The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt

Reading Summary 

Part I The Graphic History 

Purpose:  To integrate concepts and ideas discussed throughout the course with the history and events that led to The Great Rat Hunt as well as the impact of imperialism and colonialism ideologies on the health and well-being of the Vietnamese in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Answer the following questions based on Part I of TGHRH.   Be sure to include examples in all your answers with page numbers.   Do not use the same example for more than one question.  Point values for the following four questions are given in the parentheses. 

Note:  Minimally, a paragraph should have at least four complete sentences.

Why and for what purpose did the French insert themselves into what was then called Indochina? (2 paragraphs)

Framing your answer in terms of political ecology, describe how French imperial and colonialist ideologies resulted in the structures and processes (e.g., transportation and modernization) that led to the Great Rat Hunt. Your answer can serve as context for question 3. (2-3 paragraphs)

Using the Triangle of Human Ecology, how did population, behavior, and environment contribute to the threat of plague and the health-status of the people of Hanoi? (2-3 paragraphs + 1 diagram)

 In light of the social and environmental problems generated by the French in modernizing Hanoi in their own likeness what were some of their more positive contributions to the growth and development of public health and medicine in that city? (2 paragraphs)