#germtheory — Public Fediverse posts

The Secretary Of Health & Human Services Doesn’t Believe In The Foundation Of Modern Medicine

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/28/the-secretary-of-health-human-services-doesnt-believe-in-the-foundation-of-modern-medicine/

The Secretary Of Health & Human Services Doesn’t Believe In The Foundation Of Modern Medicine

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/28/the-secretary-of-health-human-services-doesnt-believe-in-the-foundation-of-modern-medicine/

Me: I’ll sit next to that guy instead of leaving an empty table at the cafe, I have to stop thinking everyone has some contagious disease and is out anyway.

A minute later: *hears sniffles*

Three minutes later: *huge coughing fit*

Three and a half minutes later: *I get up and move to a different part of the cafe*

Why don’t you fucking stay home if you’re that ill? Seriously? You don’t need that latte and I don’t need your germs. Ffs!

#ireland #germTheory #whatWasCovidAgain #RFKJrWouldBeProud

Me: I’ll sit next to that guy instead of leaving an empty table at the cafe, I have to stop thinking everyone has some contagious disease and is out anyway.

A minute later: *hears sniffles*

Three minutes later: *huge coughing fit*

Three and a half minutes later: *I get up and move to a different part of the cafe*

Why don’t you fucking stay home if you’re that ill? Seriously? You don’t need that latte and I don’t need your germs. Ffs!

#ireland #germTheory #whatWasCovidAgain #RFKJrWouldBeProud

“In the natural world, anything that is colored so brightly must be some kind of serious evolutionary badass”*…

There are an estimated 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive on earth today; they’ve been around for over 350 million years and ihabit nearly every environment, from deserts to snowy mountains. Their total biomass is massive, estimated to be around 70 times more than all humans combined. Often considered pests, only about 3% of species are harmful to humans; the vast majority are crucial for pollination, decomposition, and as food sources for other animals. (More insect data.)

“Loren” (and here) is a microbiologist fascinated by bugs– and ready to share…

I am incredibly fond of insects. They’re small and usually pretty fast, so it’s rewarding to successfully capture a photo of one. from 2017 to 2023, I was fairly consistent about chasing down bugs and sharing the photos on instagram, but sticking them all in a square grid can only do so much for me (or you). Here, I want to have a little more fun with my photos, and share other bug-related things that I like. There’s a lot! I am not an entomologist, merely a bug fan, so this page in its current state skews more towards the entertaining than the informative, but who knows what it may turn into. Right now there’s an entomology textbook sitting on my coffee table, and plenty of time to read it while the bugs overwinter…

Browse and learn: “The Bug Zone,” via Matt Muir (@mattmuir.bsky.social) and his always-illuminating Web Curios (@curiobot.bsky.social).

* Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon

###

As we creep and crawl, we might spare a thought for a man concerned with “bugs” of a different sort, Joseph Lister (1st Baron Lister, OM, PC, FRS, FRCSE, FRCPGlas, FRCS); he died on this date in 1912. A surgeon, medical scientist, and experimental pathologist, he was a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Just as John Hunter revolutionised the science of surgery, Lister’s revolutionized the craft of surgery.

Lister researched the role of inflammation and tissue perfusion in the healing of wounds, and advanced diagnostic science by analysing specimens using microscopes. But his biggest contributions were a function of his application of Louis Pasteur‘s then-novel germ theory. Lister introduced carbolic acid (modern-day phenol) as a steriliser for surgical instruments, patients’ skins, sutures, surgeons’ hands, and wards, promoting the principle of antiseptics. And he devised strategies to increase the chances of survival after surgery by reducing post-operative infections (e.g., segragating post-op patients from pre-op patients who had germ-riddled wounds).

See also.

source

“In the natural world, anything that is colored so brightly must be some kind of serious evolutionary badass”*…

There are an estimated 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive on earth today; they’ve been around for over 350 million years and ihabit nearly every environment, from deserts to snowy mountains. Their total biomass is massive, estimated to be around 70 times more than all humans combined. Often considered pests, only about 3% of species are harmful to humans; the vast majority are crucial for pollination, decomposition, and as food sources for other animals. (More insect data.)

