David Crowe Vers Pont du Gard, France June, 2018 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

David Crowe Vers Pont du Gard, France June, 2018 David.Crowe@theinfectiousmyth.com

That no viruses exist?

— Wikipedia lists over 3,000 virus species — We can’t consider all — So let’s closely examine two epidemics: — Milan plague of 1629-1632 — Polio — The plague might be blamed on a bacteria (e.g. Yersinia pestis) but it is the logic that’s infectious. — How do we know that a historical epidemic was infectious and not caused by environmental conditions or the treatments that were given?

— Oral history — Archaeological evidence — Written reports — A written report is the most reliable, and the Milan plague of 1629-1632 had this in spades: — 1640 report in Latin commissioned by city fathers — 1648 report/translation in Italian — 1827 fictionalized (but faithful) account in ‘I promessi sposi’ (‘The Betrothed Couple’), a famous novel by Manzoni.

Gran Peste In English — Report on the origin and timeline of the grand plague: contagious, poisonous and evil. — In the city and state of Milan, 1629–1632 — In two parts: 1. Beginning of time until the birth of Jesus; 2. From then until the present day — With various antidotes — By Alessandro Tadino, Physician and members of the Illustrious Health Committee of the state of Milan — Published in Milan, 1648

— Because Tadino said it was infectious and poisonous? — Could he see the pathogen, whether bacterial or viral? No. — Did he have any kinds of scientific tests? No. — If most of his other beliefs and statements were irrational, why would we believe him when he says the epidemic was infectious? Statements on: — Recommended antidotes (treatments). — Causes — Preventives

— “Destruction was great in Calvenzano Gera d’Adda, where the poison came from a single young woman, who had received an apron from an infected house. From this one case 732 people died due to lack of supplies to extinguish the contagion, and it would have proceeded in a cruel manner to destroy everyone in the surrounding area if it wasn’t for the intercession of Saints Sebastian and Rocco. The locals were devoted to these saints, which resulted in the liberation and good health of families. In recognition of this, a church was dedicated to the saints. These saints also interceded to liberate many other houses from contagion and illness.” (Tadino 2.19)

“This is the report of the Doctor & Lawyer Giuseppe Dondeo, a person worthy of faith, in September 1630, while he was responsible for cases in Tortona, which is in Volpedo, the place of the Great Hospital. They killed some delinquents who confessed to having fabricated the ‘unto’ (poisoned ointment). A wheat mill was poisoned and on a table on a piece of canvas stretched out before this man who had found the truth and proof of this ointment. He took four loaves and rubbed them with the poison, which was a dark yellow color. It was then given to some hens and other animals to eat at their leisure, and in the space of half an hour they were all dead. The visitors saw that their flesh was all black and their insides were black and rotted.” (2.47)

— Antidotes against the plague: — Children’s urine — Lye — Hyacinth stone (red Zircon) — Sprinkling of wine — Chicken or pigeon feces — Burning laurel leaves at night — Water from human feces — Two parts ammonia, one part myrrh, mixed with wine — Burning ulcerated legs with a cautery — Antimony — Arsenic — Holy candles and sacrifices to various saints, including the Virgin Mary. — …and 10 more

Types and Causes The report lists epidemics starting with one that happened at the time of the creation of the world (about 6,000 years ago). For many plagues Tadino lists the documented cause (without skepticism).

— Selected causes, from Tadino (1648) — Eclipses — Winds — Famine and air pollution caused by fog — Eating fish from Lipari — Conjunctions of the planets — Fumes from dead bodies, swamps, sewers and aqueducts — Cold winters and copious snow — Divine anger — Wicked women — Poisoned sewing needles, wine, soap, cream. — Dust manufactured to be poisonous — Jews — Dying locusts, whales and dragons

— Quarantine ( quarenta = 40) for 40 days — Removing the poor to a Lazaretto (leper colony) — Burning clothing from homes with disease — Purging (disinfecting?)

— Manufacturers were afraid to work, which drove the workers into poverty. — Fear caused hording of food, and an increase in prices, which harmed the poor.

