Plagued by stigma
The World Health Organisation told doctors to stop naming diseases after people, places and animals so as not to stigmatise them. But are diseases even really associated with things that gave them their name?
— Spanish flu. First identified in an army hospital in Kansas in March 1918. It gained its name because Spain was a neutral country, and uncensored newspaper reports made it appear uniquely affected. Subsequent theories have had it originating in China or at an army camp in France.
— Legionnaires’ disease. First identified after an outbreak at a convention of the American Legion at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia, in July 1976.
— Ebola. First recorded in the village of Yambaku, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1976, by a Belgian doctor, Peter Piot. He named it after the Ebola river, 60 miles away, so as not to stigmatise the village.
Commons people
What awaits defeated MPs? A 2007 study of 184 ex-MPs by Leeds University found:
21% found work almost immediately.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in