Theme Of Poverty Leads To Disease In Part One Of Mountains Beyond Mountains By Paul Farmer

In Part One of Mountains Beyond Mountains, the author is introducing Paul Farmer, and the kind of doctor and person he is, through different settings. First he is seen as a spokesperson for the poor when he helps them confront the US Captain at the base in Haiti about a recent murder. Next he is shown as a doctor who will go the extra mile for his patients while in Boston treating a drug addict, yet showing him both respect and kindness past what a normal doctor would. Later, Farmer is seen in his day to day life in Haiti treating all the patients he can physically see in one day, and showing them the same respect and kindness as the man in Boston. Farmer’s humanitarianism is seen through the massive sum of money and time he donates to Partners

While Farmer is in Peru with Partners in Health he discovers that the problems faced in Haiti are seen there as well. While searching for the root of one case of MDR-TB in Peru, Farmer realizes that the strain had come to be by repeated improper therapy. This was due in part to the economic status of the patients. Their poverty led them to contract a disease that was untreatable, and furthermore, led to deaths that could have been stopped. While working for the MDR-TB patients, Farmer risked aggravating powerful people throughout the world because of a speech he made about the “myths of MDR-TB.” The director of Peru’s national TB program heard of this and, to Farmer, that was a success. Farmer marries Didi Bertrand, a local Haitian in 1996. Later on he discovers that he has contracted Hepatitis A and after recovering goes with his wife to France for a well deserved vacation. Now, the author shows how Farmer does little to nothing to care for his own health, while doing everything he can for the health of the poor, which may end up being his fatal flaw. In the end of this part of the book, a meeting between TB physicians around the world taking a step in the right direction though there are still many problems facing this international public health

Kidder is once again a part of the story while Paul goes from Haiti to the US to Cuba, where he encounters many ups and downs but still holds a positive attitude overall. To Farmers surprise Cuba is quite healthy in spite of the sanctions put on the nation by the US. For Paul, the important thing about Cuba has nothing to do with the politics but instead the system they have in place for public health. Farmer feels a guilt inside when he feels himself loving his daughter more than the Haitian children, yet still tries to be the “King of Empathy” for the children. While in Russia, Farmer is put into a setting of bureaucracy and not a place of patient-based care to work on a loan for the Russian TB program. This is necessary however, for the world to see, through this work on TB, the health needs of the poor. This shows Farmers willingness to do whatever he must to help the improvement of global