"Germs and the City" Archives
"Germs and the City"
“Public health” (in the literal sense) now seems to be one thing, and--occasional lurid headlines notwithstanding--not a particularly important one, while “health care” is quite another.
We will bitterly regret this shift, and probably sooner rather than later. As another Victorian might have predicted--he published a book on the subject in 1859--germs have evolved to exploit our new weakness. Public authorities are ponderous and slow; the new germs are nimble and fast. Drug regulators are paralyzed by the knowledge that error is politically lethal; the new germs make genetic error--constant mutation--the key to their survival. The new germs don’t have to be smarter than our scientists, just faster than our lawyers. The demise of cholera, one could say, has been one of the great antisocial developments of modern times.
"Germs and the City," by Peter Huber, City Journal, Spring 2007
More
- Tuberculosis - from Wikipedia
- Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon) - - from Wikipedia
- "Public Health and Medical Preparedness and Response: Issues in the 110th Congress," by Sarah Lister, CRS Report for Congress RS22602, February 8, 2007 (6-page pdf
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- "Pandemic Influenza: Appropriations for Public Health Preparedness and Response," by Sarah Lister, CRS Report for Congress RS22576, January 23, 2007 (6-page pdf )
- "The WTO, Intellectual Property Rights, and the Access to Medicines Controversy," by Ian Fergusson, CRS Report for Congress RL33750, December 12, 2006 (11-page pdf )
- "Proprietary Rights in Pharmaceutical Innovation: Issues at the Intersection of Patents and Marketing Exclusivities," by John Thomas, CRS Report for Congress RL33288, February 28, 2006 (23-page pdf )
- "Vaccine Policy Issues for the 108th Congress," by Susan Thaul, CRS Report for Congress RL31793, May 19, 2005 (23-page pdf )
- "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Progress Report and Issues for Congress," by Tiaji Salaam-Blyther, CRS Report for Congress RL33396, April 25, 2005 (17-page pdf )
- "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Background and Current Issues," by Raymond Copson and Tiaji Salaam, CRS Report for Congress RL31712, March 24, 2005 (16-page pdf )
- "Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws," by Angie Welborn, CRS Report for Congress RS21414, January 18, 2005 (5-page pdf )
- "Federal and State Isolation and Quarantine Authority," by Angie Welborn, CRS Report for Congress RL31333, January 18, 2005 (11-page pdf )
- "Smallpox: Technical Background on the Disease and Its Potential Role in Terrorism," by Frank Gottron, CRS Report for Congress RS21288, January 10, 2003 (6-page pdf )
May 27, 2007 06:57 AM Caught Our Eye ~ Prediction
