Reading Notes

A recently published book, “Discoveries that Changed the World”, byRodney Castleden, published by Futura yielded a couple of gems. In the chapter on Malaria, Castleden writes,



“At the present time there is no malaria vaccine; there are only preventative drugs which have to be taken continuously to reduce the risk of infection. These are very effective for visitors from the more economically developed countries, but too expensive for most people who live in the affected regions.”

In other words, if you can’t afford it you may die, and this is a disease that infects 55 million people a year with between one and three million deaths, mostly young children.



Concerning radium, he writes, “ Radium is a million times more radioactive than uranium. The luminosity of radium led to its one time use in luminous paints for watches, clocks, aircraft switches and instrument dials. At least a hundred watch dial painters, who used their lips to shape their paintbrushes died as a result of the radiation.Radium was still used in this way until the late 1950s even though twenty years earlier it had been found that workers thus exposed to radium suffered serious health hazards such as sores,anemia, and bone cancer. Marie Curie’s (discoverer of radium) notes are still strongly radioactive one hundred years after she last handled them.

Capitalism only looks atthe profit potential of every new discovery.


In “A Brief History of Globalization”, Alex MacGillivray writes, re Third World debt,

“By 2005, African countries had already repaid $550 billion against original loans of $540 billion.But because of high interest rates, $245 billion was still outstanding.” (page 223) At this rateprofit would easily top 100%. That’s the kind of helping hand we can do without. On page 249 he quotes 19th.century American senator, John M. Thurston on the benefits of war,

“ War with Spain would increase the business and earnings of every American railroad, it would increase the output of every American factory, it would stimulate every branch ofIndustry and domestic commerce.” Obviously, a good deal for the profiteering class. Not so good for those who are expected to fight for this bonanza but derive no benefit from it. John Ayers