Reminder that in the UK in 1900, before mass vaccination for childhood diseases began, 20% of all babies died before their fifth birthday (from diseases we currently vaccinate them against).
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@cstross
But I remember her, in my child's eye, as a thin, frail little puppet, jerked by invisible strings. And she was hauntingly graceful and beautiful to me.But at the age of 18, one night at bedtime, she removed the brace, lay down, and killed herself. She did it in total silence, so her parents wouldn't stop her.
Anyone who tells you not to get vaccines is a murderer by proxy.
@Remittancegirl @cstross That was the most touching thing I read today. Thank you. Have to make an effort not to start crying publicly on a train.
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@cstross All countries should ban American entrants unless they have up to date vaccination certificates.
@Pamela1960 @cstross absolutely. Have to be able to prove they're not a danger to public health
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@suzannealdrich @Infoseepage @cstross I was coming here to say exactly that. Just five generations ago, in Germany, my ancestors lost six of eight children before the age of three. Two survived to adulthood.
@morgan @suzannealdrich @cstross And this sort of thing cut across all divisions of class and wealth. I was at Versailles last week and they had an exhibition about the Grand Dauphin and his family. The Grand Dauphin was the heir apparent to Louis XIV for most of his life, but his father outlived him. He died of smallpox at about the age of 50. A bunch of the dauphin's children and their wives and grandchildren were wiped out by "just measles" and other maladies.
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@Remittancegirl @cstross That was the most touching thing I read today. Thank you. Have to make an effort not to start crying publicly on a train.
Good god, I certainly didn't mean to make anyone cry. I apologise.
And yet, at the same time, I wanted to pay tribute to her memory, because she was a lovely person and a very talented poet.
And it's complicated. Would she have been such a good poet without the experience of social isolation and physical extremes? Was she someone who was always destined to relinquish life? I think about her a lot.
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@morgan @suzannealdrich @cstross And this sort of thing cut across all divisions of class and wealth. I was at Versailles last week and they had an exhibition about the Grand Dauphin and his family. The Grand Dauphin was the heir apparent to Louis XIV for most of his life, but his father outlived him. He died of smallpox at about the age of 50. A bunch of the dauphin's children and their wives and grandchildren were wiped out by "just measles" and other maladies.
@Infoseepage @suzannealdrich @cstross bringing this back to it's origin; the gall of rfkjr and his enablers thinking they can rely on privilege, wealth and influence to survive the hell they're bringing down
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@morgan @suzannealdrich @cstross And this sort of thing cut across all divisions of class and wealth. I was at Versailles last week and they had an exhibition about the Grand Dauphin and his family. The Grand Dauphin was the heir apparent to Louis XIV for most of his life, but his father outlived him. He died of smallpox at about the age of 50. A bunch of the dauphin's children and their wives and grandchildren were wiped out by "just measles" and other maladies.
@morgan @suzannealdrich @cstross These people lived in gold encrusted marble palaces, wore the finest clothing, never lacked for a warm fire and ate the best foods and had the best doctors of their era. It didn't save any of them. What would have saved them are a series of inexpensive, widely available childhood immunizations with extremely high safety profiles.
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@cstross
But I remember her, in my child's eye, as a thin, frail little puppet, jerked by invisible strings. And she was hauntingly graceful and beautiful to me.But at the age of 18, one night at bedtime, she removed the brace, lay down, and killed herself. She did it in total silence, so her parents wouldn't stop her.
Anyone who tells you not to get vaccines is a murderer by proxy.
@Remittancegirl @cstross we all cried.
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RE: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/115963873612884664
Reminder that in the UK in 1900, before mass vaccination for childhood diseases began, 20% of all babies died before their fifth birthday (from diseases we currently vaccinate them against).
RFK jr's appointee wants to kill roughly 20% of all newborn Americans "to improve the breed" or something.
(Not including those paralysed for life by polio.)
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@cstross Reminder that in industrialized countries, for some diseases, mortality had already dropped before vaccines were even a thing.

@jpages Massive public education campaigns and immediate isolation of outbreak patients put the brakes on. As did better living conditions (it's hard to isolate in a slum with eight people sleeping to a room; also hard to isolate when there are ten kids in a family).
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@Remittancegirl @cstross we all cried.
