Six months ago, few people had heard of Zika virus. Now, not a day passes without new revelations about the virus. Let’s put Zika virus infection in some context. John Donne wrote, in the 16th century, “No man is an island.” Aside from the fact that we would now want Mr. Donne to say “no Read more
Infectious Disease
I first became interested in the history of medicine in middle school, when my seventh-grade science teacher lent me her copy of Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif. It is a small book, focusing on the struggles and discoveries of early microbiologists. Now, as I write this post, my own old, battered, well-thumbed copy sits Read more
Tuberculosis (TB) is an ancient disease that has afflicted humans since the dawn of civilization and remains very much with us even now. In fact, more people will probably die from TB in 2016 than from any other single infectious disease, with HIV a close second. This grim fact is well documented by annual reports Read more
I feel lucky to work in a city with such an active and informed Department of Health. It’s been a little overwhelming to have the Zika virus get so much press, so we’re grateful to have the guidance. This is especially true since we expect to be approached by patients (and doctors from other clinics) Read more
Editors’ Note: The following post first appeared in the Official Blog of IJFAB: the International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics. Global concerns about spread of the Zika virus continue to grow. More than 20 countries in Latin America–especially Brazil–as well as Caribbean locations and several states in the U.S. have reported confirmed or suspected Read more
In November, while reading the first accounts of the association between the Zika virus and congenital microcephaly, I immediately thought of Sir Norman McAlister Gregg. And while thinking of Dr. Gregg and all that’s happened since he made his important observation in 1941, I hoped that we could learn from our past. In the spring Read more
