Revere over at Effect Measure has an excellent post linking together the current bird flu situation with John Snow's investigations of 19th century cholera outbreaks. It's an interesting take on the situation--check it out.
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Tara C. Smith is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology. Her research involves a number of pathogens at the animal-human nexus. She also writes for The Panda's Thumb and previously for WIRED SCIENCE's Correlations. Please note the views expressed on this site are Dr. Smith's alone and may not be representative of the groups mentioned above.
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Must-read post
Category: Ecology • General Epidemiology • Historical studies of disease • Infectious disease • Influenza • Public health • Various bacteria • Various viruses
Posted on: December 1, 2006 1:00 PM, by Tara C. Smith
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Comments
What's the connection with bird flu?
There is no connection. Read a book about early industrial revolution and the extremely difficult conditions of the poor and anybody with a normal brain can understand that decaying organic matter and waste were certainly not the most difficult problems the poor had to handle.
19th century London cholera has nothing to do with 21st century avian flu. The avian flu pandemic is a stupid hoax invented by WHO and other officials who simply swap labels here and there to make their cases look the way they want them to look.
What? Hundred of millions of dead birds? Yeah, killed by men. One chicken infected, a hundred thousand slaughtered.
JS
--
Posted by: jspreen | December 1, 2006 1:24 PM
JS: LOL. There were a lot of people with "normal brains" in the 19th century who didn't think it was as obvious as you do. I would be interested to know what you think the biggest problems of the poor were. And what did 19h century cholera in London "have to do with"? Just curious. As for your WHO et al. paranoia, what does that have to do with? Just asking someone with a normal brain, of course.
Posted by: revere | December 1, 2006 1:53 PM
One parallel is clear.
It might have reflected a moral failing or secret sinfulness of the victim, or a moral failing in a society that allowed poor people to live in such squalor.
That really sounds familiar. Vibrio cholerae? Not when you can apply Calvinism!
Posted by: Robster | December 1, 2006 1:59 PM
Just a note for the uninitiated--jspreen is our resident germ theory denier. Heaven forbid he actually would go and read Revere's post before he spouted off on it...
Posted by: Tara C. Smith | December 1, 2006 3:23 PM
Just a note for the uninitiated--jspreen is our resident germ theory denier.
I think this link is even better!
Posted by: jspreen | December 1, 2006 5:54 PM
Tara: First, thanks for the post. Second, thanks for the diagnosis of JS. He/she/it/they posted the same comment on EM but I didn't bother to answer. Now I'm glad I didn't. Sorry for feeding the troll.
Posted by: revere | December 1, 2006 10:24 PM