Brian O’Dowd – Tiny Tyrant Maggots

Brian O’Dowd was born in Dublin. He lives in Toronto. O’Dowd is a Professor at the University of Toronto. His novel ‘A Wicklow Girl’, was published in 2017. Available on Amazon etc. Publisher: Tellwell, Canada. In 2019 he won the prestigious Prix Galien 2019 Canadian Science Award, as reported in the Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/dubliner-wins-prix-galien-2019-award-for-pharmaceutical-research-1.4093350

Tiny Tyrant Maggots

By Brian O’Dowd

Participant, no judge only observer,

herein scratching prickly surface.

Present greatest battles in history,

still our leaky boats rocky.

Nature’s tots doing us harm,

urge to change our world!

Humans needing huge destruction build bombs. While all about tiny yokes ply their trade different, aimed to efficiently poison and destroy, to their wee credit leave cities intact but alas graveyards full. Most dangerous creature not lion or tiger even boa constrictor, all just look scary on TV. While bugs our companions since turfed from Garden of Eden, invisible seeds of destruction. Treat us as juicy target packed like sardines in filthy over crowded towns. They make us sick. Way ahead with us back in our dark ages knew how to turn cells against us. Our eyeballs too blind to see, their overpowering strategy being invisible, devilishly mysterious for the ages. In 1865 Louis Pasteur inventing pasteurization (by boiling milk), patented process fighting bacteria. Published ‘Germ theory’ in 1861 claimed bacteria causing disease, banished ‘spontaneous generation’ notion. Fair dues Dr Pasteur bacteria baffled us and still with causing damage. Catching up finally glimpse bacteria and virus worlds, no longer hiding. In 1939 first electronic microscope virus image was ‘Tobacco mosaic’ virus, Van Leeuwenhoek in 1675 first observing bacteria. Propelled onwards we gained knowledge! Understanding ‘benign’ virus gets out of hand achieving horrible ‘gain of function’ mutations. Two faced bacteria bugs, E coli needed for healthy gut but also can lay us low. Tricks of their trade, 1996 in Japan 9000 infected with toxin producing E Coli O157:H7 many children sick from lunches. In 1928 bad bacteria received deserved punch in their pressured cell walls with Penicillin, thank you Alexander Fleming, effective ~100 years later. No virus required for our survival, suspected evolution role. Fair dues but no good recently? Might be time to corner and wipeout every redundant virus on the planet, consign to dumpster.

Extract revenge for cruel carnage perpetrated on homo-sapiens.

Debate whether virus ‘alive or dead’, don’t get fooled pirate parasites monsters are killers, often playing possum for ages, biding times to wedge murderous advantage. Still we are fighting back, that war never over. Armed with slew of antiviral drugs none came easy, involved hard fought efforts.

We are big shots with brains.

Yet numerous tiny tots had us on the ropes.

They are wicked and don’t rest.

Them and us ‘win’ by killing.

No draws or mercy.

We’ve drugs they’ve mutations.

On guard!

We’ve battled Syphilis, Yellow fever, Small Pox, Cholera, Polio, Leprosy, TB, Black death where 40% of Europe died, 200 million died worldwide.

Etcetera onto infinity.

Nasty bugs drove us desperate focused with bioscience, figure which enemy killing and how. Pick their battles, all come with foibles. If ever ‘time machines’ I’ll not be hankering previous times, with life tougher and short. Except isolated oasis sanctuary Hawaii, until our sailors arrived and disturbed paradise with bugs. Islands devastated by gonorrhea, cholera, syphilis, TB, measles, mention a few. Caused more than 100,000 native deaths. Under circumstances don’t care to witness building pyramids, Neanderthals discover fire, meet Genghis Khan army killing millions, or sweaty petrified jesters and minstrels in court of Henry VIII. Tasked having King laugh his head off, worse job than miners at coal face. Send Bots back, bury drone videos in safe places, we’d discover much later. How come never see none such? How could science ‘fiction’ be wrong? Appreciate our stocked pharmacy, hospitals with useful machines, clean hand surgeons and useful labs. Cars not horses for conveyance. Only continue straight and narrow journey. Better times marching onward to future.

Battling: Not set in our way, as squirrels gather nuts we went at it! Leaning on generations of learning dug deep to retaliate, smoke out secrets.

With bugs everywhere.

‘Best means of defence attack!’

On Guard!

