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WILLIAM SHATNER:
From the plagues of Egypt
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to the black death,
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smallpox,
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cholera,
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and the Spanish flu,
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humans have repeatedly faced
contagious diseases
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that have the power to change
the course of history.
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We like to think
that modern medicine
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can protect us against
almost everything, but...
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is that really true?
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Or are we destined
to face a future
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of ever more potent illnesses
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that attack without warning
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and can bring civilization
to its knees?
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Well...
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(sucks air through teeth)
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...that is what
we'll try and find out.
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♪ ♪
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SHATNER:
News reports surface that a new,
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highly contagious disease first
discovered in Wuhan, China,
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is spreading like wildfire.
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In a matter of weeks,
the lethal virus‐‐
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known as "coronavirus"
or "COVID‐19"‐‐
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sweeps the globe.
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On March 11,
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as the number
of infections and deaths
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continue to climb,
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the World Health Organization
declares
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that the outbreak has become
a worldwide pandemic.
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RAJ DASGUPTA:
What separates, clinically,
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coronavirus from other
common viruses such as influenza
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is that it knows
how to hide itself.
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It has what we call a period
where you could be asymptomatic.
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That means without symptoms.
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That's a chance to pass
that virus to other people,
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keeping the disease going on
and spreading.
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Most of the time, when you wait
for these symptoms,
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you've already missed it.
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SHATNER:
In the wake
of the harrowing effects
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of the coronavirus outbreak,
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scientists have been compelled
to reexamine
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the nature
of viruses themselves.
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Viruses are very mysterious,
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because you can't see them.
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You need
a very powerful microscope
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to be able to see them.
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And we didn't even know
that they were around
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until relatively recently.
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KIRSTEN FISHER:
A virus is essentially a bit
of nucleic acid,
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either DNA or RNA,
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encapsulated
in some sort of coating. Right?
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So it needs to‐‐ it needs
to get into another organism
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and then essentially hijack that
organism's cellular machinery
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to make more copies of itself.
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DASGUPTA:
It needs to
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actually take over
another living cell.
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And whether that's
the living cell of a human,
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animal,
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plant or even a bacteria,
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it needs that.
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It's making more
and more viruses
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till that cell
is not needed anymore.
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FISHER:
A virus relies on either
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direct transmission
through sneezing or coughing
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or touching, um,
a viral particle
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from a person who's expelled it.
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Or they rely on a mosquito
or some other organism
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to be transmitted
between people.
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And so the density of people
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will facilitate
quicker spread of viruses,
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especially if it's, um,
relatively contagious
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and‐and easy to‐to transfer
from one person to another.
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SHATNER:
According to experts,
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the origins of many viruses
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remain shrouded in mystery.
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DASGUPTA:
It's so difficult
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to determine
the origin of viruses because,
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when you want to study
that virus,
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you have to separate what is the
natural history of that cell.
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So one of the important things
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that epidemiologists
are looking at right now is,
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what did we learn from the past?
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What should we be looking at?
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Where should we be looking?
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Some of the earliest records
of plagues
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are found in ancient India,
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China, the Middle East,
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and they talk
about plagues occurring
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before the very first
civilization,
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around 3200 BC.
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SHATNER:
Throughout human history,
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there have been accounts
of devastating afflictions
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that defied understanding
at the time they happened.
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But perhaps a closer examination
of these plagues
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will provide some lessons
about infectious diseases
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and how they begin.
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(gull calling)
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Emperor Justinian
sits atop a powerful throne.
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But lurking in the shadows
is a hidden enemy
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about to consume his kingdom.
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A plague
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started by a bacteria
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comes out of the East
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and infects.
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This simple bacteria
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ended up killing
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almost one half the population
of the entire Old Empire.
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With that type of death toll,
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the economic
and social ramifications
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were catastrophic.
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Everything
that Justinian had tried
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was now collapsing.
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His military collapsed,
his economy collapsed.
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And everything
that he tried to do
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was of no avail.
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(coughing)
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FISHER:
Justinian Plague
is caused by a bacterium,
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Yersinia pestis.
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It can either enter humans
directly, um, through‐‐
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from saliva or‐or coughing.
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It usually manifests itself
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in terms of swelling
of the lymph nodes.
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The skin turns black
and basically dies.
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And then there's
a progression of fever
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and chills and eventual death.
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TZADOK:
As Justinian's empire
was collapsing and breaking
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and his military strength
was waning‐‐
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because the science of medicine
in those days
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was far more primitive
than we have today.
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People cry out, "Why?
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Why is this happening?"
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SHATNER:
The Plague of Justinian,
as it became known,
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ultimately killed
an estimated 50 million people.
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The vast Byzantine Empire
was crippled
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not by an invading army
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but by an enemy they could
not see and did not understand.
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At the time,
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since the existence
of bacteria and viruses
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had not yet been discovered,
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many believed that the invisible
force that caused the plague
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was God himself.
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It was a belief
that was widely accepted,
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because people would read
in the Bible
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about how pestilence
from the past
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had been created
by the hand of God.
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Whenever humanity is infected
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by something greater
and beyond human understanding,
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it has always been
psychologically understood
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to be an expression
of the wrath of God.
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We have in the Book of Exodus
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the famous ten plagues of Egypt.
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Moses had come back
after seeing God on the mountain
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to free the Hebrews
from slavery.
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He went before the pharaoh
and asked to let his people go.
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Of course, the pharaoh said no.
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Therefore, the Hebrew God sent a
number of plagues through Egypt.
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TZADOK:
The Bible stories are clear.
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The order of the plagues are
well‐documented in the Bible.
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We know, of course,
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that there was the turning
of the Nile into blood.
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There were the frogs,
the lice,
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the pestilence and, of course,
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the great plagues
of the Three Days of Darkness
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and, of course,
the death of the firstborn.
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BIDMEAD:
The biblical writer
who is writing what happens
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and is inspired by God
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does say that the plague stopped
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after the Hebrews
were finally free.
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So, perhaps there was some
divine intervention from God.
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But we'll never know,
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because miracles
are very difficult to prove.
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SHATNER:
Was there a higher power
involved
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that both started and ended
the plagues of Egypt
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and the Plague of Justinian?
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Perhaps more clues as to what
causes devastating plagues
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can be found by examining
the disease responsible
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for claiming more lives
than any other.
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Officials from the California
oDepartment of Public Health
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alert residents
that a woman has tested positive
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for a dangerous
and quite unexpected disease.
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The bubonic plague,
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otherwise known
as the black death.
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DASGUPTA:
Does the bubonic plague
still exist?
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The answer is... yes.
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And it's amazing
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how, many centuries later,
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you could say this
with a calm voice.
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What is the difference?
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The answer is antibiotics.
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We know that if you have
symptoms early
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that antibiotics
can save your life.
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FISHER:
While it's not as prevalent
anymore,
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the plague is certainly still
in circulation.
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In the United States, right,
in more rural areas,
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where people come into contact
with‐with rodents
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that might be infected with it,
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it's still known to, like,
crop up here and there.
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The worst case of the bubonic
plague that there was
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was known as the black death,
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in the middle of the 1300s.
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And that wiped out
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60% of all
of Europe's population.
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SHATNER:
12 trade ships arrive
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from the Black Sea
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and drift into the port
of Messina to unload freight.
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As dockworkers
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approach the vessels,
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they discover
a disturbing scene.
