Comparison Between The Fix And It's Cheap And Simple
Alora Weltchek
Pols
10/11/10
The Fix is in-and it’s Cheap and Simple
For some reason people always seem to think that every solution needs to be some sort of complex elaborate plan in order for the results to be desirable. However, Superfreakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, proves that sometimes the best fix really can be both simple and relatively inexpensive. In the chapter, The Fix is is-and it’s Cheap and Simple, Levitt and Dubner use a variety of examples to prove that inexpensive solutions really can be the right answer.
One of the most impressive examples that Levitt and Dubner brought to attention was the dramatic change made in the ways of childbirth. Just one hundred years ago the mortality rate of childbirth was 1 out of every 10 mothers died during child birth as a result of puerperal fever. While doctors were aware that these women, and many of their newborn babies, were susceptible to contracting the fever and dying they were unsure as to how the fever was being contracted and therefore unable to remedy the situation. Doctor Ignatz Semmelweis made it his mission to determine why these women were dying in such drastically …show more content…
It seems that many medical problems do have a relatively easy fix once someone takes the time to do the research and come up with a solution. Vaccines and other preventative medicines may initially cost a substantial amount in research costs, but the amount of money that is saved, not to mention lives that are spared, makes the cost seem minor in comparison. I think that seems to be one of the points of the chapter; cost is completely relative, yes it may cost a lot initially to create a new vaccine but that is nothing in comparison to the $30 billion in medical expenses that we would be facing if the polio vaccine were not
Pols
10/11/10
The Fix is in-and it’s Cheap and Simple
For some reason people always seem to think that every solution needs to be some sort of complex elaborate plan in order for the results to be desirable. However, Superfreakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, proves that sometimes the best fix really can be both simple and relatively inexpensive. In the chapter, The Fix is is-and it’s Cheap and Simple, Levitt and Dubner use a variety of examples to prove that inexpensive solutions really can be the right answer.
One of the most impressive examples that Levitt and Dubner brought to attention was the dramatic change made in the ways of childbirth. Just one hundred years ago the mortality rate of childbirth was 1 out of every 10 mothers died during child birth as a result of puerperal fever. While doctors were aware that these women, and many of their newborn babies, were susceptible to contracting the fever and dying they were unsure as to how the fever was being contracted and therefore unable to remedy the situation. Doctor Ignatz Semmelweis made it his mission to determine why these women were dying in such drastically …show more content…
It seems that many medical problems do have a relatively easy fix once someone takes the time to do the research and come up with a solution. Vaccines and other preventative medicines may initially cost a substantial amount in research costs, but the amount of money that is saved, not to mention lives that are spared, makes the cost seem minor in comparison. I think that seems to be one of the points of the chapter; cost is completely relative, yes it may cost a lot initially to create a new vaccine but that is nothing in comparison to the $30 billion in medical expenses that we would be facing if the polio vaccine were not