Real Heroes

richlevy · 03-29-2003, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Italian World Health Organization (news - web sites) expert on communicable diseases, Dr. Carlo Urbani, 46, is seen in this undated image made from television. Urbani, credited with being the first doctor to identify the mystery illness SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), died of the illness in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 29, 2003.

We live in a messed up world, where there are too many people who wave flags, shoot guns, and blow themselves up with bombs to be 'heroes'. Here is a doctor for the WHO who sounded the alarm and treated the first known patient, and who knowingly exposed himself to the risk and gave his life.

The former category are a dime a dozen, but it always makes me a little sad when guys like this fall. I know that his particular contribution was a little too small for a Nobel Prize, but it would be a classy thing to do for them to acknowledge his sacrifice and that of others like him at this years ceremony.

BTW, he does look like a younger John Rhys-Davies.

wolf · 03-29-2003, 11:44 PM

At the time I'm posting this, the link to the pic is broken ...

I have a lot of respect for docs who choose to work in infectious diseases because of the possibility, even with good, rigidly followed precautions, you still have a chance of getting what you're studying.

Often the earliest victims of the disease are the caregivers. If not the docs, the nurses, the orderlies, or (and I'll bet a lot of people didn't even consider this one) the janitors.

xoxoxoBruce · 04-22-2003, 06:16 PM

The janitors get a double whammy. The normal problem of dealing with excrement and the chemical for cleaning is bad enough. Adding a hospital/clinic concentration of bad bugs is
double jeopardy.

Griff · 04-24-2003, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xoxoxoBruce
The janitors get a double whammy. The normal problem of dealing with excrement and the chemical for cleaning is bad enough. Adding a hospital/clinic concentration of bad bugs is
double jeopardy.

Yah, those guys don't usually get paid enough to accept that risk. Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton just raised their pay scale so the lowest paid folks there get 8 bucks an hour. Thats actually not too bad considering how low the cost of living is hereabouts.

View Poll Results: Guys Like This Are Heroes
Guys like this are heroes, we need more like them.	11	91.67%
Guys like this are fools, they can't change anything.	1	8.33%
Voters: 12. You may not vote on this poll

03-29-2003, 11:44 PM	#2
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	At the time I'm posting this, the link to the pic is broken ... I have a lot of respect for docs who choose to work in infectious diseases because of the possibility, even with good, rigidly followed precautions, you still have a chance of getting what you're studying. Often the earliest victims of the disease are the caregivers. If not the docs, the nurses, the orderlies, or (and I'll bet a lot of people didn't even consider this one) the janitors. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

04-22-2003, 06:16 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	The janitors get a double whammy. The normal problem of dealing with excrement and the chemical for cleaning is bad enough. Adding a hospital/clinic concentration of bad bugs is double jeopardy. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

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