Friday, September 22, 2006, 12:43 PM
Every so often I run across a book that causes me to say, “Wow! That’s neat.” This is one excellent example. It is neat on several levels. First because it is a thing of beauty having been illustrated by the author who is clearly a talented artist with a good sense of humor as well as pathos. Barnard is as good a wordsmith as he is an artist. But mostly I liked his insight into two features of microbiology: a historical perspective on how microbes have determined the course of history and a philosophical perspective on the relationship between micobes and us macrobes who both inhabit the same planet.
Hans Zinnser in his 1934 classic, Rats, Lice and History, was the first to open my eyes to the important role of micro-organisms in shaping the course of history. Speaking of the Crusades, Zinnser says, “When Jerusalem was taken, in 1099, only 60,000 of the original 300,000 were left, and these, by 1101, had melted to 20,000.” Today we are concerned---and rightfully so---about 2000+ fatalities in 3 years of fighting in Iraq. But what must it have been like to lose 240,000 soldiers in a single year? How did one bury that many bodies? What effect on morale did that level of loss have on the survivors? It seems impossible to put these numbers into contemporary terms.
But back to Bryn Barnard. After discussing the devastation of the Black Death in the mid 1300s, he makes this statement, “The feudal order died with the plague and the system that would become capitalism was born.” And “the postplague chaos offered numerous opportunities to move up in the world.” Somehow my narrow education (I try to finish reading a book a week.) had missed the logical sequence of plague ---> capitalism. Fascinating. And in the same sort of way as James Burke’s Connections applied to microbiology instead of technology.
But it is Barnard’s introduction that best summarizes why I like this book:
“The creatures that invade your body are called microbes. . . . They colonize your skin, your hair, your mouth,your eyes, your ears, and your intestines. By the time you are an adult, you’ll be carrying around about two pounds of these creatures, mostly in your gut. In sheer numbers, they’ll make up 95 percent of all the cells in your body, about ten quadrillion in all.
“. . . These microbes are symbionts. Our survival depends on cooperative coexistence with them. . . . We give them protection and nourishment. They keep our bodily ecology in balance. Outside, symbionts keep our skin tidy, our eyelashes groomed, our armpits from rotting. Inside, symbionts help digest food, produce essential vitamins, and protect us from disease. We couldn’t stay healthy without them.”
With that insight into keeping a proper sense of perspective, Barnard then goes on to detail the effects of bubonic plague, smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, tuberculosis, and influenza.
I did my two years for Uncle in the USPHS in the late 50s and had the privilege of sitting at the feet of the legendary Alexander Langmuir at the CDC in Atlanta (with DA Henderson as his new sidekick). So I naturally noticed when the Surgeon General made his famous statement a few years later, “It is time to close the door on infectious disease.” Barnard comments, “When United States surgeon general William Stewart made that pronouncement in 1967, it seemed neither hubris nor naivete. It was a bold declaration in an age when anything seemed possible. At the time, smallpox was well on the way to being eliminated. Polio could be cured. Tuberculosis was in decline. Malaria and yellow fever were controlled. Measles was disappearing. Sexually transmitted disease could be squelched. With infection nearly bested, chronic diseases like cancer and heart ailments seemed to be the focus of the future.”
Ah, that it were true! It proves again the wisdom of someone’s observation that prophecy is very difficult. Especially when it concerns the future.
Gordon Short, MD
Brevis Corporation
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Thursday, December 1, 2005, 06:04 PM
Are your hands a rapid transit system for transient pathogens? Every time your hands touch anything, the potential is there for virulent hobos to hop the train. Their preferred destinations are nutritious vacation spots like your eyes, nose and mouth. Next they may cruise the rivers of life and spread havoc throughout the human continent. Our common goal: “homeland security”! Bar the gates to those transients you can avoid. And derail those stowaways that somehow always sneak by security. Planning and common sense are your best defenses. In general, avoid messing around in germy neighborhoods. When you do touch stuff, as we all must, wash promptly, especially if the train is bound for one of the preferred stations with access to your insides. If you can’t avoid or wash away unwanted germs, you can still euthanize them by judiciously anointing them with alcoholic hand sanitizers. Strategic summary: Avoid, Remove, Destroy.
The key to an effective security system is proper technique applied with vigor
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Forthwith is your catalog and guide to the best hand-security-preparedness products available. Please, for your safety—and ours—secure this transit system.
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