“Loren” (and here) is a microbiologist fascinated by bugs– and ready to share…

I am incredibly fond of insects. They’re small and usually pretty fast, so it’s rewarding to successfully capture a photo of one. from 2017 to 2023, I was fairly consistent about chasing down bugs and sharing the photos on instagram, but sticking them all in a square grid can only do so much for me (or you). Here, I want to have a little more fun with my photos, and share other bug-related things that I like. There’s a lot! I am not an entomologist, merely a bug fan, so this page in its current state skews more towards the entertaining than the informative, but who knows what it may turn into. Right now there’s an entomology textbook sitting on my coffee table, and plenty of time to read it while the bugs overwinter…

Browse and learn: “The Bug Zone,” via Matt Muir (@mattmuir.bsky.social) and his always-illuminating Web Curios (@curiobot.bsky.social).

* Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon

###

As we creep and crawl, we might spare a thought for a man concerned with “bugs” of a different sort, Joseph Lister (1st Baron Lister, OM, PC, FRS, FRCSE, FRCPGlas, FRCS); he died on this date in 1912. A surgeon, medical scientist, and experimental pathologist, he was a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Just as John Hunter revolutionised the science of surgery, Lister’s revolutionized the craft of surgery.

Lister researched the role of inflammation and tissue perfusion in the healing of wounds, and advanced diagnostic science by analysing specimens using microscopes. But his biggest contributions were a function of his application of Louis Pasteur‘s then-novel germ theory. Lister introduced carbolic acid (modern-day phenol) as a steriliser for surgical instruments, patients’ skins, sutures, surgeons’ hands, and wards, promoting the principle of antiseptics. And he devised strategies to increase the chances of survival after surgery by reducing post-operative infections (e.g., segragating post-op patients from pre-op patients who had germ-riddled wounds).

See also.

source

“In the natural world, anything that is colored so brightly must be some kind of serious evolutionary badass”*…

There are an estimated 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive on earth today; they’ve been around for over 350 million years and ihabit nearly every environment, from deserts to snowy mountains. Their total biomass is massive, estimated to be around 70 times more than all humans combined. Often considered pests, only about 3% of species are harmful to humans; the vast majority are crucial for pollination, decomposition, and as food sources for other animals. (More insect data.)

“Loren” (and here) is a microbiologist fascinated by bugs– and ready to share…

I am incredibly fond of insects. They’re small and usually pretty fast, so it’s rewarding to successfully capture a photo of one. from 2017 to 2023, I was fairly consistent about chasing down bugs and sharing the photos on instagram, but sticking them all in a square grid can only do so much for me (or you). Here, I want to have a little more fun with my photos, and share other bug-related things that I like. There’s a lot! I am not an entomologist, merely a bug fan, so this page in its current state skews more towards the entertaining than the informative, but who knows what it may turn into. Right now there’s an entomology textbook sitting on my coffee table, and plenty of time to read it while the bugs overwinter…

Browse and learn: “The Bug Zone,” via Matt Muir (@mattmuir.bsky.social) and his always-illuminating Web Curios (@curiobot.bsky.social).

* Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon

###

As we creep and crawl, we might spare a thought for a man concerned with “bugs” of a different sort, Joseph Lister (1st Baron Lister, OM, PC, FRS, FRCSE, FRCPGlas, FRCS); he died on this date in 1912. A surgeon, medical scientist, and experimental pathologist, he was a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Just as John Hunter revolutionised the science of surgery, Lister’s revolutionized the craft of surgery.

Lister researched the role of inflammation and tissue perfusion in the healing of wounds, and advanced diagnostic science by analysing specimens using microscopes. But his biggest contributions were a function of his application of Louis Pasteur‘s then-novel germ theory. Lister introduced carbolic acid (modern-day phenol) as a steriliser for surgical instruments, patients’ skins, sutures, surgeons’ hands, and wards, promoting the principle of antiseptics. And he devised strategies to increase the chances of survival after surgery by reducing post-operative infections (e.g., segragating post-op patients from pre-op patients who had germ-riddled wounds).

See also.

source

“In the natural world, anything that is colored so brightly must be some kind of serious evolutionary badass”*…

There are an estimated 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive on earth today; they’ve been around for over 350 million years and ihabit nearly every environment, from deserts to snowy mountains. Their total biomass is massive, estimated to be around 70 times more than all humans combined. Often considered pests, only about 3% of species are harmful to humans; the vast majority are crucial for pollination, decomposition, and as food sources for other animals. (More insect data.)

