23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Fictional Flight of Conspiracy Paranoia (Revised), June 30, 2009
This review is from: LYME DISEASE AND THE SS ELBRUS (REVISED) (Paperback)
When I read the Amazon "Product Description" of Rachel Verdon's book, I almost fell out of my chair laughing. However, I realized that most people do not do what I do, that is, take even things I agree with "with a grain of salt," and do some further research, e.g. check out some of the references. In other words, I never accept one or two sources, whether books and/or articles, as gospel until doing further investigation of my own, unless, of course, in an area wherein I enjoy some expertise. As a retired epidemiologist reading about the history of various infectious diseases is second nature to me.
From "Click to Look Inside" I could read what appears to be the first 4 pages of the book. On the first page Verdon writes: "One of the most intense biographies on Georg Friedrich Nicolai was written by a serologist and pediatrician, Wolf Suelzer; `The Nicolai Case,' Wayne State University Press, 1982. It speaks for itself." Verdon goes on to write: "Nicolai and Einstein co-authored `The Biology of War,' in 1918. Einstein contributed the introductory `Manifesto,' which had been signed by a score of German scientist, excusing Germany for starting World War 1."
I found a copy on the web of "The Biology of War" by Dr. G.F. Nicolai (New York: The Century Company, 1918), free for downloading (http://www.archive.org/details/biologyofwar00nicouoft) and as it was not available at any local library, I purchase through Amazon a copy of Suelzer's biography of Nicolai. It may be available at libraries in other communities.
Verdon writes that Suelzer's biography of Nicolai "speaks for herself." She writes: "The history of the Communist-Fascist alliance in biological warfare begins with Albert Einstein and his BEST BUDDY [my emphasis] Dr. Georg Friedrich Nicolai." So what does Suelzer write? "The relationship between Einstein and Nicolai was the comradeship of two men fighting for the same cause [which was Pacifism], RATHER THAN A PERSONAL FRIENDSHIP [my emphasis]. [Einstein] took a tolerant, slightly amused, but always sympathetic view of Nicolai's quixotic character." (pp 197 - 198). In a biography of 443 pages, this is all that Suelzer writes about the relationship between these BEST BUDDIES (according to Vernon). In a biography of Einstein, Nicolai, his BEST BUDDY (according to Vernon) is mentioned once in conjunction with the Manifesto to Europeans (Michael White and John Gribbin. "Einstein: A Life in Science," Penguin Books, 1993, page. 119). One might consider the exaggeration of their relationship as poetic license except that she claims it to be the starting point for the "Communist-Fascist alliance in biological warfare."
Verdon states that "Nicolai and Einstein co-authored `The Biology of War,' in 1918. Einstein contributed the introductory `Manifesto,' which had been signed by a score of German scientist, excusing Germany for starting World War 1." [I encourage the reader to actually download the Biology of War. There is a box where one can type in any page number and it goes directly to the page except for the Introductory pages that use Roman Numerals. In this case, to the left of the box are two blue arrows for rapidly getting to any of these pages] First, the "Biology of War" was written solely by Nicolai (not just from the title page; but from Suelzer's biography). As for the "`Manifesto,' which had been signed by a score of German scientist, excusing Germany for starting World War 1," the Manifesto was actually signed by 93 of Germany's leading intellectuals, including scientists, artists, theologians, etc; but NOT by either Einstein or Nicolai. In fact Nicolai begins his book "The Biology of War" with "the outward and visible cause why this book was written was the manifesto to the civilized world published in the early days of October, 1914, by ninety-three representatives of German science and art (page IX)."
Nicolai then goes on to reproduce the Manifesto in its entirety, adding footnotes where appropriate. For instance, section 2 reads: "IT IS NOT TRUE THAT WE CRIMINALLY VIOLATED BELGIAN NEUTRALITY. It can be proved that France and England had resolved to violate it, and it can be proved that Belgium had agreed to this. It would have been suicidal not to have anticipated them.i"
Nicolai's footnote actually shows the above to be a lie:
i On August 14, 1914, Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg, then German
Chancellor, said in the Reichstag: "Gentlemen, we stand now perforce
on guard. Necessity knows no law. Our troops have occupied Luxemburg,
possibly trodden Belgian soil. Gentlemen, this is contrary to international law. ... In this way we have been forced to override the justifiable protests of the Belgian and Luxemburg governments. We shall repair the injustice which we are committing as soon as our military object is attained/' (page XI)
Nicolai and Einstein did co-author the "Manifesto to Europeans," which was meant as a response/critique of the original Manifesto. Unfortunately, with only three signatures and war fervor at its height, it met with deaf ears.
