Scoliosis were made possible at the turn of the 20th century. During this time, many schools subjected their students to physical examinations and posture tests. Students were believed to suffer from negative effects such as poor posture due to hunching over desks for hours in the classroom. Although these screenings were not intended to detect spinal curvature, physicians diagnosed many students with scoliosis. Scoliosis was considered a disease-based condition during the mid-20th century caused by tuberculosis or poliomyelitis. These diseases responsible for causing spinal deformities were successfully managed throughout the 1960s due to the distribution of vaccines and antibiotics. Despite the
The Gifts of the Body the patients and the caregiver. The book contains ten short stories, the titles of each being associated with "gifts" which are various functions of the body, both physical and emotional: sweat, wholeness, tears, skin, hunger, mobility, death, speech, sight, hope, and mourning. The caregiver experiences each "gift", as he/she deals with patients who have AIDS, showing the different shared relationships in each case. Each patient is a distinct case, differing in terms of age, financial situation, attitude toward the illness etc., showing the reader that this disease affects all types of people. The book is written in the "no-frills style"