were inseparable just as we had been when we were kids many years earlier. I decided to leave St. Louis and move to Evansville and pursue my education in Indiana closer to Brian. The first couple of months here were hard for me being away from my family in St. Louis and trying to get used to the slow pace in Evansville. The hardest part of moving to Evansville was moving in across the street from my grandfather's home. It brought back all the great memories that my grandfather and I had shared every summer I came to visit. It was because of my grandfather that I met Brian though.
Coincidently a year later, over another steak dinner, I had big news for Brian. I was about to tell him that we were expecting our first child, when I realized this was only the second time I had eaten beef since my grandfather had passed away eight years earlier. Beef seems to have an effect on my life. It marked a horrible event and two of the greatest events of my life. I loved my grandfather more than anything in the world, and quit eating beef for him. Then Brian became my greatest love and a started eating beef again with him.
Good thing I trusted him, because I order steak and burgers at a bunch of restaurants now to celebrate the wonderful gifts in life!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Foods 3
Every family has a primary cook or a specialty dish that one person cooks. Some families like to meet at a relative’s house or host a get together at their own home. No matter who cooks or where you eat, it is always nice to get together and share memories with one another.
My dad is the primary cook in our family. He loves to try new foods or have us try his new dishes. He is the type of person that opens a foreign cook book looks at a picture and tries to make that food. The food isn’t always so delicious but it makes for great dinner conversation. He has his specialty dishes though that are absolutely amazing. He makes the best barbeque smoked ribs and smoked turkey around. Some of my favorite foods that he makes are his chicken parmesan, chicken salad, steak, and seafood dinners.
At a family get-together or event my dad tends to keep things very traditional. He loves to barbeque and grill out so we often have a bunch of hamburgers, hotdogs and brats with potato salad, macaroni salad, and other summer side items. Most of our family events happen from the spring to the fall so it always good weather for a barbeque.
Most of my family get-togethers take place at my parent’s house or my aunt’s house, just four houses down the street. It’s easy that way because family members can park at our house and walk there or vice versa. When we have our family dinners the menu is usually always the same. The family has grown to expect certain foods to be at every gathering. We kind of do a potluck type of dinner where each member of the family brings their specialty dish or dessert and we all dig in.
These dishes are so important to me and the rest of the family because they seem to symbolize how well we mesh together and how much we mean to each other. It’s funny, because when someone misses a dinner and their dish is missing the whole family takes notice and talks about the last time they got to eat that particular meal. It’s important to have these family functions because it gives you memories to build and look back on.
All of our family get-togethers haven’t changed as far as the way they are held or the atmosphere that is felt at one. The only thing that has changed is the number of people that attend them. The family keeps growing and growing as the children are getting older and bringing their new husbands, wives and children over for dinner.
My dad is the primary cook in our family. He loves to try new foods or have us try his new dishes. He is the type of person that opens a foreign cook book looks at a picture and tries to make that food. The food isn’t always so delicious but it makes for great dinner conversation. He has his specialty dishes though that are absolutely amazing. He makes the best barbeque smoked ribs and smoked turkey around. Some of my favorite foods that he makes are his chicken parmesan, chicken salad, steak, and seafood dinners.
At a family get-together or event my dad tends to keep things very traditional. He loves to barbeque and grill out so we often have a bunch of hamburgers, hotdogs and brats with potato salad, macaroni salad, and other summer side items. Most of our family events happen from the spring to the fall so it always good weather for a barbeque.
Most of my family get-togethers take place at my parent’s house or my aunt’s house, just four houses down the street. It’s easy that way because family members can park at our house and walk there or vice versa. When we have our family dinners the menu is usually always the same. The family has grown to expect certain foods to be at every gathering. We kind of do a potluck type of dinner where each member of the family brings their specialty dish or dessert and we all dig in.
These dishes are so important to me and the rest of the family because they seem to symbolize how well we mesh together and how much we mean to each other. It’s funny, because when someone misses a dinner and their dish is missing the whole family takes notice and talks about the last time they got to eat that particular meal. It’s important to have these family functions because it gives you memories to build and look back on.
All of our family get-togethers haven’t changed as far as the way they are held or the atmosphere that is felt at one. The only thing that has changed is the number of people that attend them. The family keeps growing and growing as the children are getting older and bringing their new husbands, wives and children over for dinner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)