Voltaire on Vaccines

from Atoms vs Bits [alt+shift+b] in life

In Voltaire's Letters on England, he writes up an interesting story on the pre-history of vaccination. (Bear in mind this is written in 1733, and I haven't checked the accuracy of his claims). It begins: It is whispered in Christian Europe that the English are mad

a week ago

Remove from reading list Add to reading list [alt+a] Read now [→]

Improve your reading experience

Logged in users get linked directly to articles resulting in a better reading experience. Please login for free, it takes less than 1 minute.

More from Atoms vs Bits

80/20 Weight Loss

In some sense, the 80/20 of weight loss is to take ozempic, though maybe that's less of an 80/20 and more of a 95/5. Still, suppose that you want to lose some weight but sans zempy – where does that leave you? I'm

a week ago • 8 votes

The Half Life Of Memory

A radioactive model of personal identity

2 weeks ago • 11 votes

Are You Torturing Your Innie?

Probably?

2 weeks ago • 11 votes

Dog Days Are On

Just some facts about pet lifespans, honestly.

3 weeks ago • 13 votes

More in life

date night in the time of parenting

do you believe in love after kids?

14 hours ago • 2 votes

Six Things I Had to Give Up to Make 6-Figures Online

#3: Dumb systems build 6-figure online empires

7 hours ago • 1 votes

Coaching Toolkit: The Stories We Tell Ourselves

How to reframe the stories that hold you back at work

2 days ago • 4 votes

How to Discover Mindfulness in a Nazi Solitary Confinement Cell

This extraordinary narrative is now available again

2 days ago • 2 votes

The toxic stench of industrial corruption

Beneath the idyllic green rolling hills of a well-off rural area lurks the stench of mafia-dumped toxic waste, polluting the air, the water supply and the food chain, killing off the wildlife and giving cancer to the people who live there.

3 days ago • 4 votes

New here?