BRATTLEBORO — I was disturbed by Jacqueline Brook's piece, which refers to influenza as a “benign illness” that should be looked at as “a guilt-free excuse to read a stack of good books.”
It is clear Ms. Brook has never contracted a severe case of influenza. I have, and reading a stack of books was not an option as I staggered into my doctor's office, collapsed in his arms, and had to lie on a bed being fed fluids intravenously for the rest of the day. I had developed a mild case of pneumonia that luckily was caught early.
A good friend of mine died of pneumonia three days after contracting influenza.
Brook's story about Dr. William Coley is also misleading. Many scientists tried to duplicate Dr. Coley's results without achieving his high rate of success; that is why his techniques were not adopted.
However, because there were some successes, his techniques were not completely written off, and there is now a field called immunotherapy which is showing some promise against some forms of cancer.
However, “showing promise” and being a cure that is in most cases effective are two different things.
I am puzzled by those who believe mainstream scientists are conspiring with drug companies to hide existing cures. Scientists are human and have families like the rest of us. They are as frightened of cancer as we are. Spending a life researching cures for the disease is something to be admired.
Brook would do better to focus her skepticism on sloppy science and unsubstantiated rumors.