From: rdc401@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil (CDR Peter Kent)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Dentists & Doctors slaves to people with AIDS?
Date: 17 Apr 92 11:30:14 GMT
Organization: Naval Medical Research & Development Command



In article <1992Apr12.222913.28180@acsu.buffalo.edu> you write:
>In article <1992Mar29.120458.12784@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil>, rdc401@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil (CDR Peter Kent) writes...
>Why is her fetus, a complete
>>unknown asset to society, intrinsically more worthy of protection that the
>>physician herself?
>
>
>
>       Maybe you have forgoten the reason most animals (except some
>humans) produce young.  I believe it is for species preservation.
>

     I cannot follow your reasoning here,  Your ostensible reply to my comment
that you quote immediately above seems like a complete non sequitor to me.
The point that I was making in the sentence you quote is that some of the
people who were commenting were implying that it was entirely appropriate for
a physician to risk sure death from AIDS (don't even try to argue this one -
at this point in time, no patient with AIDS has ever been induced to have a
sustained remission, it IS sure death at this time) for the sake of a fetus
with totally unknown potential.  I will grant that the fetus in question could
be the next Einstein, Beethovan, Lincoln - choose your hero - but you would
have to acknowledge that the overwhelming likelihood is that that fetus will
grow up to be none of the above, and in fact, is not likely to have as great
a positive impact upon society as is the physician risking his/her life to
deal with that fetus.  Your reply noted above, does not seem to address my
point.  In addition, I strongly disagree with it.  The reason most animals
produce young is because their instinctive behavior is to satisfy their erotic
urges - which is the exact same reason why homo sapiens had young until the
very recent past.  How long ago do you think we developed the scientific
correlation between intercourse and pregnancy?  Only the past few hundred
years John.  Not even did our species not undersvior!  I cannot agree that it is likely.  
>
>       Furthermore, I think that some people believe that the only
>way to beat the AIDS epidemic is for the people infected with
>HIV to die off and for new HIV- born infants to remain uninfected.
>Sortof a  survival of the fitist.
>
    Is that comment to take the discussion further, or are you implying that
I either have said that in so many words, or are likely to believe it?  I'll
answer the question for you.  You are taking the discussion further.  I neither
said anything similar to that, nor believe that.  I suspect that you are 
correct, that some people feel that way.  Unfortunately, anyone who has
studied epidemiology will immediately appreciate that there has never been a
disease as prevalent as AIDS where the disease has been eradicated by natural
burnout.  The only diseases that have been either totally eradicated (smallpox)
or well controlled (tetanus) have been in cases where there was a massive
intervention by the population at risk.


>       We will either have to find a cure or become immune to HIV.
>
     No, unfortunately there is a third, and rather likely possibility, that
we will have to permanently change our habits because we will not find a
cure, and we will not become immune.  Despite decades of sophisticated
research, we have yet to find a cure or vaccination for the common cold,
malaria, cancer, and a whole host of other diseases with at least some
infectious component to them (cancer is probably related to the presence of
a virus or a virus like nucleic acid chain that greatly sensitizes the
patient to the multiple risk factors in the environement that allow the
biologic expression of that nucleic acid agent).

Regards,     Peter

-- 
CDR Peter Kent, MC, USN
Program Manager, Diving and Submarine Medicine
Naval Medical Research and Development Command
E-mail: rdc401@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil
disclaimer:  The above is personal opinion, not the policy of the Department
of Defense or the US Navy.

-- 
CDR Peter Kent, MC, USN
Program Manager, Diving and Submarine Medicine
Naval Medical Research and Development Command
E-mail: rdc401@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil
Newsgroups: sci.med