Symptoms of the plague are only vaguely discussed in the Milan report, but skin disorders are commonly mentioned, and are also characteristic of Pellagra. “pelle agra” means “sour skin” in Italian

Ranked by mentions in report — (25) Bubo (swelling of lymph nodes) — (17) Pimples, boils — (5) Fever — (4) Salivary gland swelling — (3) Tumor (pustules?) — (2) Blotches on skin — (2) Petechia (small hemorrhage under the skin) — (1) vibici ?

(NIH History of Joseph Goldberger) “On April 26, 1916 [Dr. Goldberger] injected five cc of a pellagrin’s blood — into the arm of his assistant, Dr. George Wheeler. Wheeler shot six centimeters of such blood into Goldberger. Then they swabbed out the secretions of a pellagrin’s nose and throat and rubbed them into their own noses and throats. They swallowed capsules containing scabs of pellagrins’ rashes. Others joined what Goldberger called his “filth parties,” including Mary Goldberger. None of the volunteers got pellagra. Despite Goldberger’s heroic efforts, a few physicians remained staunch opponents of the dietary theory of pellagra.” “Several commissions, appointed during the first quarter of this century to investigate the cause of pellagra, — concluded from their studies that pellagra was an infectious, contagious disease. Harris (1913) was able to inject Berkefeld filtered tissue material from pellagra victims into monkeys to cause a corresponding disease in these animals. He concluded from these experiments that a virus was present in the injected material and that it was the cause of pellagra. If the work of Harris had been followed exclusively, various strains of this “virus” might have been discovered and a vaccine, effective in experimental animals, might have been developed, as in the case of poliomyelitis. Today, as a result of unlimited research, however, we know conclusively that pellagra is not caused by a virus but rather that it is a vitamin deficiency disease. It is obvious that if the investigations of pellagra had been restricted to the virus theory, it would still be a mystery.” Scobey RR. The poison cause of poliomyelitis and obstructions to its investigation. Arch Pediatr. 1952 Apr; 69(4): 172–93. You could never find the cause of a disease by looking for the physical cause, if the cause is the absence of — something.

— (1911 Pittsburgh Gazette Times article) “Outward symptoms are unmistakable. The characteristic eruption of the skin caused the disease at one time to be regarded as a species of leprosy–‘Italian Leprosy’. This skin eruption usually first attacks the arms and the backs of the hands. There is a subsequent wasting of the tissues, atrophy of the heart, anaemia, nervous and digestive troubles, intestinal disturbances, insanity, typhoid pellagra and finally death… The rash, or skin eruption, is the characteristic and invariable symptom of the disease…It appears first on the backs of the hands, the forearms, face, back of neck, upper chest and feet…The skin in the beginning of the attack becomes red, with sensations of burning and itching, and usually some puffiness…After some days pimples may appear, and these may fuse into large spots filled with serum. Later the epidermis dries and falls in small, greyish scales. At other times the epidermis, after the initial redness, may take on a dark color, after which it dries and scales off…as repeated attacks occur it gradually undergoes chronic thickening.”

People who played a role in the epidemic

— Charged with moving sick poor people to the Lazaretto, destroying infected clothing, feeding those in quarantine, and burying the dead. — They also took bribes and stole people’s goods. — And…they didn’t get sick. — Why? Could it be that they had well paying jobs and therefore could afford food?

— Evil people who spread poisons (‘unto’) on the walls of the city, and caused the epidemic. — Even doctors believed in this. — When uncovered, they had to be killed in the most brutal way possible. — How to know that someone was an ‘untioni’ when the poison was invisible?

— Representatives of the medical profession had few treatments that we would recognize. — They could burn, bleed, order preventive methods, such as ‘purging’ and burning clothes. — Oh, and write the report that cast them as heroes for perpetuity: “Physicians Tadino [report author], Carcano and Settali didn’t rest day or night, united in their zeal for public health, giving and taking orders and provisions to eradicate their common enemy: the plague.” (2.16)