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DASGUPTA:
The port master goes on board
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to see the crew,
and, to their surprise,
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it was almost like
there were zombies on the ship.
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Gangrene fingers.
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Big boils.
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And if I saw
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a crew that had black fingers
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and boils, let's be honest:
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it sounds like
a zombie apocalypse.
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The black death
seemed to have been introduced
219
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via the Silk Road,
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which is a major trading route
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in the early medieval period
from central Asia
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where the bubonic plague
regularly pops up.
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Europe seems to have been
largely unprepared
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for this devastating event.
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This is in the 1300s.
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It went for quite a few years,
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and whole villages and areas
were wiped out.
228
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And like many plagues, uh,
people wondered why.
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DASGUPTA:
These cities
would get the plague,
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and no one knew why.
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And then we always have
the advantage
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of looking back on history
and tracing.
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Historians could look back
and say, "Wait a minute.
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"All the cities with ports
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"that do a lot of trading
were infected.
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00:12:01,346 --> 00:12:05,141
And what were going
to all these ports? Ships."
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PHILLIPS:
The black death
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00:12:08,353 --> 00:12:10,813
was spread by fleas
that lived on rats.
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00:12:10,897 --> 00:12:14,150
And wherever these rats went,
the fleas went,
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00:12:14,234 --> 00:12:16,611
and they bit people.
That's what made them ill.
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CHRISTINE COLBY:
The flea would actually
vomit the bacteria
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onto the person's skin
while biting them.
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00:12:22,867 --> 00:12:24,994
The disease spreads
to the body's lymph nodes
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00:12:25,078 --> 00:12:26,746
and causes buboes,
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which are infected sores
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which get to be
about the size of an egg.
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And they eventually burst
and expel bloody pus.
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The body goes through
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such horrific
and gruesome transformations
250
00:12:37,757 --> 00:12:41,844
that from the time you contract
the bubonic plague until death
251
00:12:41,970 --> 00:12:43,930
can sometimes only be
a matter of days.
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00:12:44,055 --> 00:12:46,849
SHATNER:
During the Middle Ages,
many believed
253
00:12:46,975 --> 00:12:50,144
that demons were responsible
for the black death.
254
00:12:50,270 --> 00:12:52,522
‐(coughs)
‐And people who were deemed
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00:12:52,647 --> 00:12:55,400
to be wicked or unworthy
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00:12:55,525 --> 00:12:56,818
were punished
257
00:12:56,943 --> 00:13:00,280
in hopes
of driving the demons away.
258
00:13:02,615 --> 00:13:05,493
TZADOK:
Many people believed
259
00:13:05,576 --> 00:13:09,038
that the source of this plague
260
00:13:09,163 --> 00:13:11,416
was caused by evil spirits,
261
00:13:11,541 --> 00:13:14,294
witchcraft and the like.
262
00:13:15,837 --> 00:13:17,547
The powers of the occult.
263
00:13:17,672 --> 00:13:20,800
And this led many people
264
00:13:20,883 --> 00:13:24,095
to seek out
any type of expressions
265
00:13:24,178 --> 00:13:27,265
of the occult,
witchcraft and the like...
266
00:13:28,975 --> 00:13:30,643
...and to root it out
267
00:13:30,727 --> 00:13:34,147
in the attempt to placate God.
268
00:13:34,230 --> 00:13:35,648
(screams)
269
00:13:38,318 --> 00:13:40,320
SHATNER:
Some were so convinced
that the black death
270
00:13:40,403 --> 00:13:43,072
was a scourge
brought by evil spirits,
271
00:13:43,197 --> 00:13:48,328
they were willing
to scourge themselves.
272
00:13:49,662 --> 00:13:51,998
One common occurrence during
the time of the black death
273
00:13:52,123 --> 00:13:56,085
was to see, uh, people that were
called flagellants, which...
274
00:13:56,210 --> 00:13:58,129
They were under the belief
that they were being punished
275
00:13:58,254 --> 00:14:01,215
by God for their sins,
so they would publicly atone,
276
00:14:01,341 --> 00:14:03,843
and they would march
through the town square,
277
00:14:04,010 --> 00:14:06,679
flogging themselves
in the name of God.
278
00:14:06,804 --> 00:14:08,931
(groaning)
279
00:14:11,642 --> 00:14:14,103
THOMPSON:
This flagellation movement
really exploded.
280
00:14:14,228 --> 00:14:16,647
Whole towns
flagellating themselves.
281
00:14:16,773 --> 00:14:19,192
Those that didn't were accused
of being with the devil.
282
00:14:20,234 --> 00:14:24,322
PHILLIPS:
Something else that came
from the black death was
283
00:14:24,489 --> 00:14:28,076
the practice
of selling holy relics.
284
00:14:28,201 --> 00:14:32,455
When the black death
was decimating Europe,
285
00:14:32,538 --> 00:14:34,874
the Church were saying,
286
00:14:34,999 --> 00:14:36,459
"Come to us,
287
00:14:36,626 --> 00:14:38,961
and we can cure you."
288
00:14:39,087 --> 00:14:40,922
The bones of a saint
289
00:14:41,047 --> 00:14:43,508
or something that had
once belonged to a saint
290
00:14:43,633 --> 00:14:45,968
kept in these churches.
They were called relics.
291
00:14:46,094 --> 00:14:47,887
And people believed
that if they went there
292
00:14:48,012 --> 00:14:49,639
or close to such relics,
293
00:14:49,806 --> 00:14:51,766
prayed, that God may intervene
294
00:14:51,849 --> 00:14:53,810
and protect them
from the plague.
295
00:14:53,935 --> 00:14:56,312
Now, they weren't curing anyone,
296
00:14:56,396 --> 00:14:59,982
but people were still flocking
to the churches
297
00:15:00,108 --> 00:15:03,194
just on the hope
that they could be cured.
298
00:15:04,195 --> 00:15:06,864
DASGUPTA:
So, when we talk
about the many lives
299
00:15:06,989 --> 00:15:09,200
that were lost
during the black death,
300
00:15:09,325 --> 00:15:10,743
I think about a horror movie.
301
00:15:11,786 --> 00:15:14,288
SHATNER:
Historians estimate
that the black death
302
00:15:14,372 --> 00:15:18,042
wiped out anywhere
from 50 to 200 million people,
303
00:15:18,167 --> 00:15:20,753
at least a third
of Europe's population.
304
00:15:20,837 --> 00:15:22,672
So it's little wonder
305
00:15:22,797 --> 00:15:25,299
that most people thought
that something so destructive
306
00:15:25,425 --> 00:15:28,678
must have been some kind
of punishment from God.
307
00:15:28,803 --> 00:15:32,306
But today, we have
a much different understanding
308
00:15:32,473 --> 00:15:33,975
of this disease.
309
00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:35,935
GRONVALL:
We call it the black death,
310
00:15:36,060 --> 00:15:39,021
but it's‐it's a bacteria
called Yersinia pestis.
311
00:15:39,147 --> 00:15:42,984
But it's not as dangerous
as it was then.
312
00:15:43,151 --> 00:15:45,736
Now we have antibiotics.
313
00:15:45,862 --> 00:15:47,613
We can detect it.
314
00:15:47,697 --> 00:15:49,449
You know, you can treat it.
