4 ms·

You might be forgetting just what kind of things they were up to at that time. People got in contact with a lot more dirt that we did. There was much more m

You might be forgetting just what kind of things they were up to at that time. People got in contact with __a lot__ more dirt that we did. There was much more manual labor and much less cushy jobs like we have. The levels of hygiene were nowhere close to the ones we have today. Simple things like bathing weren't by any means standard depending on which time in history and part of the world you're talking about.

bryanlarsen 6y ago
Dirt doesn't generally contain human cold & flu viruses & bacteria.
- soperj 6y ago
  Sure it does. Have you never heard of Tetanus? It's literally caused by a bacteria that lives in soil.
  - bryanlarsen 6y ago
    Tetanus is neither "cold & flu" nor is it "viruses & bacteria". It's a toxin created by soil bacteria, not a bacteria that lives in human. This is relevant since we're talking about the immune system responses.
    - jessaustin 6y ago
      Of course the immune system responds to Clostridium tetani, and that response is modified by prior administration of an appropriate vaccine. Do you mean to say that this bacteria's soil-focused lifecycle prevents global distribution via air travel?
      - beagle3 6y ago
        The vaccine is to the toxin produced by the bacteria, not to the bacteria itself; supposedly, by the time the body manages to kill the bacteria (even if already recognized by the immune system), there is too much toxin in the system. It is administered, and is likely working, but never went through the rigorous testing we now do for vaccines; furthermore, after it was introduced, tetanus incidence decreased considerably also in places that did not use a vaccine. The history of the tetanus vaccine is not what I expected when I started looking at it.
        soperj 6y ago
        >The vaccine is to the toxin produced by the bacteria, not to the bacteria itself; supposedly, by the time the body manages to kill the bacteria (even if already recognized by the immune system), there is too much toxin in the system. I'm not an immunologist, but I don't think you're correct here. >It is administered, and is likely working, but never went through the rigorous testing we now do for vaccines; furthermore, after it was introduced, tetanus incidence decreased considerably also in places that did not use a vaccine. The history of the tetanus vaccine is not what I expected when I started looking at it. Deaths worldwide from Tetanus didn't decrease substantially until the 80s when the vaccine starting being administered everywhere. So don't know what you're talking about.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
- LockAndLol 6y ago
  Dirt doesn't contain bacteria and viruses? Really? So hospitals will rub their hands in dirt before a surgery, dab your arm with some dirt before giving you an injection, and recommend you eat your food on a floor instead of a plate. Mate...
  - bryanlarsen 6y ago
    Bacteria, yes. For human cold & flu? Not so much. Not unless the dirt is where humans congregate.

You might be forgetting just what kind of things they were up to at that time. People got in contact with __a lot__ more dirt that we did. There was much more m

bryanlarsen 6y ago

Dirt doesn't generally contain human cold & flu viruses & bacteria.

soperj 6y ago
Sure it does. Have you never heard of Tetanus? It's literally caused by a bacteria that lives in soil.
- bryanlarsen 6y ago
  Tetanus is neither "cold & flu" nor is it "viruses & bacteria". It's a toxin created by soil bacteria, not a bacteria that lives in human. This is relevant since we're talking about the immune system responses.
  - jessaustin 6y ago
    Of course the immune system responds to Clostridium tetani, and that response is modified by prior administration of an appropriate vaccine. Do you mean to say that this bacteria's soil-focused lifecycle prevents global distribution via air travel?
    - beagle3 6y ago
      The vaccine is to the toxin produced by the bacteria, not to the bacteria itself; supposedly, by the time the body manages to kill the bacteria (even if already recognized by the immune system), there is too much toxin in the system. It is administered, and is likely working, but never went through the rigorous testing we now do for vaccines; furthermore, after it was introduced, tetanus incidence decreased considerably also in places that did not use a vaccine. The history of the tetanus vaccine is not what I expected when I started looking at it.
      - soperj 6y ago
        >The vaccine is to the toxin produced by the bacteria, not to the bacteria itself; supposedly, by the time the body manages to kill the bacteria (even if already recognized by the immune system), there is too much toxin in the system. I'm not an immunologist, but I don't think you're correct here. >It is administered, and is likely working, but never went through the rigorous testing we now do for vaccines; furthermore, after it was introduced, tetanus incidence decreased considerably also in places that did not use a vaccine. The history of the tetanus vaccine is not what I expected when I started looking at it. Deaths worldwide from Tetanus didn't decrease substantially until the 80s when the vaccine starting being administered everywhere. So don't know what you're talking about.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
LockAndLol 6y ago
Dirt doesn't contain bacteria and viruses? Really? So hospitals will rub their hands in dirt before a surgery, dab your arm with some dirt before giving you an injection, and recommend you eat your food on a floor instead of a plate. Mate...
- bryanlarsen 6y ago
  Bacteria, yes. For human cold & flu? Not so much. Not unless the dirt is where humans congregate.