Medical Miracles Don’t Happen By Accident, Except All the Ones That Did
Something from President Obama’s signing ceremony today really bothered me but I couldn’t put my finger on it until just a few minutes ago, when I read some of his statements in isolation. Here’s what I read:
“Medical miracles do not happen simply by accident. They result from painstaking and costly research,” Obama said.
That’s not actually true. Lots of seemingly-miraculous medicines and technology are with us today thanks to fortunate accidents.
The President (and his speechwriters since there weren’t enough “uh’s” for his statement to have been off the cuff) managed to ignore Penicillin, Quinine, Minoxidil, the cowpox vaccine, Teflon, and iodine. Those are the ones I could come up with off the top of my head. I’m sure there are dozens more.
Five of the six on my list were discovered entirely by accident. Minoxidil’s application as a hair-restorer was also discovered accidentally as it was being used as an oral treatment for high blood pressure. None of them required expensive experimentation nor staggering amounts of research. The smallpox vaccine, which was derived from the cowpox vaccine, was actually discovered when Edward Jenner wondered if the reason that milkmaids didn’t get cowpox was because they handled infected cows.
Oh, and here’s one for you children of the 60s: LSD. Its psychedelic qualities were also discovered completely by accident. Albert Hoffman, was synthesizing a new batch of LSD so he could figure out whether or not it would make a good stimulant when he accidentally absorbed some of it through his fingertips. It made his bike ride back home pretty interesting. In fact, that ride is still celebrated to this day. Don’t ask me just how I know that.
So you see, the President wasn’t exactly truthful when he said that medical miracles require lots and lots of “costly research” (i.e. millions of taxpayer dollars). His executive order is full of the same rigorous logic as well.
Newsbusters has a few more examples of important medical breakthrough the President said can’t exist. Perhaps his speechwriters should have done a quick Google search on the word “serendipity” before they made their boss look so unintelligent.
Other Posts of Interest:
- It’s Amazing How Different a Workout Looks Four Years Later.
- When the Left Gets Wind of This, They’re Going to Plotz!
- He’s the One They Call Dr. Feelgood.
Category: Health Care Craziness, President Barack Obama
What's more, his wishful thinking about drug discoveries is a direct antithesis to his attitude about the military, where he intends to eliminate all technologies that are not already tested and proven. With that attitude applied to drugs, we'd still be using willow bark for headaches…
How about you remain objective and don't let your political affiliation affect your critical thinking. Many medical miracles have derived from accidents but far many from studies and research.
How about you read the President's quote again and rethink your comment?