Friday, October 30, 2009

On vaccines

Via Daring Fireball, a superb essay on vaccines.

And that was "just" chickenpox.

Moderns have no idea of what diphtheria was like. Or, for that matter, tetanus. (I once knew a patient who'd survived "lockjaw" though -- it still happens rarely).

Update 10/31/09: Charlie Stross reminded me of a great post I read some time ago.
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2 comments:

  1. Charlie Stross10/31/09, 1:28 PM

    See also. (Jim is (a) a paramedic and (b) a novelist. I rate this discussion slightly more highly than the Wired article that's currently doing the rounds.)

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  2. JGF10/31/09, 2:08 PM

    Yes, that's a great reference. I added it as an update to my original post; I'd read it some time ago. It's great work.

    I laughed at your post this morning! Your "meat probe" metaphor was clearly a bit potent for the mass readership. You must incorporate it into a story.

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