In 1768 John Fewster observed cowpox infection conferred immunity to smallpox (stupid name for obscene huge killer). Country lore farmers spared smallpox, also secret of milk maids generally smooth facial skin. In 1796 Edward Jenner injected child with ‘cowpox pus’ obtained from milkmaid’s blisters. Cow virus mild less virulent, she’d been infected by Blossom the cow. Jenner created smallpox vaccine, first virus vaccine. In 1980 WHO declared smallpox ‘eradicated disease’. Keep that way! Only two virus samples exist, USA Center for disease control and Kultsovo, Russia.

Good plan?

Now what could go wrong?

Good grief!

Do not give tyrant bugs ‘second shots’.

Desperate burst out to new world of virgin fodder.

Destroy dreadful yokes tout suite.

Humans not trusting each other very smart.

For survival.

In Ireland baby boomers got Small pox vaccine at school, stiff arm for few days, to this day vaccination scar on left arm.

Virus: Poor bed fellows. Us mired in deep dark ages of ‘spontaneous generation’ virus bugs invade our big shot cells. Knew it’s architecture to exploit. Brainless creatures live by entering cells, high-jacking machinery create loads of themselves. Not any cells of ours wanted invasions only cause sorrow.

How they make a crust.

Not symbiotic.

Like old Cromwell and his buddies.

They are stored with vital info scope out cell machinery, find how to enter, enable virus making machinery. Replicate in billions, sneeze out to us all about. All that 100 times smaller than bacteria, stripped down to destructive essential. How they developed such knowledge? That’s some Origami!

Virus, vast knowledge beyond our ken.

Know how cell operates!

Discovered DNA functions before us!

Formidable cloning themselves.

Professors still in cell kindergarten.

Virus useful purpose once ‘transfer genes’, one species to another see what you get. Bumble bee to Flamingo life proceeds by that process. Constant mutating malicious biology manifests, renowned shape shifter from chancy fever to random scary ‘gains of function’, how cookies crumble! Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) originated from simian virus (SIV), ~1920’s in Congo. Sober reading HIV still infects ~1 million every year. AID’s virus challenge to treat having high capacity to mutate, some individuals infected with several unique variants, make drugs less effective constant need catching up. Last 40 years this virus killed ~40 million people. No highfalutin motivations. Never fully understand how they operate, eventually hope to cease their evil ways. Alive in their world, knowing loads more biology than stored in our libraries. They navigate in cells as submarines, docking here and there. Not eye for an eye, tiny beats Mega. Perhaps tiny tots not mere hold overs from creation assembly times. Now drive to thin herds or impetus to improve, direct these times. If we limping that’s not sufficient for nature. Status quo not enough needs improving, strategy suck it and see, enable yearning make it better. Not all random with them? How we have flora and fauna, that’s their wonderful hit parade. They have serious history, give better or worse a shot.

Message !

Better get our act together or whacked like T Rex.

Virus to help!?

For change.

Bouncing genes about,

they’ve all the time.

Days in the sun after us?

Maybe we are good enough,

as we transients need be.

Earth does not owe us, we just ruffled it up for a bit. Next lot will have our fossil oil and gas. How the world turns.

Polio

Egyptian depiction of priest Ruma from 1450 BC with withered leg indicated polio. In 1841 German doctor Jacob Von Heine first to describe polio.

Given carry on these days about vaccines looked back at Golden age. Focus on polio virus from intriguing research activities in fifties early sixties, aided and abetted by fascinating information. Proving no better investment than Scientific research for survival, pin that to tight budgets. Otherwise who you going to call? Summer optimum time viral devil out and about, entering body through mouths of victims, replicates in GI tract. Horror virus favoured vulnerable youngsters. Back before polio vaccines, pictures of hospital wards wall to wall with patients in Iron lungs. A child when only sweet life ends in an Iron lung machine. From mother’s womb to Iron lung, no life at all. Some spend years even decades in those machines, described like being in a womb. Confined to Iron lung, many linger and eventually inevitably pass on. One man for 68 years had short intermittent times outside, this hero achieved successful life. Although given such fate I’d choose to end it all, throw dice for reincarnation. Even if repeating Latin in Leaving Cert, maybe have a head start having Virgil and Caesar on deja-vous.

Polio virus remains on our planet

Out and about infecting ~two countries.

That’s unsettling.

Tiny enemy needs destroyed, otherwise?

In 2022 polio virus detected in NYC waste water samples.

Pipes!

Close to home?

Just sayin, from reading.

