Virus, Viruses Quotes
This quotation is important because it illustrates a problem in medical education and science in general that inhibits development and advancement in the field. The existing belief of most people in the field may not only be wrong, but as in this case, it had to be wrong as both of the statements could not be true at the same time as they contradicted each other. Most researchers were stuck with the “killed virus” development. Salk just assumed that what he was being taught was wrong, and proceeded with his research ignoring the best thinking on the subject and finally developing a “live virus” that worked when others claimed it was impossible and some refused to believe it even after it was demonstrated to be working well. Scientists, like everyone else, must be careful not to have their thinking limited by what the experts of the time think that they know.
This is an amazing quotation and shows that the Ancient Romans who had a very sophisticated medical technology had a notion of germs and microbes. Ancient Rome was the first organized nation for which health, medicine, public health, and medical research were governmental functions unlike Greece and other civilizations where health was a personal function. Roman policy emphasized prevention unlike the Greeks. Sanitation and water supply and quality were government responsibilities and the Roman standard was not reached in the rest of the world until the 18th century. Heath and medicine was also a major military responsibility. The Roman Empire depended on its army, and trained professional soldiers. Disease was a greater risk to the soldiers than were battlefield casualties, and the Romans had a strong vested interest in keeping these highly trained men alive and healthy—not just the wealthy Roman citizens. The Romans were open to techniques that were developed throughout the Empire and beyond and tended to adopt all good ideas and a few bad ones as well While they had advanced surgery, the public health was the strongest aspect of Roman medicine and health and this notion of germs and disease. Remember that the writer was not a medical or scientific man, but was just indicating what was general wisdom of the Roman elite.
Virtually every spread of virus caused disease that has occurred in the late 20th century and onward was spread to different regions by people, who in an age of rapid travel, are what the public health scientists call “the vectors” — the carriers of the disease. In earlier times it was animals like rats who spread the disease.
He was the last Pope to hold temporal power.
He is in charge of collecting and deploying the funds donated for infectious diseases from countries throughout the world. Each nation has its own budget cycle and the public health officials have to plan and act as soon as they learn that an epidemic is breaking out. The viruses and bacteria grow when they grow, not when budgets have planned for them.
