Hey guys! My name is Andrew, and I am a junior majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. I’m taking this class not only because it was recommended to me by several people, but also because I am simultaneously fascinated and terrified by the implications of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In addition, I find that we most often observe diseases from a biological standpoint, so I feel that bringing the social and cultural viewpoints into play might prove to be incredibly interesting.

http://blogs.plos.org/publichealth/2012/11/29/are-we-causing-antibiotic-resistance-by-trying-to-prevent-it/

http://blogs.discovery.com/dfh-sara-novak/2012/01/are-hand-sanitizers-really-bad-for-immunity.html

     Back in high school, one of my teachers once said “The first step on the road to death is hand sanitizer.” We all laughed, since he was well known for his humorous comments, but his words stuck with me. Things like hand sanitizers and antibiotics are so common in our lives that we rarely think twice about them, but whenever I see people using them, I remember what my teacher said, and it worries me. Those bottles of sanitizer claim to kill 99.9% of germs, and while this statistic may be enough to comfort most people, I’m not convinced at all. Even if only .01% survives, it will come back, and it will be even stronger than the original bacteria. The Wall Street Journal’sHealth Blog discusses this issue, and links to a rather disturbing display of this growing problem here. If you are feeling brave, check it out, it’s extremely well put together and equally as scary.

To sum things up, I think I’ll leave you all with the words of a wise old man.