Re, Smallpox

[Richard Zander]

It is my understanding that there are 3 million stockpiled vaccines
against smallpox, the genetic code has been completely analyses, and a
similar but relatively harmless virus (cowpox?) is still extant and more
vaccine can be made  from that. From that, one might say why not keep
smallpox around? Probably someone could re-invent it or something
essentially the same from the code, anyway, so why not keep it as a
curiosity or for heuristic purposes?

On the other hand, smallpox is *our* disease and we should eradicate it
on principle. Think of the myriad cases of personal pain and loss over
the years...SURELY we have a duty in this case. Let's prove to the
postmodernists that scientists aren't guided solely by scientism.


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Richard H. Zander, Buffalo Museum of Science
1020 Humboldt Pkwy, Buffalo, NY 14211 USA zander at ag.net
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