“Loren” (and here) is a microbiologist fascinated by bugs– and ready to share…

I am incredibly fond of insects. They’re small and usually pretty fast, so it’s rewarding to successfully capture a photo of one. from 2017 to 2023, I was fairly consistent about chasing down bugs and sharing the photos on instagram, but sticking them all in a square grid can only do so much for me (or you). Here, I want to have a little more fun with my photos, and share other bug-related things that I like. There’s a lot! I am not an entomologist, merely a bug fan, so this page in its current state skews more towards the entertaining than the informative, but who knows what it may turn into. Right now there’s an entomology textbook sitting on my coffee table, and plenty of time to read it while the bugs overwinter…

Browse and learn: “The Bug Zone,” via Matt Muir (@mattmuir.bsky.social) and his always-illuminating Web Curios (@curiobot.bsky.social).

* Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon

###

As we creep and crawl, we might spare a thought for a man concerned with “bugs” of a different sort, Joseph Lister (1st Baron Lister, OM, PC, FRS, FRCSE, FRCPGlas, FRCS); he died on this date in 1912. A surgeon, medical scientist, and experimental pathologist, he was a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Just as John Hunter revolutionised the science of surgery, Lister’s revolutionized the craft of surgery.

Lister researched the role of inflammation and tissue perfusion in the healing of wounds, and advanced diagnostic science by analysing specimens using microscopes. But his biggest contributions were a function of his application of Louis Pasteur‘s then-novel germ theory. Lister introduced carbolic acid (modern-day phenol) as a steriliser for surgical instruments, patients’ skins, sutures, surgeons’ hands, and wards, promoting the principle of antiseptics. And he devised strategies to increase the chances of survival after surgery by reducing post-operative infections (e.g., segragating post-op patients from pre-op patients who had germ-riddled wounds).

See also.

source

“In the natural world, anything that is colored so brightly must be some kind of serious evolutionary badass”*…

There are an estimated 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive on earth today; they’ve been around for over 350 million years and ihabit nearly every environment, from deserts to snowy mountains. Their total biomass is massive, estimated to be around 70 times more than all humans combined. Often considered pests, only about 3% of species are harmful to humans; the vast majority are crucial for pollination, decomposition, and as food sources for other animals. (More insect data.)

“Loren” (and here) is a microbiologist fascinated by bugs– and ready to share…

I am incredibly fond of insects. They’re small and usually pretty fast, so it’s rewarding to successfully capture a photo of one. from 2017 to 2023, I was fairly consistent about chasing down bugs and sharing the photos on instagram, but sticking them all in a square grid can only do so much for me (or you). Here, I want to have a little more fun with my photos, and share other bug-related things that I like. There’s a lot! I am not an entomologist, merely a bug fan, so this page in its current state skews more towards the entertaining than the informative, but who knows what it may turn into. Right now there’s an entomology textbook sitting on my coffee table, and plenty of time to read it while the bugs overwinter…

Browse and learn: “The Bug Zone,” via Matt Muir (@mattmuir.bsky.social) and his always-illuminating Web Curios (@curiobot.bsky.social).

* Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon

###

As we creep and crawl, we might spare a thought for a man concerned with “bugs” of a different sort, Joseph Lister (1st Baron Lister, OM, PC, FRS, FRCSE, FRCPGlas, FRCS); he died on this date in 1912. A surgeon, medical scientist, and experimental pathologist, he was a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Just as John Hunter revolutionised the science of surgery, Lister’s revolutionized the craft of surgery.

Lister researched the role of inflammation and tissue perfusion in the healing of wounds, and advanced diagnostic science by analysing specimens using microscopes. But his biggest contributions were a function of his application of Louis Pasteur‘s then-novel germ theory. Lister introduced carbolic acid (modern-day phenol) as a steriliser for surgical instruments, patients’ skins, sutures, surgeons’ hands, and wards, promoting the principle of antiseptics. And he devised strategies to increase the chances of survival after surgery by reducing post-operative infections (e.g., segragating post-op patients from pre-op patients who had germ-riddled wounds).

See also.

source

This is mind boggling:

Death is the policy

"Under RFK Jr., ‘Make America Healthy Again’ means junk science like ‘survival of the fittest.’"