315
00:15:51,534 --> 00:15:53,077
In any case,
316
00:15:53,202 --> 00:15:56,706
Yersinia pestis
is still around today,
317
00:15:56,831 --> 00:15:59,375
which begs the question,
318
00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:00,877
is it possible
319
00:16:01,002 --> 00:16:03,463
to actually kill off
a fatal disease
320
00:16:03,588 --> 00:16:04,839
once and for all?
321
00:16:04,964 --> 00:16:06,132
Perhaps the answer can be found
322
00:16:06,215 --> 00:16:08,551
by examining a deadly plague
323
00:16:08,676 --> 00:16:10,136
that, believe it or not,
324
00:16:10,219 --> 00:16:12,972
has been infecting humankind
325
00:16:13,097 --> 00:16:16,559
for more than 10,000 years.
326
00:16:23,357 --> 00:16:25,401
SHATNER:
The Valley of Mexico.
327
00:16:30,198 --> 00:16:33,743
Spanish conquistadors
led by Hernán Cortés
328
00:16:33,868 --> 00:16:37,413
arrive at Tenochtitlán,
the capital of the Aztec Empire,
329
00:16:37,538 --> 00:16:39,999
bearing dreams of conquest
330
00:16:40,166 --> 00:16:42,668
and an insatiable desire
for gold.
331
00:16:42,793 --> 00:16:47,924
But they also brought with them
a lethal, infectious disease.
332
00:16:48,007 --> 00:16:50,009
THOMPSON:
Smallpox is introduced
333
00:16:50,176 --> 00:16:53,638
into the Americas
very dramatically
334
00:16:53,721 --> 00:16:54,514
at a specific point in time
335
00:16:54,639 --> 00:16:57,183
and alongside
the European invasion.
336
00:16:57,350 --> 00:17:01,312
This is a tremendous
sort of clash of civilizations,
337
00:17:01,395 --> 00:17:03,981
the likes of which
the world had never seen before
338
00:17:04,148 --> 00:17:05,233
and will never see again.
339
00:17:05,358 --> 00:17:09,487
The single most deciding factor
340
00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:13,616
as to why Native American
civilizations fell so rapidly
341
00:17:13,699 --> 00:17:15,368
was the introduction
of smallpox.
342
00:17:18,496 --> 00:17:21,040
FISHER:
So, smallpox is a virus.
343
00:17:21,165 --> 00:17:24,794
It causes these
sort of irregularly spaced,
344
00:17:24,961 --> 00:17:27,338
pustule‐y skin lesions
345
00:17:27,463 --> 00:17:29,048
and had a devastating effect
346
00:17:29,173 --> 00:17:32,426
on‐on Native Americans,
um, in the New World.
347
00:17:33,469 --> 00:17:37,682
GRONVALL:
In Europe, most people
had experienced smallpox.
348
00:17:37,807 --> 00:17:39,267
They had the scars,
349
00:17:39,350 --> 00:17:40,601
or they had it as children.
350
00:17:40,726 --> 00:17:44,146
But there was no immunity
in the New World.
351
00:17:44,272 --> 00:17:46,315
There was no immunity
among kids.
352
00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:48,484
There was no immunity
among adults.
353
00:17:48,568 --> 00:17:51,654
And so,
when this new disease came,
354
00:17:51,821 --> 00:17:54,323
everybody was vulnerable.
355
00:17:54,407 --> 00:17:56,659
And so
it spread like wildfire.
356
00:17:57,994 --> 00:18:00,871
SHATNER:
Although the exact numbers
will never be known,
357
00:18:00,997 --> 00:18:02,748
many experts estimate
358
00:18:02,873 --> 00:18:06,252
that a staggering 95%
of the indigenous population
359
00:18:06,335 --> 00:18:09,380
would eventually die
from smallpox.
360
00:18:09,505 --> 00:18:11,924
But what's even more chilling
361
00:18:12,008 --> 00:18:14,302
is the fact
that smallpox ran rampant
362
00:18:14,468 --> 00:18:16,846
for thousands of years.
363
00:18:16,971 --> 00:18:20,308
GRONVALL:
I am astounded
364
00:18:20,433 --> 00:18:23,603
by how far back smallpox goes.
365
00:18:23,686 --> 00:18:26,439
For most
of human recorded history,
366
00:18:26,522 --> 00:18:28,399
we believe it's the same strain
367
00:18:28,524 --> 00:18:30,818
that was infecting
one person after another,
368
00:18:30,943 --> 00:18:32,987
this human chain of infection.
369
00:18:33,112 --> 00:18:39,452
The Egyptian pharaoh Ramses V
had scarring on his face
370
00:18:39,577 --> 00:18:42,371
that's consistent with
smallpox.
371
00:18:45,458 --> 00:18:48,085
SHATNER:
It is estimated that smallpox
has killed
372
00:18:48,169 --> 00:18:50,504
between 300 and 500
million people
373
00:18:50,671 --> 00:18:54,467
in its more than
10,000‐year existence.
374
00:18:54,592 --> 00:18:58,471
Which begs the question:
how did we finally beat it?
375
00:19:01,349 --> 00:19:03,809
Well, it just so happens
that the cure for smallpox
376
00:19:03,976 --> 00:19:08,981
was discovered in a small
English village in the 1790s.
377
00:19:09,106 --> 00:19:12,818
GRONVALL:
In the late 1700s,
doctors were noticing
378
00:19:12,985 --> 00:19:17,198
that milkmaids did not seem
to be affected by smallpox,
379
00:19:17,365 --> 00:19:21,827
and their complexions remained
unscarred.
380
00:19:21,994 --> 00:19:26,123
And people were starting
to make that connection
381
00:19:26,248 --> 00:19:29,502
that there might be immunity
from catching
382
00:19:29,627 --> 00:19:33,673
a different kind of pox virus,
cow pox.
383
00:19:33,798 --> 00:19:37,802
So milkmaids were exposed
to the cow pox virus,
384
00:19:37,927 --> 00:19:39,762
probably got infected,
385
00:19:39,845 --> 00:19:42,682
and were then immune
to smallpox.
386
00:19:44,642 --> 00:19:46,435
Edward Jenner was
an English physician,
387
00:19:46,519 --> 00:19:50,189
and decided to test
this observation,
388
00:19:50,356 --> 00:19:53,401
and took a piece of an ulcer
from a cow
389
00:19:53,526 --> 00:19:55,569
that was infected by cow pox,
390
00:19:55,695 --> 00:19:59,323
and gave it to
an eight‐year‐old boy.
391
00:19:59,407 --> 00:20:02,243
And then, a little bit later,
392
00:20:02,368 --> 00:20:06,414
gave this little boy
a dose of smallpox.
393
00:20:06,539 --> 00:20:10,960
Fortunately, the eight‐year‐old
boy did not develop smallpox
394
00:20:11,085 --> 00:20:14,130
and was actually protected.
395
00:20:14,255 --> 00:20:16,757
Because it wasn't, like,
a direct viral intake,
396
00:20:16,841 --> 00:20:20,469
you would get, like, a slightly
lesser version of the disease.
397
00:20:20,594 --> 00:20:22,638
But because you had been
exposed to it,
398
00:20:22,763 --> 00:20:25,307
you would, of course,
then have immunity.
399
00:20:25,433 --> 00:20:27,268
So it was probably
the first instance
400
00:20:27,351 --> 00:20:29,603
of a crude version
of vaccination.
