1924 The Golden Age

[The Librarian]

g1924_E.pdf

 

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[Jack Ryan]

* “It has never been proven that a single disease is due to germs.” Golden-Age Jan 16 1924
(This was a dozen years after medicine had proven bacteria and viruses caused most diseases)

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[Evacuated]

On 7/8/2018 at 7:38 PM, Jack Ryan said:

“It has never been proven that a single disease is due to germs

This Golden-Age Jan 16 1924 quote loses a degree of absurdity when seen in context. It is lifted from an observation made regarding an evolution/creation debate in the media of the time. The still puzzling purpose of God's creation of "germs which cause disease" seems to be an underlying theme to the public argument and the responding observation in the Golden Age.  William Jennings Bryans' contention was that the creation of such organisms with their disease-causing potential preceded Adam. This was challenged by Dr. Charles W. Stiles on the basis that to admit otherwise would be to concede evolutionary properties to organisms that (post Adam) "evolved into disease germs". He further deduced on the basis of Mr Bryans' view that Adam had the potential for being infected with a whole range of diseases, unless he lived (strangely) in China, an area presumably free of disease bearing germ afflictions at the time of writing.

Enter the Golden Age observation quoted above. The point made is that other factors are at work in the causing of disease than germs. Otherwise, all mankind woud have all the germ-caused diseases. The author might have added the word "solely" to his statement quoted for clarity. Even so, addressing the underlying attribution of causing disease to God is dismissed by the notion of such germs having been created as a recyling component, now with fallen mankind in their sights.

"In my opinion" is another phrase used by the writer, a phrase which applies equally to this posting.