Most of us believe that dirt is good for our kids, but some of us are wary of the grass in the parks, which may or may not have been treated with toxic chemicals. Eula Biss chemicaldirtgood Change image and share on social
When I was researching the Victorian anti-vaccination movement, those activists often used a vampire as a metaphor for the vaccinator. Eula Biss activistantimetaphor Change image and share on social
Nigeria and Pakistan are two countries that have had a lot of trouble with polio. And part of the reason is that there's a lot of political unrest, and people really distrust what the government is doing. That has an effect on people's health, and it has an effect on the health of children. Eula Biss childcountrydistrust share on social
One of the mysteries of hep B immunization is that vaccinating only 'high risk' groups, which was the original public health strategy, did not bring down rates of infection. Eula Biss bringgrouphealth Change image and share on social
A vaccine introduces a small amount or a tempered version of the virus into the body - just enough to that the body is able to recognize it and deal with it when it encounters it again in the future. Eula Biss amountbodydeal Change image and share on social
In the 19th century, smallpox was widely considered a disease of filth, which meant that it was largely understood to be a disease of the poor. According to filth theory, any number of contagious diseases were caused by bad air that had been made foul by excrement or rot. Eula Biss 19thairbad share on social
Our constitution got built around the idea of minority protection. Eula Biss buildconstitutionidea Change image and share on social
The risk of getting Hep B from a blood transfusion is a tiny number, but it's a bigger number than the risk of side effects from the vaccine. Eula Biss bigbloodeffect Change image and share on social
I had already drafted the manuscript that would become my first book by the time I graduated from college, but I had no idea what to do with it. Eula Biss bookcollegedraft Change image and share on social
My mother wrote poetry when I was young - I have an early memory of the sound of her typewriter - and my father told me inventive bedtime stories. Eula Biss bedtimeearlyfather Change image and share on social