401
00:20:31,021 --> 00:20:34,275
SHATNER:
As it turns out, Edward Jenner's
revolutionary experiment
402
00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,194
is remembered today
for its inspiration,
403
00:20:37,319 --> 00:20:40,197
its sheer audacity
404
00:20:40,322 --> 00:20:42,616
and because it provided
a new defense
405
00:20:42,700 --> 00:20:44,326
against infectious disease,
406
00:20:44,452 --> 00:20:49,582
which we now refer to as
"the vaccine."
407
00:20:49,707 --> 00:20:52,960
The word "vaccine" comes from
the virus name "vaccinia,"
408
00:20:53,043 --> 00:20:57,882
which was the virus that was
the cow pox‐derived virus
409
00:20:58,007 --> 00:21:01,302
that left people
immune to smallpox.
410
00:21:01,385 --> 00:21:04,680
Vaccines prevent disease,
411
00:21:04,847 --> 00:21:07,808
and some vaccines
can last for decades,
412
00:21:07,892 --> 00:21:12,146
and some vaccines need to be
given every year.
413
00:21:12,229 --> 00:21:16,108
For smallpox, people had to
get vaccinated every ten years.
414
00:21:17,651 --> 00:21:20,988
SHATNER:
Vaccines are humanity's
single greatest weapon
415
00:21:21,071 --> 00:21:22,823
against plagues.
416
00:21:22,907 --> 00:21:25,701
Rooted in science
and not superstition,
417
00:21:25,826 --> 00:21:29,663
they provide a powerful way
to fight outbreaks.
418
00:21:29,789 --> 00:21:32,166
GRONVALL:
The last naturally occurring
case of smallpox
419
00:21:32,291 --> 00:21:36,253
was identified in 1979,
and in 1980,
420
00:21:36,337 --> 00:21:38,088
the World Health Organization
declared
421
00:21:38,214 --> 00:21:40,299
that smallpox was eradicated.
422
00:21:40,382 --> 00:21:43,636
So no longer spreading
from person to person.
423
00:21:43,761 --> 00:21:47,890
Eradicating smallpox was the
biggest public health victory
424
00:21:48,015 --> 00:21:50,893
in the history
of the human race.
425
00:21:52,102 --> 00:21:55,314
SHATNER:
The eradication of smallpox
is the most famous use
426
00:21:55,397 --> 00:21:57,817
of a highly‐effective vaccine,
427
00:21:57,900 --> 00:22:02,363
but there are some diseases
that are harder to cure.
428
00:22:02,488 --> 00:22:04,573
MICHIO KAKU:
There are viruses
429
00:22:04,698 --> 00:22:06,700
for which we have
no vaccines at all,
430
00:22:06,826 --> 00:22:08,702
because they mutate too rapidly.
431
00:22:08,869 --> 00:22:12,039
And so, because viruses mutate,
432
00:22:12,206 --> 00:22:15,876
there's a certain limitation to
what you can do with vaccines.
433
00:22:17,837 --> 00:22:19,964
DASGUPTA: The minute
you get too confident,
434
00:22:20,047 --> 00:22:22,633
and you think that
we defeated Mother Nature,
435
00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:25,719
somehow, it always
finds a way to come back.
436
00:22:25,845 --> 00:22:28,138
SHATNER:
Vaccines are one of mankind's
437
00:22:28,305 --> 00:22:30,391
greatest scientific triumphs.
438
00:22:30,516 --> 00:22:32,601
But not all medical recoveries
439
00:22:32,726 --> 00:22:34,687
can be easily
explained by science.
440
00:22:34,812 --> 00:22:37,815
Sometimes, the body's reaction
441
00:22:37,898 --> 00:22:41,485
to an infection is so bizarre
and so inexplicable
442
00:22:41,569 --> 00:22:44,989
that it can only be
described as...
443
00:22:45,114 --> 00:22:50,744
miraculous.
444
00:22:50,870 --> 00:22:53,414
SHATNER:
July 4, 1863.
445
00:22:53,539 --> 00:22:55,875
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
446
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:57,543
On the morning after
the bloodiest battle
447
00:22:57,668 --> 00:22:59,003
of the Civil War,
448
00:22:59,128 --> 00:23:02,298
thousands of dead
soldiers lay strewn
449
00:23:02,423 --> 00:23:04,592
across the blood‐soaked
farmland.
450
00:23:04,717 --> 00:23:09,263
But while the brutality of the
Civil War is well‐documented,
451
00:23:09,388 --> 00:23:12,016
approximately two‐thirds
of the more
452
00:23:12,182 --> 00:23:14,184
than 600,000 deaths in the war
453
00:23:14,351 --> 00:23:18,397
weren't caused by injuries
sustained on the battlefield,
454
00:23:18,522 --> 00:23:21,609
but rather... by disease.
455
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,113
FISHER:
The Civil War represents
456
00:23:26,196 --> 00:23:30,659
the last major conflict that,
um, that humans experienced
457
00:23:30,826 --> 00:23:33,662
um, before the,
sort of, the inception
458
00:23:33,746 --> 00:23:35,372
or the origins of germ theory.
459
00:23:35,497 --> 00:23:37,958
You can imagine the conditions
460
00:23:38,042 --> 00:23:41,086
that soldiers live in,
crowded together,
461
00:23:41,211 --> 00:23:43,088
substandard sanitation.
462
00:23:43,213 --> 00:23:45,049
In some cases,
463
00:23:45,174 --> 00:23:47,760
open wounds that aren't
being treated correctly.
464
00:23:47,843 --> 00:23:49,762
WYNN:
It's really gross.
465
00:23:49,845 --> 00:23:51,639
Everything smells terrible.
466
00:23:51,764 --> 00:23:54,141
Uh, these doctors aren't
washing their aprons.
467
00:23:54,266 --> 00:23:58,312
They can't explain where they're
getting these diseases from,
468
00:23:58,395 --> 00:23:59,980
how they may be spreading it.
469
00:24:00,147 --> 00:24:03,484
SHATNER:
As uncontrollable
infections ravaged
470
00:24:03,567 --> 00:24:06,612
both Union and
Confederate encampments,
471
00:24:06,695 --> 00:24:10,074
soldiers and their doctors
debated the cause
472
00:24:10,199 --> 00:24:11,784
of their afflictions.
473
00:24:11,867 --> 00:24:17,665
Many came to believe that
the air itself was poisoned.
474
00:24:17,790 --> 00:24:19,708
DASGUPTA:
When we talk about
475
00:24:19,833 --> 00:24:22,711
some of the deadliest viruses
that we know,
476
00:24:22,836 --> 00:24:27,758
some of them get transmitted by
respiratory droplets, the air.
477
00:24:27,841 --> 00:24:32,805
When you cough, when you sneeze,
just by talking.
478
00:24:32,888 --> 00:24:36,892
So maybe they weren't too off
by saying the air is bad.
479
00:24:37,851 --> 00:24:40,479
SHATNER:
In the mid‐nineteenth century,
480
00:24:40,604 --> 00:24:42,606
little was known
about disease control
481
00:24:42,690 --> 00:24:45,818
or preventing
the spread of germs.