"In one of his own published books, Kennedy indicates that he does not believe in germ theory, instead subscribing to a version of the abandoned 19th century concept that the “miasma” is the source of disease."

#Antivax #Medicine #FakeScience #RFKJr #Vaccines #CDC #MMR #HHS #Miasma #GermTheory #BrainWorm #PublicSafety #Ignorance

https://www.theverge.com/health/661362/rfk-jr-measles-autism

This is mind boggling:

Death is the policy

"Under RFK Jr., ‘Make America Healthy Again’ means junk science like ‘survival of the fittest.’"

"In one of his own published books, Kennedy indicates that he does not believe in germ theory, instead subscribing to a version of the abandoned 19th century concept that the “miasma” is the source of disease."

#Antivax #Medicine #FakeScience #RFKJr #Vaccines #CDC #MMR #HHS #Miasma #GermTheory #BrainWorm #PublicSafety #Ignorance

https://www.theverge.com/health/661362/rfk-jr-measles-autism

#Vaccines #science #Victorian #1800s #19thCentury #medicine #germtheory #loss #Grief #death

#Vaccines #science #Victorian #1800s #19thCentury #medicine #germtheory #loss #Grief #death

What illness and death were like before germ theory.

RFK, Jr. touts nutrition and alternate therapies, but this nineteenth-century family tried everything available to save their daughter, putting her through dangerous and painful treatments. What they needed were antibiotics.

"RFK Jr. calls vaccines and antibiotics “patented poisons,” but these are the cures for which Celestia and countless others prayed."

https://nursingclio.org/2025/07/21/dying-before-germ-theory/

#GermTheory #Rfk_jr #Vaccines #histodons #HistMed

What illness and death were like before germ theory.

RFK, Jr. touts nutrition and alternate therapies, but this nineteenth-century family tried everything available to save their daughter, putting her through dangerous and painful treatments. What they needed were antibiotics.

"RFK Jr. calls vaccines and antibiotics “patented poisons,” but these are the cures for which Celestia and countless others prayed."

https://nursingclio.org/2025/07/21/dying-before-germ-theory/

#GermTheory #Rfk_jr #Vaccines #histodons #HistMed

Some people I know were aware that #GermTheory deniers were on the rise. We saw them. We tried to warn.

But the scrappy #scicomm folks didn't have any pull.

So here we are. Consequences.

"Sam and Mark Bailey deny germ theory"

https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360735211/baileys-and-their-crusade-against-modern-medicine

Some people I know were aware that #GermTheory deniers were on the rise. We saw them. We tried to warn.

But the scrappy #scicomm folks didn't have any pull.

So here we are. Consequences.

"Sam and Mark Bailey deny germ theory"

https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360735211/baileys-and-their-crusade-against-modern-medicine

#RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of #health science: #GermTheory
In his 2021 book vilifying Anthony Fauci, #RFKJr lays out support for an alternate theory.
It's important to note here that our understanding of #Kennedy's disbelief in #germ theory isn't based on speculation or deduction; it's based on Kennedy's own words. He wrote an entire section on it in his 2021 book vilifying Fauci. The section is titled "Miasma vs. Germ Theory," in the chapter "The White Man's Burden."
https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/

#RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of #health science: #GermTheory
In his 2021 book vilifying Anthony Fauci, #RFKJr lays out support for an alternate theory.
It's important to note here that our understanding of #Kennedy's disbelief in #germ theory isn't based on speculation or deduction; it's based on Kennedy's own words. He wrote an entire section on it in his 2021 book vilifying Fauci. The section is titled "Miasma vs. Germ Theory," in the chapter "The White Man's Burden."
https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/

Germ-Theory Skeptic Goes Swimming in Poop Water, Celsius Founder Gets 12 Years - HTTAY 124 Matt

#httay #rfkjr #germtheory #water #celsius #law #science

https://youtu.be/nRqyKCxs18I?si=JhA_PiRaBWU8OiOv

Germ-Theory Skeptic Goes Swimming in Poop Water, Celsius Founder Gets 12 Years - HTTAY 124 Matt

#httay #rfkjr #germtheory #water #celsius #law #science

https://youtu.be/nRqyKCxs18I?si=JhA_PiRaBWU8OiOv

"Swimming in Rock Creek has been banned since 1971 due to pollution from runoff and numerous sewer outfalls. While there are ongoing efforts to clean up the waterways, it is not currently safe. ...

