The Public Health Implications of the Jacobson v. Massachusetts Case
In 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a judgment on the famous Jacobson v. Massachusetts Case that became a subject of contradictory discussions ever since. The central ground for the trial initiation was the denial of the Swedish immigrant, Henning Jacobson, to be vaccinated at the time of the smallpox outbreak. The man claimed that the vaccine produced some adverse effects on his son’s health.
That is why he did not support the state in its attempt to eradicate the health concern. The consequences of the court trial did not satisfy Jacobson’s demands though since the Supreme Court reacted in a negative way to the citizen’s appeal. Specifically, the position of the official jurisdiction took a stance of the public policy, for it was claimed that the citizens of the country have to subordinate to its laws, especially when disobedience can inflict some harmful effects on the public health (Mariner, Annas, and Glantz 585). The case gave a start to the development of particular health concerns and implications.
Mainly, a variety of contemporary socio-medical policies reveals that Jacobson’s impact is evident both in the sphere of social life and public health. For instance, the logic of the dispute is efficiently utilized in the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, due to which there should be a distinction between civil rights protection and treatment of public health under the circumstances of medical emergencies (Curtis par. 9). Moreover, the dispute influenced quarantine laws and vaccination treatment as well as the regulations of public health.
Franklin Roosevelt and Health Care Reform
President Franklin Roosevelt is claimed to be the founder of the modern legislative agenda in the U.S. since his views and reforms complied with the ideas of Americans about their country as well as followed the model of efficient implementation. Some experts, however, regard the issue of public health reformation as a missing link of Roosevelt’s career, for the president did not manage to carry out his intention of the American medical care modification. The legendary personage claimed that no country could be prosperous if sick people lived in it (“A Brief History: Universal Health Care Efforts in the US” par. 6).
Therefore, Franklin Roosevelt developed a plan of public health reform enactment but the regulation was put on delay and was regarded as a secondary task at the time of his presidency. The political critics argue that the ultimate reason for such an attitude was the president’s idea of the interrelation between the citizens of the country and the health regulations. Mainly, Roosevelt claimed that it was illogical to direct the health insurance, which accounted for a fundamental innovation, to the Congress until it was asserted that the community understands the implications and the meaning of the conception. Unfortunately, the president did not manage to accomplish his plan, due to his sudden death before the end of the war (Morone 1097).
The Negative Implications of Dumping: Public Health Perspective
Illegal dumping disrupts the flow of natural processes both on earth and in the water. The process of bringing some harmful materials into the water accounts for such damaging consequences as animals’ starvation, oxygen depletion, as well as clogging the places of fish spawning, depending on the type of the dumping substances (“Environmental, Health, and Economic Effects of Illegal Dumping” par. 2). The public health administration both on a state and county levels predetermines fighting the negative implications of the illegal practice.
In the situation of unrecognizing the sources of dumping, The Director of Public Health launches the investigation program, the aim of which is to focus on the nature of harmful allocations. The research planning may be created in compliance with three fundamental questions that need to be answered so that to solve the problem of dumping. First, it is vital to disclose the chemical properties of the materials that are let into the water. Second, one needs to research the medical implications of the material used since it helps to find out whether the substance can damage human health. Finally, it is crucial to study the alternatives that can potentially be embraced by the company that commits dumping.
The Toxins’ Usage Concern: Finding a Legal Solution
The case review dwells on the contamination of soil and water with toxins, which damages human health in several ways. First, it is acknowledged that the dumping of toxic elements can inflict bioaccumulation, cancer, separate organs deformation as well as some considerable economic losses (Kennedy par. 2).
The issue pertains to the case, in which a company conducts shaded dumping of toxins that pollute soil and water in the county. However, the management of the industry does not confess to committing public health violations. Though the administrative organs of the county have no direct evidence that could back up the conviction theory, the Director of the County Health Department is entitled to employ the so-called argument from ignorance, according to which every claim has to be checked and verified unless there is some reliable evidence of its faultiness. Therefore, this right signifies the pretext for launching an independent investigation, the aim of which would be the analysis of industrial procedures.
Works Cited
A Brief History: Universal Health Care Efforts in the US 2002. Web.
Curtis, Henry. Revisiting Jacobson: An Analysis of the Modern Day Implications of Jacobson v Massachusetts. 2014. Web.
Environmental, Health, and Economic Effects of Illegal Dumping 2012. Web.
Kennedy, Anna. The Effects of Soil Pollution on Humans. 2014. Web.
Mariner, Wendy, George Annas, and Leonard Glantz. “Jacobson v Massachusetts: It’s not Your Great-Great-Grandfather’s Public Health Law.” American Journal of Public Health 95.4 (2005): 581-590. Print.
Morone, James. “Presidents and Health Reform: From Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama.” Health Affairs 29.6 (2010): 1096-1100. Print.