In Part I of this essay, we discussed the secret epidemic of dengue fever, the Cuban gulag, and other aspects of Cuban medicine leading to a poor state of health in that Caribbean island, based on Dr. Dessy Mendoza Rivero’s book ¡Dengue!-La Epidemia Secreta de Fidel Castro (Dengue! The Secret Epidemic of Fidel Castro). Cuba’s […]
Those in the United States who yearn for a more “egalitarian” and “equitable” system of medical care “like the one in Cuba” are not familiar with the extraordinary saga of Cuban physician Dr. Dessy Mendoza Rivero, who has managed to get the word out for anyone willing to listen. And they should. ¡Dengue!-La Epidemia Secreta
Socialized (Free) Medical Care in Cuba (Part I): A Poor State of Health Read More »
The word hygiene comes from Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health (photo, below), who was the daughter of Aesculapius, the god of medicine. Since the advent of the Industrial Revolution (c.1750-1850) and the discovery of the germ theory of disease in the second half of the nineteenth century, hygiene and sanitation have been at the
Medical History — Hygiene and Sanitation Read More »
I was recently asked to review The Nazi War on Cancer by Robert N. Proctor for Ideas on Liberty. What follows here is a more extended critique of this scholarly but deeply disturbing book. Proctor, a professor of history of science at Penn State, thoroughly documents and describes in a good light what he calls
The Nazi War on Tobacco and Cancer Read More »
The Nazi War on Cancer by Robert N. Proctor is a deeply disturbing book for it describes in a good light what the author calls “the lesser-known ‘flipside’ of fascism-the side that gave us struggles against smoking, campaigns for cleaner food and water, for exercise and preventive medicine.” The Nazi “accomplishments” include the establishment of
Book Review: The Nazi War on Cancer by Robert N. Proctor Read More »
Introduction With the issue of mandatory vaccination programs for infants and children, lines have been drawn in the sand. On one side, we find concerned parents, increasingly being supported by dissenting physicians and scientists troubled by the serious side effects of vaccines, which have, in fact, been reported with greater frequency, including serious neurological deficits
Vaccines (Part I): Jenner, Pasteur, and the Dawn of Scientific Medicine Read More »
