I woke up today morning after going to bed in the wee hours of the morning( thanks to OIS and FACS). Running into the lab as I was late and had tons of stuff to do, I prepared all my material for immunisations.
Halfway through my first few immunisations I realised that I had got the wrong vaccine. Damn! Went back despondent having already mucked up my experiment a little bit, I realised that I had made a big mistake in my dose calculations some days ago. A vaccine I had made up days ago was of a dosage 10 fold less than the intended dose.
I was devastated!! I had got some interesting results earlier and I did not know whether I had used this wrong vaccine in that experiment. If I had, the entire experiment was a mess and a disaster. The next two hours of immunising was shrouded by a blanket of gloom and despondency. I wanted to go back home, enough of all these mistakes, how could I explain this away. I was two years into my PhD, how could I make such a stupid mistake?? It was the longest couple of hours. I made new experiment plans, but realised that this would probably be the end of my scientific career. Disaster!!
All these negative thoughts and emotions washing over me, I finished my immunising and immediately rushed to find my lab book. Had I made the biggest blunder ever?
Thank GOD! No! I had not used the miscalculated vaccine dose for the important experiment. I was saved! Relief flooded me and the world looked much rosier. I bantered with my colleagues, chatted with people. The world was looking up. I will go home in jan not October.
Oh that fickle mistress - Science!
Thursday, September 22
Monday, September 19
Vaccination and public health
I have never actually wondered about how governments enforce public health laws. On the surface it seems quite obvious that government should enforce these public health initiatives in public interest, however you could surely argue that your religious beliefs, cultural customs prohibit you from following these directives. For example, say tomorrow a large community in the US decided against flu vaccines it would lead to a catastrophe. (Although keeping the present flu vaccine shortage in mind, I dont think the government would be too unhappy). You can just imagine the epidemic that might cause. So how does government force us to obey certain public health initiatives, eg. seat belts? Surely, you could argue on a personal basis that you dont want to wear it.
The law that enforces public health initiatives is based on a judgement passed in a case Jacobson vs Massachusetts in 1902. Basically Jacobson refused to take the smallpox vaccine during an epidemic and the court fined him $5. The argument was that if the state believed that the restriction of individual liberty was justified when there was a threat to a community, as the community has the paramount right to protect itself. The court however, did mention that these restrictions must be limited and cannot be used in an oppressive and arbitary manner.
There are important points to note in the case : Smallpox vaccination was well established by then and scientifically approved in the medical community. Smallpox was a deadly disease and mortality was high due to the disease. Lastly, jacobson argued that the state was acting in an dictatorial and socialistic manner, which weren't good enough grounds for dismissal.
Interestingly, I am unsure of what the situation back home is. There is the region in bengal which refuses to be vaccinated with polio in the belief that it causes sterility. What laws exist in India?
The article which lead me to even think about this was published in NEJM.
The law that enforces public health initiatives is based on a judgement passed in a case Jacobson vs Massachusetts in 1902. Basically Jacobson refused to take the smallpox vaccine during an epidemic and the court fined him $5. The argument was that if the state believed that the restriction of individual liberty was justified when there was a threat to a community, as the community has the paramount right to protect itself. The court however, did mention that these restrictions must be limited and cannot be used in an oppressive and arbitary manner.
There are important points to note in the case : Smallpox vaccination was well established by then and scientifically approved in the medical community. Smallpox was a deadly disease and mortality was high due to the disease. Lastly, jacobson argued that the state was acting in an dictatorial and socialistic manner, which weren't good enough grounds for dismissal.
Interestingly, I am unsure of what the situation back home is. There is the region in bengal which refuses to be vaccinated with polio in the belief that it causes sterility. What laws exist in India?
The article which lead me to even think about this was published in NEJM.
Sunday, September 18
"mother" has left. Saw her off today morning. Had OIS meeting yesterday which ended in extremely funny circumstances. Junior dean offered to cut C's hair. Of course, C being the nice guy and having imbibed some vodka agreed....only to realise that she had never done it before. Then we all had this long laugh as we tried to imagine dean trying to cut C's hair without any idea of what implements to use. ( I used to get haircuts from Kunjua) and we came up with this prime time reality show : Kunjurani cuts Chandru!!!
Anyway, went home and watched shit movie on computer. Slept at 4.30 and was awoken by RM at 7am. In lab now, with no inclination to work. I think I will go home and try to work.
That I may drink, leave the world unseen,
Fade away with thee into the forest rim.
Anyway, went home and watched shit movie on computer. Slept at 4.30 and was awoken by RM at 7am. In lab now, with no inclination to work. I think I will go home and try to work.
That I may drink, leave the world unseen,
Fade away with thee into the forest rim.
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