482
00:24:45,943 --> 00:24:49,154
But as the scope
of the war widened
483
00:24:49,279 --> 00:24:52,616
and the ferocity
of infectious outbreaks resulted
484
00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:55,077
in even more
horrific causalities,
485
00:24:55,202 --> 00:24:59,581
doctors were forced to expand
their knowledge of diseases
486
00:24:59,707 --> 00:25:01,667
and how to contain them.
487
00:25:01,750 --> 00:25:03,669
WYNN:
They realize that
488
00:25:03,794 --> 00:25:06,672
maybe a barn isn't
the best place to be doing
489
00:25:06,797 --> 00:25:09,842
amputations and open surgeries.
490
00:25:09,967 --> 00:25:12,511
So, as the war goes on,
491
00:25:12,636 --> 00:25:14,304
there's beginning
to be an understanding
492
00:25:14,388 --> 00:25:15,806
of what medicine should be.
493
00:25:15,931 --> 00:25:17,558
Things like triage,
494
00:25:17,683 --> 00:25:21,145
things like an ambulance system,
hospitals‐‐
495
00:25:21,228 --> 00:25:22,938
these are all established
during the Civil War
496
00:25:23,063 --> 00:25:24,898
in the United States
for the first time.
497
00:25:25,024 --> 00:25:27,735
SHATNER:
In many ways, the Civil War
marked the beginning
498
00:25:27,860 --> 00:25:29,570
of medical science as we know it
499
00:25:29,695 --> 00:25:31,905
and the end of mankind's
500
00:25:32,031 --> 00:25:35,159
superstitious attitude
towards disease.
501
00:25:35,242 --> 00:25:37,995
But there is one event
on the battlefield
502
00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:41,582
that medical historians still
struggle to explain to this day,
503
00:25:41,707 --> 00:25:44,877
because it simply
defies understanding.
504
00:25:48,881 --> 00:25:53,052
April 7, 1862,
Hardin County, Tennessee.
505
00:25:53,177 --> 00:25:56,680
Union and Confederate forces
square off
506
00:25:56,847 --> 00:25:58,682
in one of the bloodiest
confrontations
507
00:25:58,807 --> 00:26:01,810
of the Civil War‐‐
The Battle of Shiloh.
508
00:26:03,812 --> 00:26:06,607
After two days
of vicious fighting...
509
00:26:06,690 --> 00:26:08,901
(yelling)
510
00:26:09,026 --> 00:26:14,073
...more than 20,000 men
lie dead or dying.
511
00:26:15,282 --> 00:26:17,701
WYNN:
So, Ulysses S. Grant
is the commander
512
00:26:17,868 --> 00:26:18,994
of the Union army
at this battle.
513
00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:21,163
He went out, and looked
over the battlefield,
514
00:26:21,330 --> 00:26:25,000
and he could see that there were
so many soldiers who had been
515
00:26:25,125 --> 00:26:27,878
wounded and killed that he could
have walked across one side
516
00:26:28,003 --> 00:26:29,463
of the battlefield to the other
517
00:26:29,588 --> 00:26:30,881
without ever
touching the ground,
518
00:26:31,006 --> 00:26:33,967
walking from body
to body to body.
519
00:26:34,093 --> 00:26:37,679
SHATNER:
As night falls
over the battlefield,
520
00:26:37,846 --> 00:26:40,891
many injured soldiers
lie helpless,
521
00:26:41,016 --> 00:26:44,144
hoping to be rescued before
their wounds become infected.
522
00:26:44,269 --> 00:26:48,315
What happens next is one
of the enduring mysteries
523
00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,150
of the Civil War.
524
00:26:50,234 --> 00:26:53,487
WYNN:
Soldiers are out
between the lines,
525
00:26:53,612 --> 00:26:55,280
wounded during the course
of the battle.
526
00:26:55,364 --> 00:26:57,574
It's cold at night.
They're out there shivering.
527
00:26:57,699 --> 00:27:01,995
And they happen to look down
at their shattered arm or leg,
528
00:27:02,121 --> 00:27:07,084
and they notice this soft,
faint, bluish‐greenish glow
529
00:27:07,209 --> 00:27:09,503
seeming to come off
their wounds in the darkness.
530
00:27:09,628 --> 00:27:13,090
There was a connection that was
being made amongst the soldiers
531
00:27:13,215 --> 00:27:17,136
that those who experienced
this glowing wound effect
532
00:27:17,219 --> 00:27:19,972
seemed to have better outcomes
533
00:27:20,055 --> 00:27:22,266
when they went back to the
field hospital, and it seemed
534
00:27:22,349 --> 00:27:25,894
as though their wounds may not
have been as infected.
535
00:27:26,019 --> 00:27:30,566
BIDMEAD:
They termed
this bluish‐green glow
536
00:27:30,691 --> 00:27:32,943
Angel's Glow.
Why?
537
00:27:33,068 --> 00:27:36,155
Because, to them,
it looked like a halo.
538
00:27:36,238 --> 00:27:38,907
Mystical light surrounding them.
539
00:27:39,032 --> 00:27:41,076
So, it was a way
of them thinking that God
540
00:27:41,201 --> 00:27:44,079
or the angels were protecting
these particular soldiers.
541
00:27:44,204 --> 00:27:47,499
SHATNER:
Was the so‐called Angel's Glow
542
00:27:47,624 --> 00:27:49,501
a type of divine intervention
543
00:27:49,668 --> 00:27:53,881
that somehow protected certain
soldiers from deadly infections?
544
00:27:54,006 --> 00:27:57,926
Perhaps. But recently,
a new theory has surfaced‐‐
545
00:27:58,051 --> 00:28:00,304
one that suggests
this phenomenon
546
00:28:00,387 --> 00:28:05,726
may have had a more
conventional explanation.
547
00:28:05,851 --> 00:28:08,937
It wasn't until many years,
like 150 years later,
548
00:28:09,021 --> 00:28:13,066
that a 17‐year‐old high
school student visited Shiloh,
549
00:28:13,192 --> 00:28:15,652
and he decided
for his science project
550
00:28:15,777 --> 00:28:18,405
to research bacterium
that glows.
551
00:28:18,530 --> 00:28:22,242
And they were able to find out
that there was a bacteria
552
00:28:22,367 --> 00:28:25,245
that would emit some sort
of parasitic worm.
553
00:28:25,370 --> 00:28:28,123
It would get into the veins,
and then it would glow.
554
00:28:28,248 --> 00:28:31,335
SHATNER:
Could the Angel's Glow
555
00:28:31,460 --> 00:28:34,004
really have been a sign
of a type of bacteria,
556
00:28:34,129 --> 00:28:36,465
rather than guardian angels?
557
00:28:36,632 --> 00:28:40,260
And if so, could this bacteria
have actually been responsible
558
00:28:40,385 --> 00:28:44,640
for saving the lives
of the wounded soldiers?
559
00:28:44,765 --> 00:28:46,767
Presumably, what happened
with those soldiers
560
00:28:46,850 --> 00:28:48,393
with the Angel's Glow
561
00:28:48,518 --> 00:28:51,939
is that those bacteria were
actually infecting their wounds.
562
00:28:52,022 --> 00:28:55,442
And because those bacteria
exude a lot of antibacterial
563
00:28:55,525 --> 00:28:58,820
and antimicrobial compounds,
they actually reduce the level
564
00:28:58,904 --> 00:29:00,322
of infection in the soldiers
565
00:29:00,405 --> 00:29:03,075
that they, that they,
uh, colonized.
