Tea at Trianon: The Vaccine Debate

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, November 19, 2007

The Vaccine Debate

Whom to believe? A mother writes:

Citing various scientific studies, critics of vaccines linked the use of vaccines to everything from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and autism to leukemia. They particularly complained about the lack of testing of the long-term effects of vaccines, as well as the ethical policies of the companies who manufacture vaccines, regulated only by themselves and their far-from-adequate testing procedures. Lastly, opponents of vaccines protested the simultaneous administration of many vaccines, and they questioned the risk of using vaccines with such dangerous side effects for the prevention of diseases that have all but completely disappeared from this part of the world. All of these arguments led me to reconsider my opinion on vaccines and to question, for example, why my tiny two-month-old baby needed to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, a sexually transmitted disease. Even more, why should my newborn baby, only a few hours old, have her eyes doused with antibiotic just in case she caught gonorrhea from me during labor -- another sexually transmitted disease which I have no reason to think that I carry? This surely seemed to be overdoing it. But where should I draw the line? Could all the claims of vaccine critics be believed?

Anonymous said...: I certainly agree it is questionable...especially the Hep.B. They have been administrating Silver Nitrate drops for decades. I do not know if that is the same compound that is currently being used, but I recently I read about a case of blindness caused by an 'overdose' of the drops. My daughter's Pediatrician said that the vaccines currently used are safer than previously used. I do feel that the risk of death is greater from NOT being vaccinated.; November 19, 2007 at 11:45:00 AM EST
Sanctus Belle said...: I believe the use of silver nitrate drops or ointment has fallen from favor for an antibiotic ointment. Conjunctivitis gonorrhea is still one of the leading causes of infant blindness. The treatment for it has virtually no side effects.

You would be shocked to learn how many women are diagnosed with STD's who are married. One or the other most likely having been in an extramarital affair.

Hepatitis B can be spread sexually, but is more commonly spread via blood exposure in an infected person. Vaccination against Hep B is not analogous with vaccination against HPV.

There's alot of hype out there regarding vaccinations which must be prudently considered.; November 19, 2007 at 12:18:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Thanks to you both for your feedback. Very helpful!; November 19, 2007 at 12:48:00 PM EST
Christine said...: I refused the eye ointment for the birth of my second child when I found out it was an option, and have also had my daughter vaccinated with an alternative rubella vaccine descended from a chicken egg (and not from an aborted fetus, as is the regular MMR vaccine sold by Merck).; November 21, 2007 at 9:37:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Interesting, Christine. I think it is good for parents to be informed of these things beforehand, since once you are in the hospital recovering from childbirth it is hard to make decisions. They whisk the baby away and say and say we are doing "this" and "this." So it is good to be informed ahead of time.; November 21, 2007 at 10:21:00 AM EST