Wasn’t this a Law & Order episode?

Posted by Tara C. Smith on February 23, 2006
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New York man falls ill with anthrax

Musician reportedly had contact with natural anthrax sources

A New York musician has tested positive for anthrax that authorities say came from unprocessed animal skins used to make traditional African instruments.

“The man poses no public health threat of transmitting anthrax to the community or the health care providers caring for him,” the department said in a statement.

The 44-year-old man recently traveled to Africa, where he bought animal hides and took them back to New York City to make drums, the department said.

The man, who plays native African music, complained of flu-like symptoms before collapsing last week at the end of the Kotchegna Dance Company show at Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, sources said.

“At this time, there is no indication that the exposure was from an intentional release of anthrax,” according to a release from the department. “The patient has a history of contact with unprocessed animal hides and recently traveled to Africa, where he purchased unprocessed hides.”

It adds, “Unprocessed animal hides can be a source of anthrax spores.”

I don’t watch much TV, but I admit I’m a bit of an addict to Law & Order (regular and SVU) reruns. I swear this was the plot in one of them.

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  1. #1 GiantPanda
    February 23, 2006

    This was in “Medical Investigation”, not L&O. The episode “Alienation” was broadcast on German TV just two days ago.

  2. #2 Dave S.
    February 23, 2006

    Tara writes:

    I don’t watch much TV, but I admit I’m a bit of an addict to Law & Order (regular and SVU) reruns. I swear this was the plot in one of them.

    Yes, it was.

    In the episode of L&O-SVU entitled Storm, detectives Benson and Stabler pursue a child molester who kidnapped 3 young girls from New Orleans after their parents were killed in Katrina. They find the suspect, but looks like he may have deadly anthrax!

    Ripped from the headlines.

  3. #3 Joseph O'Donnell
    February 23, 2006

    It could just be an overused plot that many of those shows just copy from one another.

  4. #4 Dave S.
    February 23, 2006

    Joseph O’Donnell writes:

    It could just be an overused plot that many of those shows just copy from one another.

    I can’t believe Hollywood would do something so hackneyed. :)

  5. #5 Harvey Bialy
    February 23, 2006

    Not to distract or commit yet another breach of netiquette but this very interesting review of my bio of Peter just appeared. Orac might be interested as it is written by a medically qualified blogger, who I believe is a bit older and more generally intelligent than the name calling insolent one.

    http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller18.html

  6. #6 SteveF
    February 23, 2006

    “Not to distract or commit yet another breach of netiquette”……but I’m going to provide a plug for my book on a totally unrelated thread.

  7. #7 Dave S.
    February 23, 2006

    Nah, it’s not a very interesting review. It’s the old, “They laughed at Galileo” chestnut, except using Copernicus.

    At least William Dembski of intelligent design fame was called the Isaac Newton of information theory. That’s so much better than Copernicus.

  8. #8 SteveF
    February 23, 2006

    PS; its not an interesting review. Its a straight up agreement with your position, non-stop praise and a lot of references to scientific revolutionaries. It is an extraordinarily bland review.

    What would an interesting review be? Hmmm, something along the lines of; Duesberg has posited an intruiging, if controversial theory on the causes of AIDS, but these constant comparisons with Copernicus make him and his followers sound like egocentric loons with chips on their shoulders and delusions of grandeur.

  9. #9 Dave S.
    February 23, 2006

    SteveF writes:

    PS; its not an interesting review. Its a straight up agreement with your position, non-stop praise and a lot of references to scientific revolutionaries.

    Maybe that’s what he finds so interesting about it.

  10. #10 Joseph O'Donnell
    February 23, 2006

    Harvey:

    Orac might be interested as it is written by a medically qualified blogger, who I believe is a bit older and more generally intelligent than the name calling insolent one.

    Oh look, it’s the pot calling the kettle black. Ho-hum.

  11. #11 Tara
    February 23, 2006

    Jesus H. Christ. Harvey, have you nothing better to do than spam every one of my threads?

    I’ve never seen “Medical Investigation,” and definitely haven’t seen any L&O’s recent enough to feature Katrina, so Joseph’s probably right that it’s just an over-used plot device.