566
00:29:03,951 --> 00:29:04,993
SHATNER:
The bacteria theory
567
00:29:05,077 --> 00:29:08,121
is the best scientific
explanation we have
568
00:29:08,205 --> 00:29:11,625
for what caused
the Angel's Glow.
569
00:29:11,750 --> 00:29:13,794
If this incredible theory
is true,
570
00:29:13,877 --> 00:29:16,838
then it seems
that some forms of bacteria
571
00:29:16,964 --> 00:29:20,384
can actually help us
in the fight against disease.
572
00:29:20,509 --> 00:29:23,178
But the soldiers
whose lives were saved
573
00:29:23,303 --> 00:29:27,266
at the Battle of Shiloh
believed that what healed them
574
00:29:27,349 --> 00:29:30,602
could only have
been sent from heaven.
575
00:29:30,686 --> 00:29:32,312
WYNN:
We can't know what
those soldiers experienced
576
00:29:32,396 --> 00:29:35,607
out there on the battlefield
between the lines.
577
00:29:35,691 --> 00:29:38,318
They're in the dark,
they're suffering from shock.
578
00:29:38,443 --> 00:29:40,237
Who's to say that they didn't
experience that
579
00:29:40,362 --> 00:29:43,156
or that they did
experience that?
580
00:29:44,783 --> 00:29:48,370
Guardian angels,
reaching down to comfort
581
00:29:48,495 --> 00:29:52,874
and even cure dying soldiers
during the American Civil War?
582
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:56,003
To some it sounds
like pure fantasy.
583
00:29:56,128 --> 00:29:58,505
But to others, especially those
584
00:29:58,630 --> 00:30:02,009
who've had their own
close calls with death,
585
00:30:02,134 --> 00:30:06,513
there's no doubt that such
a notion is entirely plausible.
586
00:30:06,638 --> 00:30:09,182
Let's face it: when dealing
with deadly diseases,
587
00:30:09,349 --> 00:30:11,810
it's hard to be certain
of pretty much anything.
588
00:30:11,935 --> 00:30:15,731
Not only do we often
know very little
589
00:30:15,856 --> 00:30:17,607
about how to cure an illness,
590
00:30:17,733 --> 00:30:21,153
we know even less about
where an illness comes from.
591
00:30:21,278 --> 00:30:23,488
For instance, what if I told you
592
00:30:23,613 --> 00:30:27,326
that what we commonly refer to
as the Spanish flu
593
00:30:27,492 --> 00:30:32,331
didn't come from Spain at all,
but from a remote army base...
594
00:30:33,915 --> 00:30:36,001
...in Kansas?
595
00:30:47,179 --> 00:30:49,473
SHATNER:
At the height of World War I,
596
00:30:49,598 --> 00:30:53,310
more than 50 years after the end
of the American Civil War,
597
00:30:53,393 --> 00:30:57,189
soldiers from more
than 30 nations are engaged
598
00:30:57,314 --> 00:30:59,983
in trench warfare
all over Europe...
599
00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:04,946
...and a new, unexpected enemy
emerges...
600
00:31:05,030 --> 00:31:08,075
‐(coughing)
‐...the Spanish flu.
601
00:31:09,034 --> 00:31:10,118
WYNN:
Europe is awash
602
00:31:10,243 --> 00:31:13,080
in the influenza virus.
603
00:31:13,205 --> 00:31:17,125
They had a massive outbreak
of influenza,
604
00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:19,961
and these soldiers serving
at the front lines
605
00:31:20,087 --> 00:31:23,131
are directly impacted
on both sides of the conflict.
606
00:31:23,215 --> 00:31:26,468
‐(coughing)
‐The symptoms
were pretty horrific,
607
00:31:26,593 --> 00:31:28,470
and so these soldiers
were not capable of performing
608
00:31:28,595 --> 00:31:31,390
their duties, and many of them
actually die of the disease.
609
00:31:33,141 --> 00:31:36,228
GRONVALL: We're used to the flu,
but the 1918 flu
610
00:31:36,353 --> 00:31:40,148
had more severe symptoms
and lingering effects.
611
00:31:41,358 --> 00:31:43,610
When the flu
first started spreading,
612
00:31:43,735 --> 00:31:46,905
their skin turned blue.
613
00:31:47,030 --> 00:31:49,783
They just had no oxygen
in their blood.
614
00:31:49,866 --> 00:31:53,495
It was not uncommon for people
to lose all their hair.
615
00:31:53,578 --> 00:31:57,707
It was not uncommon to have
neurological side effects.
616
00:31:59,126 --> 00:32:01,336
WYNN:
The 1918 influenza strain
617
00:32:01,503 --> 00:32:04,798
caused an incredibly high fever,
it caused coughing.
618
00:32:04,923 --> 00:32:08,802
In many cases, patients' lungs
would fill with fluid
619
00:32:08,969 --> 00:32:10,637
as this virus
is taking over their body.
620
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,974
That would cause
an immune system overreaction
621
00:32:14,057 --> 00:32:15,809
and they would
essentially drown.
622
00:32:17,394 --> 00:32:18,812
SHATNER:
Medics on the front lines,
623
00:32:18,937 --> 00:32:20,522
prepared for the ravages
of war,
624
00:32:20,647 --> 00:32:24,901
look on in horror
as young, healthy soldiers
625
00:32:25,026 --> 00:32:26,862
begin to die within days,
626
00:32:26,987 --> 00:32:30,532
or even hours of showing
symptoms.
627
00:32:30,657 --> 00:32:35,245
The Spanish flu was caused by,
um, an H1N1 influenza virus.
628
00:32:35,370 --> 00:32:38,457
And the particular strain
of the H1N1 virus
629
00:32:38,540 --> 00:32:41,251
was a little unusual
amongst influenza viruses
630
00:32:41,334 --> 00:32:44,463
in that it was much more
contagious, it was much easier
631
00:32:44,546 --> 00:32:46,798
to expel and spread
between people.
632
00:32:46,882 --> 00:32:49,551
In 1918, we still really were
633
00:32:49,676 --> 00:32:52,179
sort of incapable
of stopping its spread.
634
00:32:52,304 --> 00:32:54,681
This was right at the end
of World War I,
635
00:32:54,848 --> 00:32:58,018
and so soldiers were, of course,
kept in close quarters
636
00:32:58,185 --> 00:32:59,394
and barracks together.
637
00:32:59,519 --> 00:33:03,148
And then, also, people were
sort of moving around the world
638
00:33:03,231 --> 00:33:04,774
more than they probably normally
would have been
639
00:33:04,858 --> 00:33:06,276
sort of traveling.
640
00:33:06,359 --> 00:33:09,196
Um, and so those were some
of the factors
641
00:33:09,321 --> 00:33:11,448
that caused it to spread
really rapidly.
642
00:33:11,531 --> 00:33:15,035
SHATNER:
Since finding a cure
for a mysterious virus
643
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:18,079
in the midst of a world war
is a difficult,
644
00:33:18,205 --> 00:33:20,165
if not impossible undertaking,
645
00:33:20,290 --> 00:33:24,002
both the Central Powers
and the Allied Powers
646
00:33:24,127 --> 00:33:25,962
decided the best course
of action
647
00:33:26,087 --> 00:33:30,425
was to downplay the threat posed
by the disease.