This past Mother’s Day, Kennedy’s belief that germs are overrated was on full display as the head of our country’s public health apparatus promoted swimming in shit."

~ Walter Einenkel

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory
/2

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/12/2321917/-RFK-Jr-is-not-only-full-of-crap-he-s-also-swimming-in-it

"Swimming in Rock Creek has been banned since 1971 due to pollution from runoff and numerous sewer outfalls. While there are ongoing efforts to clean up the waterways, it is not currently safe. ...

This past Mother’s Day, Kennedy’s belief that germs are overrated was on full display as the head of our country’s public health apparatus promoted swimming in shit."

~ Walter Einenkel

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory
/2

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/12/2321917/-RFK-Jr-is-not-only-full-of-crap-he-s-also-swimming-in-it

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, posted photos on Sunday of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a contaminated Washington creek where swimming is not allowed because it is used for sewer runoff.”

~ Chris Cameron

And MAGA is loving this, since: Rugged! Self-reliance! Immune systems! This is performative politics of cruel social Darwinism, suggesting that those who fall sick are weak and deserve their fate.

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory
/1

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/rfk-jr-rock-creek-bacteria.html

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, posted photos on Sunday of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a contaminated Washington creek where swimming is not allowed because it is used for sewer runoff.”

~ Chris Cameron

And MAGA is loving this, since: Rugged! Self-reliance! Immune systems! This is performative politics of cruel social Darwinism, suggesting that those who fall sick are weak and deserve their fate.

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory
/1

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/rfk-jr-rock-creek-bacteria.html

“RFK Jr. Took His Grandkids for a Dip in a Sewage-Contaminated Creek For Mother’s Day”

Lets just give this guy a #DarwinAward and call it a day.

#germtheory #rfkjr

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/rfk-jr-rock-creek

“RFK Jr. Took His Grandkids for a Dip in a Sewage-Contaminated Creek For Mother’s Day”

Lets just give this guy a #DarwinAward and call it a day.

#germtheory #rfkjr

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/rfk-jr-rock-creek

Germ theory denialism is a fringe conspiracy theory and allowing someone who subscribes to this idea to run a modern healthcare organization of any size is unconscionable and yet, here we are. The Republicans have made RFK Jr., a germ theory denialist (and antivaxxer!), the leader of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services.

This is like putting a flat earther in charge of NASA! For all I know they've done that already.

#uspol #germtheory #rfkjr

Germ theory denialism is a fringe conspiracy theory and allowing someone who subscribes to this idea to run a modern healthcare organization of any size is unconscionable and yet, here we are. The Republicans have made RFK Jr., a germ theory denialist (and antivaxxer!), the leader of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services.

This is like putting a flat earther in charge of NASA! For all I know they've done that already.

#uspol #germtheory #rfkjr

Out of Trump's entire cast of rejected supervillains from a movie about HYDRA, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is the most obviously delusional bullshitter; and yet owing to both his position, and the absolutely unhinged shit he processes to believe about health and medicine, he might legitimately be the most dangerous reactionary in the whole fascist cabinet. We've already talked about Kennedy's anti-science, anti-vax conspiracy beliefs, and his ablest, eugenicist attacks on autistic people; as a recent Ars Technical article drawn from RFK Jr's own book points out however, Kennedy is also a self-admitted germ theory denialist. No, really; this guy is on the wrong side of a biology debate settled in the 19th Century.

https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/

RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory

"The trouble is that now that Kennedy is the country's top health official, his warped ideas are contributing to the rise of a dystopian reality. Federal health agencies are spiraling into chaos, and critical public health services for Americans have been brutally slashed, dismantled, or knee-capped—from infectious disease responses, the lead poisoning team, and Meals on Wheels to maternal health programs and anti-smoking initiatives, just to name a few. The health of the nation is at stake; the struggle to understand what goes on in Kennedy's head is vital.

While we may never have definitive answers on his cognitive situation, one thing is plain: Kennedy's thoughts and actions make a lot more sense when you realize he doesn't believe in a foundational scientific principle: germ theory."

