1. Who’s Responsible?
In 1847, 1 of every 6 mothers died from puerperal fever at the General Hospital of Vienna, considered one of the best hospitals of the time. Why?
Some guesses included:
“Misconduct during pregnancy,” i.e. corsets
“Personal predisposition”
Foul air in the delivery room
Presence of male doctors, which “wounded the modesty of mothers, leading to pathological change”
“Catching a chill, errors in diet, rising in the labor room too soon after delivery in order to walk back to bed”

2. The Real Reason
Doctors weren’t washing their hands. They would move from an autopsy room to the delivery room without sterilizing.
After Ignatz Semmelweis ordered doctors and students to disinfect their hands, the death rate dropped to around 1%. He saved the lives of 300 mothers and 250 babies in one year in one hospital.

3. Takeaways
Cause and effect relationships aren’t always obvious. Look for the evidence.

4. Cause and effect
Pages 82-88

5. What is Cause and Effect?
A cause and effect essay explains the origins and/or consequences of a situation . It can discuss:
Causes – the reasons an issue exists or an event happens
Effects – the consequences of an issue or event
Both causes and effects

6. Choose an Appropriate Prompt
Familiar to you. No research without teacher approval!
Simple enough for 500 words
3+ causes, effects, or both

7. Prewrite for Causes and Effects
Remember prewriting techniques: listing, questioning, freewriting, journal writing, clustering, organizing lists
Prewrite for Causes and Effects
Is your paper on causes, effects, or both?
Prewrite for both. Save the opposite for the introduction or conclusion.
Determine primary causes/effects & group

8. Develop a Thesis Statement p. 84-85
Reminder: Every thesis contains the essay topic and the writer’s opinion about the topic.
Develop a Thesis Statement p
In a cause and effect essay thesis:
the essay topic = the issue or event
the writer’s opinion = the causes and/or effects OR an overall statement about the issue or event.
Example: The three main reasons teenagers drink are
peer pressure, depression, and boredom.
Example: The causes of teenage drinking can be difficult
to control.
The three main reasons for Facebook’s popularity are The reasons for Facebook’s popularity all stem from Although the main reason for Facebook’s popularity is X, there are some surprising other sources as well.

9. Outline Event Situation A situation develops over time.
Ex: high crime rate
Contributory to main (least to most important) P. 85
An event occurs at a fixed point in time.
Ex: car wreck,
decision you’ve made
Use chronological order.
Each cause or effect leads to the next in a chain of events. P. 84

10. Example Outline
Thesis: The three main reasons teenagers drink are peer pressure, depression, and boredom.
1. Peer pressure is a primary reason teenagers consider drinking in the first place. 2. A more dangerous cause is the desire to escape depression.
3. However, the most pervasive reason teenagers drink is simply boredom from having nothing valuable to engage their minds and time.

11. Development: Prove Your Point
Explain the how and the why of the relationship.
How does the cause/effect lead to the issue?
Why does the cause/effect take place?
Provide evidence: explanations, facts, examples
Ex: Peer pressure is a primary reason teenagers consider drinking in the first place. When they see others their age drinking, they assume it is a normal and expected activity.

12. Warnings About Body Paragraphs
Don’t just describe the situation or event. Remember to focus the how and why.
Don’t assume a relationship because two things happen close together in time. This is called the post hoc fallacy. Page 84.
Don’t use circular logic.

13. Revise Don’t use “The reason is because.” It’s repetitive.
Don’t forget transitions. Page 86.
“Affect” and “Effect” are different.
“Affect” is a verb. It means “to influence.”
Ex: Not coming to class affected my grade.
“Effect” is a noun. It means “a result.”
Ex: The effect of not coming to class was an F on my essay.