Soldiers of a Different Kind

Nancy Kendall’s parents died of typhoid in two short days. They left a family of young children behind. Over the centuries, plagues like typhoid, yellow fever, smallpox, cholera and many other scourges literally wiped out entire masses of people, leaving devastation in their wake.

In an earlier post, We Heard the Bells, I mentioned Dr. Johan Hultin and his incredible journey to discover and research the virus strain responsible for the deaths of millions during the Influenza Epidemic of 1918. It took decades of persistence for Dr. Hultin to finally succeed in capturing and studying live virus tissue. 

Of course, he is not alone in his mission to protect the human race from deadly disease. It’s because of people like Dr. Hultin, Dr. Fauci and other dedicated scientists that many of mankind’s deadliest diseases are now nearly eradicated - all because we have vaccines that came out of their meticulous research. 

The CDC lists 14 Diseases You Almost Forgot About due to vaccine development. The list includes polio, tetanus, mumps and chicken pox. The complete U.S. vaccine list includes vaccines against cholera, diphtheria, small pox, tuberculosis, yellow fever and typhoid, the disease that killed Nancy Kendall’s parents.

Some advancements in the science of health and prevention take years of scientific detective work. Others, like Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, are accidents.
 
After coming home from a holiday with his family, Fleming, who was studying staphylococcus, a bacterium that causes boils, abscesses and sore throats, was surprised to discover a blob of mold in one of the petri dishes. What’s more, the area around the mold was completely clear of bacterium. He dubbed his discovery “mold juice.” This accidental discovery saved, and continues to save the lives of millions.

I recently listened to an Audible podcast narrated by Alan Alda entitled, “Soldiers of Science.” 

Synopsis:
“It’s the height of the Vietnam War when a new generation of doctors, including a young Dr. Anthony Fauci, arrive at the National Institutes of Health as part of the doctor’s draft. What happens next is a hidden history of American medicine that could not be more revelatory or prescient.”

Audible subscribers can listen here. If you’re a non-subscriber, listen free with a trial subscription. It’s a fascinating story.