Okay so this isn't the most important thing to take from this article, but I'd just like to start with the fact that Kennedy is such a hack that he keeps calling his beliefs about health and disease "miasma theory" (an even older, and more discredited idea about "vapors" causing disease) but the beliefs he's describing actually align with (the still discredited) "terrain theory." This fraud-ass woo-peddling not even a doctor freak is busting out old-timey medical woo from the 1800's and he can't even be arsed to get the name of the hokum he's peddling right? At some point it really doesn't matter if Kennedy is a true believer in objectively wrong pseudo-science or an assclown grifter, but based on him using the term "miasma theory" to describe a completely different bullshit idea, I'm leaning towards assclown grifter.

Given that Kennedy has made himself a sort of anti-Big Pharma prophet in the larger fascist right by deflecting (justified) American anger towards the for-profit pharmaceutical industry, into unhelpful conspiracy channels and the arms of "wellness gurus" who're closely aligned with right wing politics, it doesn't really matter what RFK Jr believes in his heart. His objectives however, couldn't be any clearer if you read why he rejects germ theory.

"Kennedy contrasts his erroneous take on miasma theory with germ theory, which he derides as a tool of the pharmaceutical industry and pushy scientists to justify selling modern medicines. The abandonment of miasma theory, Kennedy bemoans, realigned health and medical institutions to "the pharmaceutical paradigm that emphasized targeting particular germs with specific drugs rather than fortifying the immune system through healthy living, clean water, and good nutrition."

According to Kennedy, germ theory gained popularity, not because of the undisputed evidence supporting it, but by "mimicking the traditional explanation for disease—demon possession—giving it a leg up over miasma."

To this day, Kennedy writes, a "$1 trillion pharmaceutical industry pushing patented pills, powders, pricks, potions, and poisons, and the powerful professions of virology and vaccinology led by 'Little Napoleon' himself, Anthony Fauci, fortify the century-old predominance of germ theory."

In all, the chapter provides a clear explanation of why Kennedy relentlessly attacks evidence-based medicines; vilifies the pharmaceutical industry; suggests HIV doesn't cause AIDS and antidepressants are behind mass shootings; believes that vaccines are harmful, not protective; claims 5G wireless networks cause cancer; suggests chemicals in water are changing children's gender identities; and is quick to promote supplements to prevent and treat diseases, such as recently recommending vitamin A for measles and falsely claiming children who die from the viral infection are malnourished."

Folks, have I mentioned that this man is literally not a doctor, or scientist, but he's in charge of the entire health apparatus of the American government yet? Kennedy's ability to blur the line between crank, reactionary grifter, and eugenicist ideologue puts him on par with your average crypto-fascist Youtuber; the problem is that we're locked in with him, forced to watch his channel because he's running HHS.

#Fascism #RFKJr #HHS #GermTheory #ConspiracyTheories #Fraud #PublicHealth

"While underlying medical conditions certainly affect people’s health, Mole notes that 'the evidence against terrain theory is obvious and all around us.' But if you think germs are less important than overall health, things like the pasteurization of milk to kill E. coli, salmonella, and Listeria bacteria—which Kennedy opposes—are unnecessary."

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory #measles #vaccines
/7

"This would explain Kennedy’s assertion—refuted by doctors—that the children who died of measles were malnourished. As medical blogger Kristen Panthagani, MD/PhD, explains: Kennedy’s way of thinking is 'the belief that infections don't pose a risk to healthy people who have optimized their immune system.'”

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory #measles #vaccines
/6

"While Kennedy appears to believe germs exist, he also claims to believe in the older theory of disease called 'miasma theory,' although as [Beth] Mole points out, he misunderstands that theory—the idea that diseases are caused by poisonous vapors—and really appears to believe in another old idea: 'terrain theory.' Terrain theory maintains that diseases are signs that the internal 'terrain' of the body is out of whack."

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory #measles #vaccines
/5

"In 2025, the top health official in the United States, a man without degrees in either medicine or public health, appears to be rejecting germ theory and reshaping the nation’s medical system around his own dedication to a theory that was outdated well over a century ago."

~ Heather Cox Richardson

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory #measles #vaccines
/4

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-4-202

"In 2025, the top health official in the United States, a man without degrees in either medicine or public health, appears to be rejecting germ theory and reshaping the nation’s medical system around his own dedication to a theory that was outdated well over a century ago."

