Modern Epidemiology

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I’m re-reading Michael Crichton’s “The Andromeda Strain”, and as always I am impressed with Crichton’s ability to explain the force of events, not always in our control.

“The Andromeda Strain” dealt with the unexpected arrival of a strain of a previously unknown organism, one which killed rapidly, and seemed to represent a grave and unstoppable threat. With respect to the plot as Crichton wrote it, I could not help but see the present world political condition in that light. On the one hand, Global Terrorism is a virulent threat to every nation in contact with it, and puts all nations at risk by its nature. To that, the W Doctrine is an antibody (and the Democratic Party is the guy who wants to avoid going to the doctor). On the other, the obviously beneficial effects of free elections in Afghanistan and Iraq are like the reinforcement of an Immune system, making the W Doctrine like a Symbiotic organism which generates healthy blood (as in Free Trade) and cell regeneration (as in the development of democracy-friendly policies in Middle East countries). The people most famous for trying to prevent that healthy existence (Mcdermott, Penn, Moore, Dean, Kennedy, as obvious examples), may best be compared in function to, well, germs.

I wonder how Michael Crichton would write up the next Presidential Elections?