It’s not consciousness that distinguishes humans from animals, it’s language. By language we mean sophisticated vocals, symbolic marks (writing), and art (especially music). Can we measure a society or sub-segment by its language content/usage/focus? In other words, what are we listening to and reading and looking at?
Example #1 – the attached ‘children-with-masks-rebreathe-CO2’ has caused a stir,……I quickly received calls from family and friends “Are COVID masks harming our kids?”
Note the fairly quick retraction from JAMA attached,…….BTW, the # of views of the retraction at the JAMA website within 72 hours was 39,385with an Altmetric score of 3,666. Translation – many providers saw this right quick.
In contrast, an expert JAMA meta-analysis re: foreign body aspiration protocols received 619 views and Altmetric score of just 6. I would guess we spend millions of dollars each year evaluating children in clinics and ERs trying to figure out how to best accomplish this safely.
Example #2 – do you wonder what percentage of children who become SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive develop ‘long haul symptoms’? Answer – not many. The # of JAMA views in a similar time period as above was 27,851 with an Altmetric score of 823,……..a lot of folks noticed this report (attached).
We are what we read and click and discuss,…..not what we eat.
History is on every occasion the record of that which one age finds worthy of note in another. To each eye, the outlines of a great civilization present a different picture. In the wide ocean upon which we venture, the possible ways and directions are many; and the same studies which have served for my work might easily, in other hands, not only receive a wholly different treatment and application, but lead to essentially different conclusions.
Jacob Burckhardt, 1818-1897
Joe Kaempf, MD
District Oregon Representative
Portland, OR
Volume 13, Number 24