Et al,
I've been trying to stay out of these discussions.
I will note that at the Annual Society of Toxicology Congress (next one, if I remember right) is in San Antonio, Texas) always has a special program for K-12 teachers and there are mentoring opportunities.I've done a number of them. There are also all kinds of programs for young scientists and students interested in science,and I've done that couple times. Even helped a couple put together a poster presentation.
So, while, as the Texas bumper sticker says,"You can't cure stupid",there are positive steps to be taken. And there's no question that the West, Texas disaster could have been prevented. I drove down to Waco when the CSB presented the results of their investigation. Quite mindshaking that anyone could have been that stupid. And this from a guy when much younger for a coal-and-grain place and hauled 10,000 gallonsof ammonia around to farmers behind a decrepit pick-up truck and was a volunteer firefighter. In the firefighter world, we're all brothers and sisters and losing one hurts.
Monona has been my Worthy Adversary for a long time and I thank her for that. It doesn't matter how smart you are, there'll be someone to find a typo or wrong formula in your manuscript.
I will point out (as a physician who has practiced in 5 different fields), what Theophrastustus Bombastus...etc. taught us all centuries ago: "All substances are poisons. There is none which is not. The difference between a poison and a remedy is the dose." A certain form of lithium is very efficacious in treating certain disorders of brain chemistry. In other circumstance, it is of course very toxic.
Why we have Poison Centers in America is because back in the 1960's, the American Association of Pediatrics did a study on "what kills children?". At least 25% of the time, it was poisons. About the same time, the Transportation Safety Board did a study on "why do some many people injured in traffic accidents die?" And from that, what we now have is well-trained and efficient emergency physicians, emergency department, emergency medicine nurses,paramedics, EMT's etc." You can't cure death, but sometimes you can put if off for awhile.
I just kinda wish that we wouldn't have religion and politics on this listserve. We're Americans or from other countries, and we're all entitled to our own feelings and beliefs. But perhaps we should keep them to ourselves sometimes. I will always remember the first time I saw a case of active tetanus. I was a medical student and the Rev. Jimmy Jones of infamy had a small commune near the medical school then. They didn't believe in immunization,so this unfortunate child literally stepped on a rusty nail in the pig pen.
My however many cents worth.
Alan
Alan H. Hall, M.D.
Medical Toxicologist
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