From the publisher's description, it is obvious that Vernon believes Lyme disease an outbreak of something new, especially in North America. Thus she weaves a convoluted, complex, incredible conspiracy theory. From the publisher "How do we solve this Communist plot to destroy America from within, using diseases of the nervous system?" Of course there is a simpler explanation for Lyme Disease.
Lyme Disease has been around for a long time; but due to a more sporadic appearance, was not thought to be an infectious disease; but instead was given various labels such as "juvenile rheumatoid arthritis." As we moved out to the suburbs, living ever closer to nature, more and more Americans came in contact with the tick-borne disease until when a cluster was noticed, an investigation began, looking into the possibility of an infectious disease and so Lyme Disease was "discovered," more accurately relabeled. From Wikipedia's article on Lyme Disease:
"Before 1976, elements of B. burgdorferi sensu lato infection were called or known as tickborne meningopolyneuritis, Garin-Bujadoux syndrome, Bannworth syndrome, Afzelius syndrome, Montauk Knee or sheep tick fever. Since 1976 the disease is most often referred to as Lyme disease, Lyme borreliosis or simply borreliosis.
The full syndrome now known as Lyme disease was not recognized until a cluster of cases originally thought to be juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was identified in three towns in southeastern Connecticut in 1975, including the towns Lyme and Old Lyme, which gave the disease its popular name. This was investigated by physicians David Snydman and Allen Steere of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, and by others from Yale University.
Urbanization and other anthropogenic factors can be implicated in the spread of Lyme disease to humans. In many areas, expansion of suburban neighborhoods has led to the gradual deforestation of surrounding wooded areas and increasing border contact between humans and tick-dense areas. Human expansion has also resulted in a gradual reduction of the predators that normally hunt deer as well as mice, chipmunks and other small rodents - the primary reservoirs for Lyme disease. As a consequence of increased human contact with host and vector, the likelihood of transmission to Lyme residents has greatly increased."
Vernon has taken umbrage with my referring to an article in Wikipedia which she does not consider a reliable source for knowledge. What she failed to notice is the long list of references following the article, many of which could be accessed on the web, and many from well-respected peer-reviewed journals. In any case, as I revise this review I will give direct quotes from books and peer-reviewed journal articles, complete with detailed references, and, when available on the web, the URLs.
It is also a bit of a stretch to claim her book as published by the usual meaning of the word. The author, Rachel Verdon, paid to have it published. From Elderberry Press: "How much does your service cost? Our fees haven't increased in more than five years and are about what you would pay for printing 1000 books at a local print shop. Adult books: $3900 plus 2¢ per word all inclusive. Payable in three convenient, safe installments." I checked our public libraries and local university libraries; but not a single copy was available. And none of our local bookstores have a copy on their shelves.
So why, though retired with time to spare, would I spend so much time reviewing a book whose author paid to have it published and will probably sell few copies? The old saying is "A Lie Travels Around the World Before the Truth Gets Its Boots On!" I have noticed on the web people citing talk shows, books and articles, not just a few, but dozens even hundreds of blogs, without checking whether they are disseminating the truth or someone else's lies or misinterpretations. Unfortunately, once people have done this, their self-esteem seldom allows them to accept they have been duped. And lies and misinterpretations have consequences. In a democracy people vote and votes depend on peoples' knowledge and opinions. To read more on how people often form opinions that they believe were arrived at from careful deliberation; but weren't see Thomas Gilovich's fascinating book "How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life," Free Press, 1991, and Michael Shermer's book, "Why People Believe Weird Things," (especially Chapter 3 "How Thinking Goes Wrong"), MJF Books, 1997 [note there is a second edition out]. See also Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. "Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)," Harcourt, 2007.
From Vernon's comments on health care blogs and just the first few...
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