Monthly Archives: February 2015

Leper Colonies, Mercy, Forgiveness, and Spellcheckers

Posted on February 28, 2015 by

Lepers, that politically incorrect term, have long served as a metaphor for showing mercy to society’s outcasts.  Jesus commanded 10 lepers to show themselves to the priests and the Luke 17 narrative says they were healed.  Healing a bunch of lepers was an … Continue reading →

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Autism and Sketchy Science

Posted on February 27, 2015 by

It’s no secret that autism concerns are part of the genesis of vaccine skepticism.  The story of Dr. Andrew Wakefield is well-known and well-documented.  His reports, combined with a general ignorance of scientific method and clinical trials, created a perfect storm that set … Continue reading →

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A Nifty Cartoon About Vaccines

Posted on February 25, 2015 by

A couple of loyal readers today sent me this cartoon they found informative and amusing.  While I strive to be more detailed and immersed in hard science, like my prior post today, I admire the creators’ excellent storytelling.  It’s effective. … Continue reading →

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Connections to Social Media

Posted on February 24, 2015 by

Dear Readers: Thank you for your interest in my blog at patlowder.com.  I have noticed the linked “headlines” in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter occasionally reflect titles I did not choose.  I cannot preview what goes to these social media sites, … Continue reading →

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Pertussis – 2: The Slaughter of The Innocents

Posted on February 24, 2015 by

In the last post, I discussed the importance of mucus and cilia.  In short, cilia in the trachea and other airways combine with a river of mucus to clean the air we breathe and move it up (yes, against gravity) … Continue reading →

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Pertussis – 1: The Creepy Beauty of Mucus

Posted on February 17, 2015 by

As a chemist, mucus is fascinating stuff.  It turns out that mucus is quite difficult to chemically characterize.  Mucus is a “non-Newtonian” fluid.  It does not act like a “predictable” fluid, water, for example.  When you pour a bucket of … Continue reading →

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Apologetics

Posted on February 15, 2015 by

Before I jump into some planned topics, I thought it was important to tell you about me to the extent it helps you understand my thinking and conclusions: After being raised in a small North Carolina town by two damned … Continue reading →

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Typos, Peer Review, and Cold Fusion

Posted on February 13, 2015 by

That is a strange title for a vaccines blog.  But it’s timely.  I published the entry Smallpox 2: Serendipity without an unbiased reviewer having proofed it.  And that’s where the problem lay.  I substituted “utter” for “udder.”  Oops.  Thanks to … Continue reading →

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Smallpox – 2: Serendipity

Posted on February 11, 2015 by

So, continuing.  Smallpox was around for a long time, until about 1979, when the World Health Organization declared the disease completely eradicated.  Who can you thank for this? Edward Jenner. The above Wikipedia link is extensive, so here’s what he … Continue reading →

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The Measles Went Down To Georgia

Posted on February 10, 2015 by

Yesterday, I promised a continuation of my smallpox post.   That will be in a day or so.  Thanks for your patience.  By the way, thank you to everyone for visiting this blog.  My first day garnered >130 visitors, and I … Continue reading →

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