The coronavirus story right now is confusing, full of dogs that didn't bark (places you'd expect to have huge infection rates, that don't). The only common factor is a high degree of certainty by everyone involved about what's going on, and what to do. It reminds me of something!
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I wrote an essay ten years ago about how the cure for scurvy was found and then accidentally lost again. I was provoked into writing it by a fascination with that sense of certainty. People are almost pathologically incapable of believing they don't know. https://idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm …
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Replying to @Pinboard
Interesting, I had no idea. I did however know about the similar tale of pellagra - 100,000 Americans dead because they adopted corn but didn't also adopt nixtamalization.
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Replying to @jefposk
You've been following me for years and you never read my best essay!
5:29 PM - 25 Apr 2020
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