Notes & Asides

Dear Mr. Buckley:

One small error in an otherwise epistemological delight, “The Week.” You credit the UN with “one giant step for humanity.” Nonsense: credit belongs to the cows that had the pox, to Edward Jenner for his courage in infecting the milkmaid with it, and, not least, to the milkmaid herself. Today, such a human experiment would be labeled malpractice, and the protocol subjected to strict government guidelines. WHO has helped apply Jenner’s research. Fortunately, this project has been more helpful than the UN’s peacekeeping.

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William F. Buckley Jr.

Dear Mr. Buckley:

One small error in an otherwise epistemological delight, “The Week.” You credit the UN with “one giant step for humanity.” Nonsense: credit belongs to the cows that had the pox, to Edward Jenner for his courage in infecting the milkmaid with it, and, not least, to the milkmaid herself. Today, such a human experiment would be labeled malpractice, and the protocol subjected to strict government guidelines. WHO has helped apply Jenner’s research. Fortunately, this project has been more helpful than the UN’s peacekeeping.