~ Heather Cox Richardson

#RFKJr #healthcare #GermTheory #measles #vaccines
/4

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-4-202

In a shocking twist worthy of a flat-earth convention, RFK Jr. has bravely decided that the cornerstone of modern health science – germ theory – is merely a figment of our collective imagination. 🦠🚫 Clearly, he's got a PhD in #Ignorance, specializing in "Things Scientists Figured Out Centuries Ago." 🧐🎓
https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/ #RFKJr #GermTheory #FlatEarth #HealthScience #HackerNews #ngated

In a shocking twist worthy of a flat-earth convention, RFK Jr. has bravely decided that the cornerstone of modern health science – germ theory – is merely a figment of our collective imagination. 🦠🚫 Clearly, he's got a PhD in #Ignorance, specializing in "Things Scientists Figured Out Centuries Ago." 🧐🎓
https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/ #RFKJr #GermTheory #FlatEarth #HealthScience #HackerNews #ngated

RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory

https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/

#HackerNews #RFKJr #germtheory #healthscience #antivaccine #misinformation

RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory

https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/

#HackerNews #RFKJr #germtheory #healthscience #antivaccine #misinformation

Folks, I give you a buffoon with ZERO medical education... the US Secretary of Health & Human Services.

☑️ RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/
#rfkjr #germtheory #trump

Folks, I give you a buffoon with ZERO medical education... the US Secretary of Health & Human Services.

☑️ RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/
#rfkjr #germtheory #trump

How Regulation Came to Be: Pasteurization (17th in series)

I’m re-pubishing this series with permission of the author. Could have made a good book.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2012/3/25/1076932/-How-regulation-came-to-be-Pasteurization

#HowRegulationCameToBe #Regulation #History #Pateurization #FoodSafety #LouisPasteur #Science #GermTheory #Winemaking #Sanitation #Tuberculosis #Cholera #Chicago #Milk #DairyFarms #USPublicHealthService

How Regulation Came to Be: Pasteurization (17th in series)

I’m re-pubishing this series with permission of the author. Could have made a good book.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2012/3/25/1076932/-How-regulation-came-to-be-Pasteurization

#HowRegulationCameToBe #Regulation #History #Pateurization #FoodSafety #LouisPasteur #Science #GermTheory #Winemaking #Sanitation #Tuberculosis #Cholera #Chicago #Milk #DairyFarms #USPublicHealthService

How Regulation Came to Be: Pasteurization (17th in series)

I’m re-pubishing this series with permission of the author. Could have made a good book.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2012/3/25/1076932/-How-regulation-came-to-be-Pasteurization

#HowRegulationCameToBe #Regulation #History #Pateurization #FoodSafety #LouisPasteur #Science #GermTheory #Winemaking #Sanitation #Tuberculosis #Cholera #Chicago #Milk #DairyFarms #USPublicHealthService

How Regulation Came to Be: Pasteurization (17th in series)

I’m re-pubishing this series with permission of the author. Could have made a good book.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2012/3/25/1076932/-How-regulation-came-to-be-Pasteurization

#HowRegulationCameToBe #Regulation #History #Pateurization #FoodSafety #LouisPasteur #Science #GermTheory #Winemaking #Sanitation #Tuberculosis #Cholera #Chicago #Milk #DairyFarms #USPublicHealthService

How Regulation Came to Be: Pasteurization (17th in series)

I’m re-pubishing this series with permission of the author. Could have made a good book.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2012/3/25/1076932/-How-regulation-came-to-be-Pasteurization

#HowRegulationCameToBe #Regulation #History #Pateurization #FoodSafety #LouisPasteur #Science #GermTheory #Winemaking #Sanitation #Tuberculosis #Cholera #Chicago #Milk #DairyFarms #USPublicHealthService

This month is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis #Pasteur - renowned for establishing #vaccinology, #GermTheory & #Pasteurisation! To celebrate, our Editorial Board member Serge Mostowy, who was previously based at #InstitutPasteur , discusses Pasteur's legacy that still influences our response to modern medical crises, such as the #COVID19 pandemic & #AntimicrobialResistance

🦠https://journals.biologists.com/dmm/article/15/12/dmm050011/285918/