Comments on: History Lessons

By: Autism Does Change Everything

Autism Does Change Everything — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:22:52 +0000

[...] did, she was not listening?) Wright has previously said that she hopes to make autism “a word for the history books“; in her Parade magazine article, she talks about “stem[ming] the tide and ultimately [...]

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:25:14 +0000

And if the Gauls are in the Emperor’s seat….

By: Owl

Owl — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:49:11 +0000

Good point. If all a civilization is worth is what kind of economic base they develop from other subjected cultures we have the entire value system upside down. The point is how sophisticated and refined of a culture you can get and you can keep that going even if the Gauls no longer pay tribute…

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:35:27 +0000

@Harold L. Doherty,

“But I think you are stretching things to compare this debate to debates over what caused the demise of Rome.”

It’s not really a “debate” about lead pipes causing the decline of Rome, not among historians. Nor can we say that Roman civilization “declined”—this is an unfair value judgment comparing the literature of such writers as Statius to Virgil (who is quite original and exquisite). Good stuff all the way to the end.

By: Owl

Owl — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:25:56 +0000

So Rome had lead lined aqueducts and we have lead pipes. They all go stupid and there civilization falls… because of lead poisoning in a society where brute strength mattered more than the mind, which is why Rome adopted ideas didn’t come up with them. Us on the other hand have a society where brain damage means more and supposedly our lead pipes don’t destroy us… It’s such a weird theory that way.

By: andrea

andrea — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:55:04 +0000

The connections seem clear to me…

By: Harold L Doherty

Harold L Doherty — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:37:37 +0000

I have never found the evidence in support of vaccines/thimerosal causing autism all that compelling. But I think you are stretching things to compare this debate to debates over what caused the demise of Rome. Very weak comparison.

I hope tomorrow you will not use that comparison to conclude that all potential environmental causes/triggers for autism should be ruled out.