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Small Gestures
Paul Farmer is a man a small gestures. His kind personality and humanistic approach gave him an uncanny ability to help to others. He has spent his entire life helping those in need in the country of Haiti, Russia, and Peru just to name a few, but that is miniscule compared to his impact on an entire world. The book Mountains Beyond Mountains, written by Tracy Kidder, describes Farmer's journey of dispersing medicine throughout underdeveloped countries. Farmer gave more than just medicine to these countries. He gave hope and a lending hand to those who needed it in their time of need.
The most important thing he taught, was demonstrating to current practicing nurses and doctors exactly how patients should be treated. While Farmer was traveling with Kidder, to go check-in on a patient, he said, "The objective is to inculcate in the doctors and nurses the spirit to dedicate themselves to the patients, and especially to having a outcome-oriented view of TB" (Kidder 42).
This is a photo from the NIH Record, which falls d...
English: An image of American Pulitzer Prize-winni...
English: President Kagame and Paul Farmer at Butar...The attitude Farmer wants to instill in the doctors and nurses in underdeveloped countries, is something that can be found missing in America's doctors and nurses. When I specifically am going to the doctor I look for someone that puts themselves in your shoes. I have been in multiple instances where a doctor simply wants to get the job done, not worrying about how his actions impacts your future. If more doctors and nurses were like Farmer this would be a far different country in regards to medicine.
Reading Mountains Beyond Mountains has drastically changed my perspective on how I view developed and underdeveloped countries. Looking specifically at Haiti you can find civilians that have been brought down by politics, poverty, and natural disasters. As we discussed in class, political leaders...