648
00:33:30,509 --> 00:33:34,012
In fact, the 1918 flu
is called the Spanish flu
649
00:33:34,179 --> 00:33:37,307
not because it came from Spain,
but because,
650
00:33:37,474 --> 00:33:40,977
initially, Spain was
the only country willing
651
00:33:41,061 --> 00:33:42,896
to acknowledge its existence.
652
00:33:46,274 --> 00:33:48,318
GRONVALL:
The reason we think of it
as the Spanish flu
653
00:33:48,443 --> 00:33:51,154
is because Spain had
a free press at that time,
654
00:33:51,321 --> 00:33:54,533
and the rest of the world
did not.
655
00:33:54,658 --> 00:33:57,369
Spain was not involved
in World War I,
656
00:33:57,536 --> 00:34:01,081
and their king ended up getting
the 1918 flu.
657
00:34:01,206 --> 00:34:02,916
So it was a matter
of national interest,
658
00:34:03,041 --> 00:34:06,670
and most Americans
learned of the flu
659
00:34:06,836 --> 00:34:08,672
from the Spanish papers.
660
00:34:11,299 --> 00:34:14,844
SHATNER:
The so‐called Spanish flu
is estimated to have infected
661
00:34:14,970 --> 00:34:18,265
one third of the world's
population at the time,
662
00:34:18,348 --> 00:34:20,350
roughly 500 million people.
663
00:34:20,475 --> 00:34:23,895
But while the press created
a lasting nickname
664
00:34:24,020 --> 00:34:25,188
for the 1918 flu,
665
00:34:25,355 --> 00:34:29,651
some researchers have suggested
that it actually originated
666
00:34:29,776 --> 00:34:33,280
in the heartland
of the United States.
667
00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:39,661
March 4, 1918.
668
00:34:39,744 --> 00:34:41,621
Fort Riley, Kansas.
669
00:34:41,705 --> 00:34:46,960
Before the so‐called Spanish flu
outbreak was reported in Europe,
670
00:34:47,043 --> 00:34:51,214
a private at this remote Army
base in the United States
671
00:34:51,339 --> 00:34:55,468
starts to feel ill.
672
00:34:55,594 --> 00:34:59,014
WYNN:
In March of 1918, an Army
private named Albert Gitchell‐‐
673
00:34:59,139 --> 00:35:01,224
he's a cook with the army‐‐
674
00:35:01,349 --> 00:35:03,310
he reports symptoms,
so he goes to the hospital.
675
00:35:03,435 --> 00:35:05,562
Uh, he's sick,
he's‐he's not feeling well.
676
00:35:05,687 --> 00:35:07,355
He's got a bit of a cough,
bit of a fever.
677
00:35:07,522 --> 00:35:10,275
In the end, he ultimately
goes in to work,
678
00:35:10,358 --> 00:35:13,653
feeding all of these soldiers
in this army camp.
679
00:35:13,778 --> 00:35:17,616
In the weeks that follow,
the members of this camp
680
00:35:17,741 --> 00:35:21,411
come down with a pretty nasty
flu strain.
681
00:35:21,536 --> 00:35:25,332
And there are no other outbreaks
similar to this at this point,
682
00:35:25,457 --> 00:35:29,127
which suggests that
this outbreak is starting
683
00:35:29,294 --> 00:35:31,630
at that camp, and potentially
with that soldier.
684
00:35:32,964 --> 00:35:37,469
COLBY:
There were 1,127 cases
just at Fort Riley itself,
685
00:35:37,552 --> 00:35:39,262
and 46 people died.
686
00:35:39,346 --> 00:35:40,930
So all these soldiers
at Fort Riley are thinking
687
00:35:41,014 --> 00:35:44,392
they just had a bad cold,
or maybe even a mild flu.
688
00:35:44,517 --> 00:35:47,145
They were eventually
all put on trains,
689
00:35:47,228 --> 00:35:48,396
which spread all over
the country
690
00:35:48,521 --> 00:35:49,522
going to various ports.
691
00:35:49,648 --> 00:35:51,191
And then they were all
shipped off to Europe
692
00:35:51,316 --> 00:35:52,817
to fight in the war.
693
00:35:52,901 --> 00:35:56,821
SHATNER:
Many scientist now believe that
Army Private Albert Gitchell
694
00:35:56,905 --> 00:36:01,117
was the first man
to contract the 1918 flu.
695
00:36:01,201 --> 00:36:03,411
Gitchell spread it
to his fellow servicemen
696
00:36:03,536 --> 00:36:05,330
when he served them food.
697
00:36:05,413 --> 00:36:07,332
And soldiers
then were sent overseas
698
00:36:07,499 --> 00:36:10,502
to fight in the war,
and they unwittingly
699
00:36:10,627 --> 00:36:12,587
spread the disease
around the globe.
700
00:36:12,671 --> 00:36:16,466
But of course that explanation
is only a theory.
701
00:36:16,549 --> 00:36:20,720
The situation
fits the epidemiology,
702
00:36:20,845 --> 00:36:23,390
the number of people
who got sick afterwards.
703
00:36:23,515 --> 00:36:26,518
But whether we will
ever know for sure
704
00:36:26,643 --> 00:36:28,812
who patient zero was,
705
00:36:28,937 --> 00:36:31,523
or whether it absolutely
came from Kansas,
706
00:36:31,690 --> 00:36:33,858
it's hard to be absolutely sure.
707
00:36:33,983 --> 00:36:36,653
It's really hard to learn
where any virus starts,
708
00:36:36,736 --> 00:36:40,365
Where any pandemic starts,
because you're not recording
709
00:36:40,490 --> 00:36:42,492
everywhere all the time,
710
00:36:42,575 --> 00:36:44,119
and having the scientific tools
in place
711
00:36:44,202 --> 00:36:45,662
to be able to detect it.
712
00:36:47,831 --> 00:36:49,666
WYNN:
The great mystery
of any of these pandemics
713
00:36:49,791 --> 00:36:52,669
or public health crises
is where did it start?
714
00:36:52,794 --> 00:36:54,045
And, ultimately,
why did it start?
715
00:36:54,170 --> 00:36:57,590
And what were the circumstances
that allowed that to happen?
716
00:36:57,716 --> 00:37:00,510
It's the story of how
we interact with one another,
717
00:37:00,635 --> 00:37:03,388
and how we spread diseases
amongst each other.
718
00:37:03,513 --> 00:37:06,558
If you track that
and you find that out,
719
00:37:06,683 --> 00:37:09,811
we could prevent it
happening again in the future.
720
00:37:12,939 --> 00:37:16,443
SHATNER:
The Spanish flu outbreak
lasted for three long years
721
00:37:16,568 --> 00:37:20,155
and killed an estimated
50 million people
722
00:37:20,238 --> 00:37:24,868
before society finally developed
enough collective immunity
723
00:37:24,993 --> 00:37:27,537
for the virus to die out.
724
00:37:27,704 --> 00:37:31,541
History shows us that no matter
how lethal a disease may be,
725
00:37:31,666 --> 00:37:34,794
humankind has always found
a way to endure it,
726
00:37:34,919 --> 00:37:37,797
whether by employing
medical breakthroughs
727
00:37:37,922 --> 00:37:39,924
or sheer patience.
728
00:37:40,049 --> 00:37:43,344
But what kind of illnesses will
we have to face in the future?
