Salt, Gandhi and Covid-19.. Before even the modern era of germ…
By: Sam Miller
Tags: Politics, History, Chemistry, Covid 19, Healthcare

Before even the modern era of germ theory most of the basic nutritional diseases were figured out. Even if we did not understand the basic chemistry we empirically came up with solutions. Most of these disease now have quaint archaic names, Beriberi, Scurvy, Pellagra and Rickets caused by deficiencies in Niacin, Vitamin C, Tryptophan, and Vitamin D respectively. All horrible diseases, all simple fixes.

You can add one more to the list. It’s name is as disturbing as it’s effects and while the politically correct may seek to soften the blow by utilizing it’s more scientific name hypothyroidism that clinical bit of semantical footwork does not bring the full horror of the disease or it’s wretched medieval past into focus. It is caused by a lack of iodine.

The disease is called Cretinism.

Iodine. Not something we think about very much. An interesting element when heated it produces a stunning violet vapor which is deadly to inhale. But like oxygen ,we miss it terribly in its absence. A lack of iodine in the diet attacks the unborn worst of all resulting in birth defects of a wide swath including dwarfism, disfigurement and mental retardation. In adults it most often takes the form of Goiter, large citrus sized inflammations of the thyroid gland disfiguring the victim’s necks.

Most of the world’s nations now require the iodization of salt which easily and cheaply won the war against hypothyroidism.

India took a different path or march as the case may be. The Dandi Salt March. Led by Mr Gandhi himself. The Salt Satyagraha, a 241 mile trek in protest of the oppressive British salt tax ending in the traditional “common salt” manufacturing city of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. It ended in a massive procession into that city and Gandhi’s first major act of civil disobedience with tens of thousands jailed and the eye of the world spun round toward India. It was pure political genius. It also resulted in the politicization of a chemical. Iodine.

The common salt produced by traditional methods does not contain iodine. India won the salt war gained its independence and salt became not just a staple of the table but a symbol of nascent nationalism. Not just any salt but the common salt produced by untold numbers of small producers. Not just because of a liberated market, but by law only common salt was allowed. Lots of really smart people said “Well that’s fine but we need to figure out a way to add iodine to the salt or we are going to health problems on an unimaginable scale.” This idea was characterized as neo-colonial, iodine was demonized, demonstrated in pure form as poison, ridiculed and for decades not added to the salt of India.

The result was depressingly predictable. Hypothyroidism ran rampant, mental retardation and disfigurement of newborns soared. Goiter became common. Yet still the nationalist attitude toward the banning of iodine prevailed and did so into the 21st century. Only recently has a national program been implemented to solve the Indian deficiency of iodine in the diet. It took over a half century of untold millions suffering for want a simple nutritional nail.

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

Now we are faced with a similar situation. Large numbers of people around the world are denying science because they feel it contrasts with their tribal political identity. They are incapable of accepting vigorously proven facts and at once embracing fantastically bad ideas that cannot be substantiated with a shred of evidence. They are active and aggressive in their mission. They seek to not only poison the well of knowledge by defiance but by statute as well. They are not at a loss finding politicians to pander to their ill conceived beliefs.

At no time in the past century have we needed people to trust the efficacy of vaccines more than this moment. The doubt promoted by the non-believers has, however, had its own viral life. Completely reasonable people have become skeptics of solid medical science. We can little afford the company of the millions of Americans and others around the world that claim they will refuse the vaccine. India watched untold millions die from a simple lack of iodine because of manipulative politicians. We have ample evidence US politicians are eager to use the Covid vaccine as a political bludgeon giving substance to the anti-science hysteria. Many of those elected officials would have no problem following a similar approach as India did with salt. Recklessly endangering a recovery and the lives of millions. Possibly even worse resulting in COVID never dying. Incubating continuously in willing deluded hosts and their children, mutating, figuring out how to beat the existing vaccines and then reinfect the general vaccinated population again and again. We need to not let that happen. Get vaccinated please. Convince others. It took India decades even to begin to eliminate a disease for which they already had a cure, all because of inflexible political differences. We have just been delivered a cure let’s hope we can put aside our differences, believe our doctors and move a little faster.