The Ignaz Semmelweis Award: Project yourself into the future (circa 2050 or so) and that you are in a discussion about current health issues or science in general, and the subject of the "Great Pandemic of 2020" comes up. As part of your discussion you inevitably resort to criticism of how various institutions mishandled the crisis: "How could they have not seen...?!; How could they be so dumb...? Now, take a step back in time to circa 1847 when a Hungarian physician, Ignaz Semmelweis, attempted to persuade the medical community to pay better attention to a sterile hospital environment. Specifically, he demonstrated that the mortality rates for mothers delivering babies in the doctors' section of the hospital was three times that of the midwives' section, and that the mortality rates could be greatly reduced by handwashing (with chlorinated lime solution, back in his day). Before you exclaim duh?! you may be shocked to find out he was mocked and shunned by the medical community for these claims, which contributed to his professional and personal demise. Later, of course, he was vindicated by Louis Pasteur among other notable scientists, who are now staples of our science and health education. The question I provoke you to consider (hopefully with an ounce of humility) is what current advice or guidance being offered to us by doctors, nurses, and the medical community at large is being ignored, shunned, or otherwise 'mocked', that may eventually be looked at as obvious in hindsight? Second, if you could design such an award, what would it resemble?
New knews, in brief, from those in the know... On behalf of the unknowing. Also, for those immersed in religious observances, and the other “unwashed” (charitably “uniformed”)… In the briefest of moments, the temporary cease fire in the mid-east region of the world…giving new meaning to “temp”… Speaking of military and fronts, isn’t a knew twist to see a secretary of defense be put in the defensive due to his error raid signals that he has been putting out there at high frequencies… And another foreign service server informs us that plenty of add Vance notice was given in order for JD not look too conspicuous, given his mixed religious observances in his own home, to first visit the home of the pope to be followed by a fly bye to India, where he will just by convenience extend a hello to his wife's extended family (whereas her parents are professors in residence in San Diego -- talk about all knowing😔 -- all on what could soon be our “last dime”, given the thinning of minting out...
Comments
Post a Comment