Emergent Hope

Mix together - as you surely weren’t supposed to - 4Fs, Women and the Grace of God - and something unexpected is sure to happen.

Something unexpectedly good - unbelievably good...

Nazi view of Slavs parallels contemporary Allied view of aboriginals

The Nazis are best known for killing peoples they felt were actively seeking to harm them and civilization's road to progress.

'calvinistic' genetic predestination selects the few worthy --- or HGT's 'catholic' transfer of genetic salvation to all ?

Dr Martin Henry Dawson, the Canadian who gave humanity the boon of  'public domain penicillin-for-all' in the teeth of fierce opposition from the likes of Sir Alexander Fleming and Sir Howard Florey, was raised well within the long-forgotten atmosphere of fervent Calvinist evangelical missionary efforts that peaked in the very decades of his youth, just before the Great War.

Boyd Woodruff, possibly last of the decision-makers from the early days of penicillin research, dies at 99

Possibly the last of the decision making participants from the pioneering days of wartime penicillin (I am talking basically pre mid 1943) has died.

There are almost certainly still people alive who were very young patients from the earliest days of penicillin or who merely followed orders while working on some penicillin production line but I do not know who they are.

But Boyd Woodruff had a powerful role in the earliest days of antibiotics while still basically an undergraduate - that and his very long life made him a rare living link to events that we know can only know second hand, as history not journalism.

I knew he was still alive, still mentally active, knew his phone number and home address since 2005, but I always was too shy to call him and ask him what he recalled personally of Dr Dawson's parallel penicillin efforts.

Sigh....

did Pfizer boss John L Smith and penicillin pioneer Dr MH Dawson EVER actually meet ?

I have found no evidence, yet, that the two people most responsible for making penicillin WWII's only 'Good News Story' ever actually met in person -- or even ever talked over the phone.

Despite working only a few miles apart in New York City!