Seasonal Flu Vaccine to Protect Against Swine Flu

In the days of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, 150 years ago or so that Ob/Gyn doctor took the radical position that doctors should sterilize their hands before delivering babies. In his clinic he practically eliminated child bed fever which killed so many mothers at that time. While he would eventually be called the "Father of antisepsis" he was roundly dismissed and ridiculed by the "experts" of his day. Dr. Charles Meigs the emmiment head of Jefferson Medical colleges Ob/Gyn departement, said, "Physicians are gentlemen and gentlemen's hands are clean". Others called his work, "The Koran of peurpeural fever (child bed fever) theology". So the killing continued unabated for decades more condemning tens of thousands of women to a painful death after childbirth.

When autism was first described as a disease in the 1940s, the standard medical theory, first promulgated by an "expert" with a degree in philosophy was that the child's disease was the result of "refrigerator mothers".

Leaving aside questions of vaccine efficacy or swine flu virulence, now we have people questioning the wisdom of taking a vaccine that often contains a preservative already banned in much of the world for documented neurotoxicty. A mercury based preservative that is entirely unnecessary for safe and efficacious vaccination. One that was to be banned from all pediatric vaccines in the US until the previous president vetoed that bill.

Once again the experts are out in force ridiculing mothers who are concerned for the safety of their children. Well, I am skeptical of such experts.

Paul Maher, MD MPH
http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/