NPR just reported that black lung is spreading through Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Meanwhile, the CDC is urging Florida to deal with its worst outbreak of TB in 20 years. Of course, with the shortage of cancer drugs available in the U.S., thanks to government regulation, these old-fashioned epidemics may seem a lesser priority. Soon, we’ll be back to using leeches to suck out bad blood and restore our humors.
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About the Author
Michael Auslin is the author of National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America (Avid Reader/Simon & Schuster). He is the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution.
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