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@cstross No, put them where they want to be. Greenland.
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@Remittancegirl @cstross not at all. It is an incredible, personal story, and was the best kind of cry in honoring it. It convinces us on even more personal and emotional terms that RFKjr is wrong and the damage is going to kill people. Our stories are important! And I thank you for telling this one.
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@Remittancegirl @cstross not at all. It is an incredible, personal story, and was the best kind of cry in honoring it. It convinces us on even more personal and emotional terms that RFKjr is wrong and the damage is going to kill people. Our stories are important! And I thank you for telling this one.
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RE: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/115963873612884664
Reminder that in the UK in 1900, before mass vaccination for childhood diseases began, 20% of all babies died before their fifth birthday (from diseases we currently vaccinate them against).
RFK jr's appointee wants to kill roughly 20% of all newborn Americans "to improve the breed" or something.
(Not including those paralysed for life by polio.)
@cstross Ironically, this is going to be that white genocide that previously existed only in their broken little minds. Just like the cabal of paedophiles, the corrupt swamp, and fascist leaders coming to power it was projection all along.
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@morgan @suzannealdrich @cstross These people lived in gold encrusted marble palaces, wore the finest clothing, never lacked for a warm fire and ate the best foods and had the best doctors of their era. It didn't save any of them. What would have saved them are a series of inexpensive, widely available childhood immunizations with extremely high safety profiles.
@Infoseepage @suzannealdrich @cstross I binged through the @empirepoduk podcast, haven't finished it, but listened to 150+ episodes. It's good.
There was a fascinating one where a British woman brought the concept and technology of #smallpox #inoculation home with her from #Turkey...
Here it is:
'She was a pioneering scientist, proto-feminist, and letter writer extraordinaire. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu escaped a marriage to Clotworthy Skeffington to become one of history's most incredible women. Listen this week as William and Anita are joined by Katie Hickman to tell the tale of her life.'
'Clotworthy Skeffington,' I think that might be my next fake name.
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@MannyDexter that's what amazes me also, that fully vaccinated people now oppose it. They all need 'it's a wonderful life' moments.
@cstross @lauren -
RE: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/115963873612884664
Reminder that in the UK in 1900, before mass vaccination for childhood diseases began, 20% of all babies died before their fifth birthday (from diseases we currently vaccinate them against).
RFK jr's appointee wants to kill roughly 20% of all newborn Americans "to improve the breed" or something.
(Not including those paralysed for life by polio.)
@cstross My stepfather had polio. As a child he spent a year in isolation, thinking he would die. For the rest of his life he has had a hunched back and almost no use of his left arm and hand. He would tell you he was one of the lucky ones.
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RE: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/115963873612884664
Reminder that in the UK in 1900, before mass vaccination for childhood diseases began, 20% of all babies died before their fifth birthday (from diseases we currently vaccinate them against).
RFK jr's appointee wants to kill roughly 20% of all newborn Americans "to improve the breed" or something.
(Not including those paralysed for life by polio.)
@cstross callous and selfish people like the MAHA folks need callus and selfish responses. Its all they understand. One such response in the 'my tax dollars range' : It is my tax dollars they are wasting. Why should my tax dollars pay to treat you when you could have been vaccinated? My tax dollars paid for that vaccine, why are you wasting it. Its not the government, it's my tax dollars. Etc blah blah.
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RE: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/115963873612884664
Reminder that in the UK in 1900, before mass vaccination for childhood diseases began, 20% of all babies died before their fifth birthday (from diseases we currently vaccinate them against).
RFK jr's appointee wants to kill roughly 20% of all newborn Americans "to improve the breed" or something.
(Not including those paralysed for life by polio.)
The lifelong effects of polio on survivors are particularly awful. One wouldn't want to inflict it on a worst enemy, let alone your own kids.
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RE: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/115963873612884664
Reminder that in the UK in 1900, before mass vaccination for childhood diseases began, 20% of all babies died before their fifth birthday (from diseases we currently vaccinate them against).
RFK jr's appointee wants to kill roughly 20% of all newborn Americans "to improve the breed" or something.
(Not including those paralysed for life by polio.)
@cstross I wonder when the rest of the world will start requiring USians to have proof of vaccination before entering the country