3 ms·

Amazing how people simply make up facts to support their ideology. Both penicillin and smallpox vaccine were discovered with little if any government support. B

• AlexandrB 12y ago
  Not being a historian, I actually read Wikipedia before posting that. I guess I was confused on the smallpox vaccines creation which seems to involve a lot of actors. What's certain however, is that the vaccine's dissemination and the eventual eradication of smallpox was pushed by the World Health Organization (part of the UN) and so was a government initiative. [1] Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming as part of research in a public institution (St. Mary's Hospital). [2] I guess my larger point (which you deftly avoided addressing) is that the government is not a boogeyman creating evil technologies nor does it have a monopoly on evil shit. I also have a hard time imagining a motive for a for-profit organization to eradicate a disease world-wide. Something that government organizations have achieved almost twice (polio is nearly wiped out). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox#Eradication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox#Eradication [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennicilin#Discovery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennicilin#Discovery
  • Tycho 12y ago
    St Mary's Hospital was not government controlled or funded when Fleming was working there. It was one of the 'voluntary hospitals' supported by philanthropy and private donors. Furthermore, if you read the history of penicillin [1] you can see a long history of tinkering (meaning the discovery was somewhat inevitable) and that Pfizer, Inc. worked out how to mass produce it. But you know, whatever... [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_penicillin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_penicillin