Viruses, Bacteria, Protists, and Fungi Webquest
Introduction
Epidemiology is the study of the causes of diseases. Epidemiologists are scientists who conduct
research into how disease is spread among populations. Their investigations lead to strategies
for now to control and prevent the spread of illnesses. Five disease – cholera, the flu epidemic
of the 20th century, malaria, polio, and smallpox – are among many diseases that have plagued
people for centuries. What different processes did scientists use to study these five diseases?
What were some of the misconceptions people had about these diseases before scientists were
able to understand their causes and how to prevent these diseases before scientists were able
to understand their causes and how to prevent them? In this WebQuest, you will explore five
different diseases that have affected people throughout history to find the answers to these
questions. You will also create a timeline to describe the history of one of these diseases and
how it impacts worldwide health today.
Task
Your job in this WebQuest is to learn about diseases that have affected people for hundreds of
years. You will investigate five different diseases to learn how scientists have worked to prevent
their spread among populations. You will answer a set of questions about these diseases and
their prevention to demonstrate what you have learned. Once you’ve conducted some research
to increase your knowledge of these diseases and their prevention, you’ll select one of the
diseases to investigate further. You’ll create a timeline that shows 10 key dates in the study of
that disease as well as 5 other dates and events that occurred during the same period of time.
The purpose of the timeline is to show how scientific study has led to discoveries that help
prevent the spread of diseases. You’ll include a description of each date on the timeline and
summarize the current state of prevention of this disease.
Time
Two work days in school, the rest of your work time will be done at home over Thanksgiving
break being completed and handed in on November 27th.
Process
First, read through the following set of questions before you begin your Internet research. As
you explore each site, look for the answer to the questions.
Questions about Investigation Disease and Prevention
1. How did John Snow use maps to study the spread of cholera?
2. What were some of the misconceptions people had about the cause of the flu epidemic of
1918?
3. How effective was Jonas Salk’s initial testing of the polio vaccine?
4. What are some strategies used to prevent contracting malaria?
5. What did Edward Jenner discover about the relationship between smallpox and cowpox?
Next, visit the Web sites provided below to get more information about one of the diseases you
researched to create a timeline. Your timeline should indicate important dates that led to
discoveries about causes of and ways to prevent the disease. Write a summary about the
importance of each date. You should also include dates and summaries in your timeline for
other relevant historic events of the period. The end of your timeline should include a
description of how the disease you researched currently affects people around the world.
Resources
Look at the web sites given here to find the information that will help you answer questions
about different diseases and their prevention, and to gather information to use as you build
your timeline.
http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/8
The Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science describes John Snow's work in
studying the causes and prevention of cholera.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/
education/ideas912/912cholera.html
Visit this page on the National Geographic Web site to learn more how John
Snow used medical geography to help understand the spread of cholera during
the 1854 outbreak.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/peopleevents/
pandeAMEX88.html
Find out about the flu epidemic of 1918 by visiting the Influenza 1918 site on the
Public Broadcasting System Web site.
http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/
Learn more about the influenza pandemic of 1918 by visiting this page on the
Stanford University Web site.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dm52sa.html
Read about how the polio vaccine was produced and tested at this page from the
Public Broadcasting System Web site.
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/polio.html
Find out more about how the polio vaccine was developed on this page from
Access Excellence.
http://www.rbm.who.int/cmc_upload/0/000/015/372/
RBMInfosheet_1.htm
The World Health Organization provides information about malaria as part of the
Roll Back Malaria initiative.
http://familydoctor.org/handouts/384.html
Read more about malaria by visiting this page on the American Academy of
Family Physicians Web site.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/malaria/id319101.html
Visit the National Library of Medicine's interactive page on malaria. You'll read
about topics such as causes, symptoms, and prevention of malaria.
http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/misc/smallpox_p2.html
Learn more about smallpox by investigate this Kidshealth page.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/discovery/medicine/smallpox_02.shtml
Edward Jenner's study of smallpox is discussed on this page from the British
Broadcasting Corporation.
http://www.jennermuseum.com/sv/smallpox2.shtml
The Jenner Museum describes the accomplishments of British scientist Edward
Jenner. Read about how Jenner studied the relationship between cowpox and
smallpox on this page.
You may use these resources to help you develop your timeline:
http://www.teacheroz.com/20thcent.htm
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/howtomakeatimeline1.htm
Conclusion
In the process of completing this WebQuest, you've become informed about five different
diseases: cholera, the flu epidemic of the 20th century, malaria, polio, and smallpox. You have
read information to answer questions about this topic, and have increased your knowledge of
how scientists have studied these diseases in the quest to minimize their impact on people and
discover effective treatments. You've also used your research skills to create a timeline that
describes how one of these diseases has affected people throughout history.