Yes, I read Barry's book when it first came out. My doctor usually asks what I'm reading and at that time I recommended "The Great Influenza." He loved it! There have been some new insights into 1918 since the book came out but it is a great read and accurate up to its time. I just picked up an e-book copy off Usenet.
I read Barry's book several years ago. I would recommend it to those who are cavalier about the possible danger of this current virus. Barry also wrote an account of the flood of 1927 that is is well worth reading and an excellent biography of Roger Williams.
Bazbo wrote:
Yes, these facts are well documented in the book.
H1N1 reappeared decades later but did not become the devastating pandemic of because (although it was bad enough) of a number of things, including a netter understanding of how viruses work (and the appropriate response to them) and when it reappeared it was not new, so there was a certain level of herd immunity built up. This current virus is so dangerous because humans have almost no immunity to it.
Modern medicine will keep the death toll far below the 1918 pandemic but the infection rate could be near the same levels of 1918.
Yes, these facts are well documented in the book. ... (
show quote)
Yea, modern medicine is doing a great job with the current strain of H1N1 this season: 36 - 150 million+ infected, 136+ children died, and 22 - 55 thousand people of other ages died as of 7 March, according to the CDC. The COVID-19 numbers are no where near these, especially with zero children dying during the same period.
Daryl
Everyone seems to have a story or occasion to bring to our attention regarding this pandemic. So let me offer this site for you to peruse as a source for what I consider some very thoughtful information on past and present virus situations. "nomorefakenews.com" with Jon Rappoport. Read his latest articles and then make up your mind . To me the journalists and politicians are doing a great deal of damage to the citizens of the U.S. . What have you got to lose??????
Everyone seems to have a story or occasion to bring to our attention regarding this pandemic. So let me offer this site for you to peruse as a source for what I consider some very thoughtful information on past and present virus situations. "nomorefakenews.com" with Jon Rappoport. Read his latest articles and then make up your mind . To me the journalists and politicians are doing a great deal of damage to the citizens of the U.S. . What have you got to lose??????
Bazbo
Loc: Lisboa, Portugal
Daryls wrote:
Yea, modern medicine is doing a great job with the current strain of H1N1 this season: 36 - 150 million+ infected, 136+ children died, and 22 - 55 thousand people of other ages died as of 7 March, according to the CDC. The COVID-19 numbers are no where near these, especially with zero children dying during the same period.
Daryl
First of all, it did not have the effect as in 1918. Secondly, I said in the OP that the book was a perspective check.
I haven't read it but does it cover the fact that around 40% of the deaths were caused by aspirin overdose? The US Army was the worst culprit prescribing as much as 6000 mg every two hours and they had extremely high death rates, over 40%. Naturopathic doctors treated fever mostly with cold water baths instead of aspirin and had the lowest death rates, around 2%.
lukevaliant wrote:
1 9 8 4
Are you referring to the book or something else?
What is your point? Why don't you express your views in terms that we can either agree with, disagree with or comment on in some way? Thanks
mtbear wrote:
I haven't read it but does it cover the fact that around 40% of the deaths were caused by aspirin overdose? The US Army was the worst culprit prescribing as much as 6000 mg every two hours and they had extremely high death rates, over 40%. Naturopathic doctors treated fever mostly with cold water baths instead of aspirin and had the lowest death rates, around 2%.
That may have helped reduce fever symptoms; however, it did nothing to ameliorate the ravages of the viral attack on human symptoms. Aspirin wasn't the only treatment used, but it would contribute to blood thinning and more blood loss through the nose, ears, etc.
The virus spread so rapidly and violently, that patients often died within hours of the onset of symptoms.
High doses of aspirin are indeed toxic, but doctors in 1918, didn't know that. And neither were the toxicity levels of other treatments. "Miasma" was still seen as a cause of influenza by clinicians, even though that theory had been disproven of causing any mass illnesses.
There was also a great deal of ignorance about illness, all the way up to abject stupidity, especially in the public health sector.
The book is a great awakener to the reader. It's not a fast page turner since the writer does get down into the tall grass on occasion. However, no technical writing can remain at the 35K foot level and do a credible job.
And I agree with his premise of the U.S. Government and the rush to get troops to the European front. They ignored learned people, Woodrow Wilson's administration deserves the vast amount of the blame for the U.S. side of the pandemic.
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