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Laurence Behney, M.D.'s avatar

The closing of ranks is not new in medicine. The story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian obstetrician who noted that the likelihood of puerperal fever was much higher in women who were attended by physicians who delivered babies following work in the cadaver lab. Dr. Semmelweis assumed that something foul was being carried to the women from the cadavers and he logically assumed that if this was the case, then washing the hands before delivering newborns might be a means of preventing this postpartum disease, which carried a high maternal fatality rate. He shared his ideas with his colleagues and a few tried his method of cleansing the hands in lime water. This proved effective in reducing the rate of this infection and he published his results.

The medical hierarchy of his time tried to silence him and threatened his livelihood, if he would not keep quiet about his idea. He refused and was eventually put into a mental asylum where he soon died.

The moral of the story is that human nature has not changed. The leaders of the guild of medicine, do not like competition from anyone beneath the top echelon of academics. The leaders want the glory. If the advancements aren't coming from the select few, then there will be an attempt to dismiss or censor or worse, because they don't want any competition from the plebeians. It's worse yet when the additional motivation of financial benefit is added. Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine had to die, because no money could be made using these medications to treat COVID-19 and the fact the SARS-CoV-2 virus was made in a laboratory had to be hidden, so that Dr. Fauci and friends would not get into trouble. Many believed no civilized human being would act in this manner, but you would be mistaken.

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Inisfad's avatar

Perhaps the ultimate ‘canary’ was Tanzanian president, John Magulufuli. Remember him? He sent samples off to the lab….using a goat, papaya, etc., and was told they tested positive for covid. He then disappeared for a few weeks, and then died of ‘heart problems’. Suspicious, certainly.

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