In 1916 New York Polio fear resulted in massacre of 72,000 cats. Each one likely valued by family, later discover furry pets neither carry nor spread that virus. Brave Doctors and Nurses struggling while risking their lives. Why oh why did Nature create this vile disgusting enemy that killed, destroyed and crippled young life?

Virus!

Fly in ointment of beautiful Creation.

Just not one without the other.

When no Iron lung machines teams of volunteers recruited with device to manually pump air into patient lungs. All burdened by desperate dire situation. No one knows their heart felt emotions trying every day to cope in a situation without hope. Most enter world healthy and active, designed ready running about, creating mischief. It was us kids to avoid and prevail those times. At school early 1960s lined up for sugar cube infused with syrup containing live ‘attenuated’ as neutralized virus.

There but for Grace of God on we went.

Third place medal at 12 years in 100 yards dash at school!

All about the city on bikes, life exciting!

Later disco dances in Dublin’s Speakeasy.

Twisting about like nobodies business.

Dublin with mountains to climb!

World’s best city by miles.

Now learned from where miracle syrup created. Polio nightmare that traumatized parents was ending. Miracle vaccine, many of us passed times unscathed.

‘Most dreaded of youthful afflictions’.

‘Some disease do not take a life they just ruin it.’

Unacceptable virus beast lurks in any country.

Need big hammer, bang remaining into Hell’s fire.

1938 March of Dimes (MOD) raising polio research funds, each donation contained 10 cents. MOD organized with President Roosevelt (FDR), icon of older Polio patients at 39 years confined to wheel chair. At that age some say mis-diagnosed, perhaps Guillain Barre also causing muscle weakness. Who knows?

Polio Treatments, life’s lottery: Ross Harrison at Yale, key figure early Polio vaccine development. In 1907 using tissue culture demonstrated nerve cells could grow outside the body. 1940’s scientists developed techniques for polio virus growing in cultured human tissue. USA summer 1949, 42,000 cases of polio, USA summer 1952 with 57,000 cases of Polio. Ireland in 1950, 200 cases of Polio. Gets personal for mise in that thicket as new born. Life and quality at stake having baby time epidemics! One nastiest yoke on the face of earth invades to deprive and steal. Attacks infants and toddlers with no mercy, with wide worlds waiting. Polio virus little piece of biology causing chaos and heartbreak. Knowledge gained from many scientists inventing techniques, heavily armed with pipettes, test-tubes and microscopes. With venom targeting no mercy for demon yokes.

Science long established valuable forums, report results, techniques in peer reviewed journals, presenting at meetings answer questions. Collaborate, sharing data. System works splendid. Don’t go fixin it.

Since 1960 polio ended in USA, in 1988 global polio near total eradication. In 2012, 200 cases worldwide only Pakistan and Afghanistan remain. How fortunate some could figure difficult stuff to curtail mayhem. Two heroes Julius Salk and Albert Sabin (among others). Nitty gritty their two main teams assembled with intense competition engaged, propelled each other onwards. Having lived in the lab trenches dealing with competition ‘twas fascinating that Salk and Sabin classified having bitter rivalry watching each other from a far in polio vaccine race.

Recorded Sabin described Salk’s science as ‘Kitchen Chemistry’.

Not sure what that means today.

What with daily using lab microwave for brunch.

Pair of them lads in the fifties went at it tooth and nail, creating ‘Dead or Alive’ competition. Human victory was the result! In Pittsburgh Dr Salk’s team isolated, purified and chemically killed the virus. Virus pickled in formalin, exterior surface chemical structure unaltered. USA Polio vaccine trial in 1954, 623, 972 children were involved, injected into arms. Dead virus fared very well, vaccine works, promising war with Polio scrouge will end! Result showed Salk’s vaccine killed virus effective in preventing polio. Then one localised misfortune occurred, local California problem unfortunately live virus contaminated with vaccine causing disease.

However It Worked!

War with polio at an end, Salk refused to patent.

Worth billions.

“Can you patent the sun?”

Dr Salk asked.

Mirrored once by Banting and Best.

University of Toronto.

For Insulin.

Live Sabin virus had been ‘attenuated’ (weakened), no longer virulent. No longer able to plague, now being used to save us. By 1960 15 million Russians received Sabin oral vaccine. Overall perhaps better delivered than Salk.

‘Shot heard round the world.’

