Significant Contributions to Public Health Final Assgn.Part - due in 20 hours

Thomas was born at the dawn of the 20th century in 1900 in the state of Indiana in America. He developed a strong passion for medicine where he went to leave an indelible mark. In 1925, the guy studied medicine at Yale University where he subsequently received his degree (Martin, 2014). He worked for research institutes and university medical schools. His greatest contribution to public health entails the following. First, as a microbiologist, he is credited for pioneering a research that separated viruses that ultimately cause influenza A and B (Francis & Salk, 2017). work on influenza A was accomplished in 1934 while the one on B was done in 1940. Secondly, he was involved in the development of polyvalent vaccine that treats influenza. Thirdly, Thomas contributed in research works that ultimately lead to antiserum development against pneumonia. He died in 1969.

Thomas worked during a period of great political, economic, and technological implications in the US and the world. The occurrences of these events had a significant influence on the life of this microbiologist. On the political front, the period of his existence was marked by two global conflicts that had massive consequences. The teenager years of Thomas from 1914 to 1918 were defined by 1st world war. This conflict did not have major implications to the lives of the inhabitants of America because the country had adopted an isolationist policy. 2nd world war broke out in 1939 when Thomas was working on the separation of influenza B virus. There is no doubt that the entry of the US into the conflict in 1941 reduced funding to medical research projects that Thomas was involved in. Public resources were devoted to the war effort. On the economic front, the period of his existence was defined by the great depression of 1930s. This was a period of economic and social strife because citizens were uncertain about their future (Bernstein, 2015). The genesis of social security programs can be traced to this period.

The life of Thomas was defined by personal beliefs of hard work, commitment and patience to work endeavors. He did not harbor strong political beliefs because he was a scientist and not a political operative (Martin, 2014). Thomas extraordinary success in medical research projects is a testament to his life philosophies of commitment. Additionally, Thomas was a believer in team work. He partnered with other medical researchers in the development of effective antiserums to alleviate the pain of pneumonia. Thomas was motivated by the drive to solve epidemics associated with influenza. As a student of history, Thomas knew the dreadful impact of the disease to infants in the prior periods before the introduction of medical solutions (Francis & Salk, 2017). In recognition of his personal beliefs that lead to medical breakthroughs, Thomas was awarded a medal of freedom by the president in 1946. This is the highest civilian honor.

Challenges are expected in life. To confront the adversities, Thomas utilized a scientific approach. This approach advocates for use of evidence and logic in solving a problem. It is a standard approach that many researchers like Thomas use to solve problems that do not have specific precedents. The method places premium on the identification of the problem, gathering information through experiments to facilitate understanding of the challenge, developing a list of alternatives and selecting the best possible course based on the available evidence. Perhaps the main reason for the success of Thomas can be attributed to decisive solution of the problems that plagued his work. There are no proper documentations on the allies that Thomas worked with.

The outcomes of public health contributions of Thomas can be assessed in a variety of ways. They can be assessed in terms of the impact of the vaccines in which he was involved in their development or the effects of the medical research works in which he was a significant contributor. The greatest outcome that came to define the public health contribution of Thomas is the development of influenza vaccines. These vaccines were of protective nature. Thomas achieved this milestone while working as the head of the commission tasked with finding solutions on influenza. In that capacity, he led a taskforce that developed, tried and eventually evaluated the vaccines to assess their effectiveness.

It is not an overstatement that the actions of Thomas contributed to a reduction of influenza epidemics in the world. Infants and elderly people who were immunized by the protective influenza vaccines were not prone to contract the disease. The advancement in the study of a variety of infectious diseases can be attributed to Thomas. He was involved in the development of vaccines against pneumonia. The antiserum proved to be a reliable solution (Davenport & Napier, 2016). The dedicated virus laboratory that Thomas established in Michigan University was involved in the study of a variety of infectious diseases. It is fair to recognize that Francis was involved in the mentorship of John Salk who a student at the laboratory. The subsequent medical works that Salk was involved in led to the development of polio vaccinations. In a nutshell, the final contributions of Thomas to health can be summarized into development of vaccines of deadly diseases like influenza and the advancement of medical research projects.

The contributions of Thomas had an impact on the health of the public at the time. For instance, Francis pioneered the largest field tests of a vaccine. The field trial was nationwide in US and variety of countries like Finland and Canada. The trials lasted for one year and touched approximately 2 million children. This was the boldest move by Thomas in his desire to eradicate infectious ailments from the public (Davenport & Napier, 2016. Contributions of this nature were particularly significant. The world has been plagued with an influenza epidemic in Spain in the 1920s. There was considerable fear among the public that such epidemics would reoccur if the nationwide remedies were not found. Thomas rose to the occasion and delivered a breakthrough. Additionally, nationwide vaccination drives of this nature contributed to reduction of infant mortality rates. Infectious diseases like influenza and polio have high success rates among children due to their immature immune systems.

In conclusion, Thomas Francis was an exceptional microbiologist whose medical projects provided solutions to a host of infectious diseases. He would be remembered within the medical field for solving the influenza mystery through vaccines. His medical research was not limited to influenza. He attempted to solve a variety of infectious diseases like polio and pneumonia for the good of humanity. Regardless of the field that we are undertaking, Thomas is a manifestation of the significance of leaving a good legacy worth emulation.

References

Bernstein, M. A. (2015). The Great Depression: delayed recovery and economic change in America, 1929-1939. Cambridge University Press.

Davenport, F. M., & Napier, J. A. (2016). Vaccination against influenza: The contribution of Thomas Francis Jr. The Journal of infectious diseases, 16-25.

Francis, T., & Salk, J. E., (2017). Examination of the Experience with vaccination against influenza in the spring of 1947: a preliminary report. American Journal of Public Health.

Martin, S. N. (2014). The personal profile of Thomas Francis Jr: American biologist and epidemiologist. Oxford University Press.