By 1970’s most countries using Sabin’s virus oral vaccine. Fewer distribution problems, one was vaccine virus could revert, rare at 1 in 500,000. That system Irish kids lined up for in ~1961, at school had sugar cube laced with syrup containing live weakened polio virus. Magnificent results celebrated successes, thank you Dr Salk and Dr Sabin. For both winning teams overwhelming answer displaying we can win this vile infection battle, drive it on to extinction forever. Hammer that on your tomb stone. Polio vaccinations would save us. On going appears live virus approach widely accepted, virus almost gone except those two countries. If ever a mountain to commemorate science heroes, their heads carved into hard rocks. With passing years millions freed of constant parent worry. Last case of Polio in the USA was 1979, last in Western hemisphere was 1991. Since the sixties polio in Ireland mostly ended. Polio virus pose danger of a return until all destroyed.

Won war against polio virus soon as we could.

Snuck up, they’d developed no defense for our weapons.

Glorious antibodies ready waiting and wanting.

Gotcha! Outa here!

Took polio virus to brink of annihilation.

Humans! Hard to finally defeat in the end.

Together or competition figured a way.

(Cancer remains disease with many hats)

Not to be nosey, none of my business, but divorced Dr. Salk married Picasso’s ex-mistress. Hope they both had a happy life thereafter.

Save Worst Till Last.

Additional Rogues Gallery of Brutality

Spanish Flu: Greatest health crisis.

In 1918 pandemic a nasty flu infecting 10,000 a week, then virus doubles in intensity a devastating variant. Followed by year’s infernal path all over the world. Difficult to relate full horrors of Spanish flu, see documentary ‘Deadliest Plague of the 20th Century: Flu of 1918’.

‘Spit spreads death.’

‘Coughs and sneezes spread diseases.’

‘Dangerous as poison gas shells.’

Everyone masked, one refuse to wear influenza mask shot by an officer. In India no cremations they ran out of wood. Under estimation of ~25 million died, overlap World War 1 and flu. Many soldiers sent to the front catch flu going to war on ships. Mutating virus constantly more virulent, further spreads with soldiers returning. German soldiers fall back sick, head for home. Cities crowded, flu spreads worldwide. Pandemic becomes more deadly in response only Switzerland shuts down. Virus killed 500,000 in Lagos, 300,000 killed in South Africa (experience said to influence development of apartheid later years). Altogether 2.5 million dead in Africa in one year. 250,000 in Spain, 675,000 died in USA. In India 12 million died, British Prime minister David Loyd George gets the flu, 650 deaths daily in Boston. On five continents gatherings restricted, Australia and New York close ports. University having open air lectures. Families leave jugs outside for milkman, no bottles delivered. In Montreal 50 patients a day, many dying. No medicines only aspirin for fever. In France rum and brandy prescribed, in Canada ‘twas Scotch. French villages so decimated they ran out of coffins. On Nov 11 1918 WW1 was over, even end of WW1 celebrations led to further cases.

Took ‘World civilization’ to cliff edge.

Very contagious, killed rapidly.

Spread by soldiers in WW1.

Australia restricted, protected quarantine then 96 soldiers returning avoided quarantine. One third of that city infected, New Zealand ship going to Fiji and Samoa, many infected. American Samoa spared due to strict restrictions.

The Flu

Composed by Private Josh Lee (1919)

‘It stalked into camp

When the day was damp

And chilly and cold.

With a hand that was clammy

And bony and bold;

And it’s breath was icy and

mouldy and dank,

And it killed so speedy

and gloating greedy.

That it took away men

from each company rank.’

Finally newspaper headline: ‘Flu on the run just like ‘Enemy’

Black death pestilence: Yersini pestis bacteria plague, fatal pandemic 1346 to 1353. Due to lack of hygiene in towns where ‘sanitation’ was strict warning ‘Look out below’! Dumping in the street full of filth, ‘horse dung and pee’ and butchered blood. Bacteria spread by flies. Importance of hygiene, not fully realized until 19th century. 50 million people died, 50% of Europe’s population. Possible same bacteria could be resistant to our antibiotics.
Ebola: Anecdotal, December 2013 outbreak in Liberia, Guinea West Africa. A boy hit bats in a hollow tree that carried the virus, bats fell from the tree. Kids lit a fire and they ate, got sick and died.
Marburg virus: Described as Ebola cousin. In 1967 perhaps originated and passed on by Green Monkeys from Uganda, Monkeys sent to Germany. Results in 50% fatality. Recent outbreak in Ethiopia and Rwanda. Also found in Dog-faced bats.