729
00:37:43,470 --> 00:37:45,472
Could they be different than
730
00:37:45,597 --> 00:37:47,515
what we've experienced
in the past?
731
00:37:47,682 --> 00:37:52,020
And might they come to our
planet from another world?
732
00:38:00,069 --> 00:38:01,988
SHATNER:
British astronomer
Sir Fred Hoyle
733
00:38:02,113 --> 00:38:06,159
publishes a book titled
Astronomical Origins of Life:
734
00:38:06,284 --> 00:38:09,412
Steps Towards Panspermia.
735
00:38:09,537 --> 00:38:12,165
In it, Hoyle investigates
the controversial theory
736
00:38:12,332 --> 00:38:14,667
of panspermia,
which suggests that
737
00:38:14,793 --> 00:38:18,463
life on Earth
did not originate here
738
00:38:18,546 --> 00:38:21,174
but rather in space,
739
00:38:21,341 --> 00:38:23,676
and that asteroids
carried the microbial
740
00:38:23,802 --> 00:38:26,554
building blocks of DNA
to our planet.
741
00:38:29,766 --> 00:38:31,559
KAKU:
You cannot dismiss
the possibility
742
00:38:31,684 --> 00:38:34,395
that maybe life
came from outer space.
743
00:38:34,521 --> 00:38:38,316
That we were seeded.
Seeded by asteroids or comets
744
00:38:38,441 --> 00:38:40,527
that then put
their organic materials
745
00:38:40,693 --> 00:38:43,029
onto the planet Earth.
746
00:38:43,154 --> 00:38:45,865
And so there's a new theory
in astronomy that says that
747
00:38:45,990 --> 00:38:48,284
the solar system
is like a ping‐pong game
748
00:38:48,368 --> 00:38:51,412
with meteorites carrying
microbial lifeforms,
749
00:38:51,538 --> 00:38:54,374
going back and forth
between Venus, Mars,
750
00:38:54,499 --> 00:38:56,501
the Earth and the Moon.
751
00:38:56,668 --> 00:38:59,546
This has given momentum
to the panspermia theory.
752
00:39:00,964 --> 00:39:03,216
SHATNER:
Some scientists have suggested
that if the theory
753
00:39:03,341 --> 00:39:04,884
of panspermia is true,
754
00:39:05,009 --> 00:39:09,264
then it's possible that
extraterrestrial viruses
755
00:39:09,347 --> 00:39:13,226
could also travel here,
bringing with them diseases
756
00:39:13,351 --> 00:39:14,894
that would be much different
757
00:39:15,019 --> 00:39:18,106
from the ones
that exist on Earth.
758
00:39:18,231 --> 00:39:19,816
MICHAEL DENNIN: When you
think about the core elements
759
00:39:19,941 --> 00:39:23,152
of viral plagues‐‐ those
are the four genetic codes,
760
00:39:23,278 --> 00:39:25,822
DNA or RNA within
a protein shell‐‐
761
00:39:25,989 --> 00:39:28,408
that's something that's
easier to imagine being stable
762
00:39:28,533 --> 00:39:30,243
deep inside an asteroid,
and safe.
763
00:39:30,368 --> 00:39:32,579
And so any sort of virus
or plague,
764
00:39:32,704 --> 00:39:34,497
you can imagine them
starting from
765
00:39:34,664 --> 00:39:37,125
one of these asteroid events.
766
00:39:37,208 --> 00:39:41,296
A space plague
is a leap into the unknown.
767
00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:44,215
We have no way of knowing
what kinds of DNA,
768
00:39:44,340 --> 00:39:47,886
or maybe a modified DNA version
exists in outer space.
769
00:39:49,262 --> 00:39:53,600
We have never seen other kinds
of viruses from outer space
770
00:39:53,683 --> 00:39:56,477
that can infect Earthlings.
771
00:39:56,603 --> 00:39:58,771
So right now we simply
don't know the answer.
772
00:39:58,897 --> 00:40:01,983
DENNIN:
I think if a plague
came from outer space,
773
00:40:02,108 --> 00:40:04,485
just like the way some
of the plagues we know
774
00:40:04,611 --> 00:40:06,863
jump from animals
to humans, suddenly,
775
00:40:06,988 --> 00:40:10,617
any sudden change
in the viruses
776
00:40:10,700 --> 00:40:12,994
or bacteria that are
attacking you as a human,
777
00:40:13,119 --> 00:40:16,205
your immune system will not
have a defense to, most likely.
778
00:40:16,331 --> 00:40:18,499
These dramatic events,
whether it's from space
779
00:40:18,625 --> 00:40:20,919
or a sudden jumping
from animals to humans,
780
00:40:21,002 --> 00:40:23,796
are the reason these plagues
can be so devastating.
781
00:40:23,963 --> 00:40:27,550
SHATNER:
A plague from outer space?
782
00:40:27,675 --> 00:40:29,802
While that may seem
like a far‐fetched notion,
783
00:40:29,928 --> 00:40:34,641
it's a possibility that
science must be prepared for.
784
00:40:34,766 --> 00:40:36,851
WYNN:
There are always
these viruses out there,
785
00:40:37,018 --> 00:40:38,227
these things that
we can't explain.
786
00:40:38,353 --> 00:40:41,898
It's important for us to
always be vigilant, to be aware
787
00:40:42,023 --> 00:40:43,733
and to have our public
health authorities
788
00:40:43,858 --> 00:40:45,318
always on the lookout.
789
00:40:45,485 --> 00:40:46,653
So we can never
put our guard down.
790
00:40:46,778 --> 00:40:48,905
DENNIN:
Hopefully, the faster we are
791
00:40:49,030 --> 00:40:51,157
and the better we are
at bioengineering,
792
00:40:51,282 --> 00:40:54,160
the faster we can make vaccines
and countermeasures.
793
00:40:54,327 --> 00:40:57,288
It's key to have them so that
we can make ways
794
00:40:57,372 --> 00:40:58,665
to protect ourselves.
795
00:40:58,790 --> 00:41:01,793
Preparing for any disease
is complex,
796
00:41:01,918 --> 00:41:06,798
and it requires a lot of, um,
mobilization of government,
797
00:41:06,965 --> 00:41:10,510
public health, and the science
to be able to figure out
798
00:41:10,677 --> 00:41:13,554
what happened, and to prevent it
from happening again.
799
00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:17,809
To be able to halt transmission
of this disease, whatever it is.
800
00:41:17,934 --> 00:41:20,937
It becomes a detective story
as well.
801
00:41:21,020 --> 00:41:23,940
You need to figure out
where it came from
802
00:41:24,023 --> 00:41:25,900
and how to attribute
the disease.
803
00:41:26,025 --> 00:41:29,821
It's a mystery that
our lives depend on,
804
00:41:29,904 --> 00:41:32,031
and we need people
to be working on that
805
00:41:32,198 --> 00:41:34,158
and thinking about that.
806
00:41:34,283 --> 00:41:38,204
Perhaps what makes
deadly diseases so frightening
807
00:41:38,329 --> 00:41:41,582
is that we never know when
they're going to strike next.
808
00:41:41,708 --> 00:41:44,836
And that uncertainty
is also what forces us
809
00:41:44,961 --> 00:41:48,798
to ask ourselves
are we really safe?
810
00:41:48,965 --> 00:41:52,760
Well, the truth is that
only time will tell.
811
00:41:52,885 --> 00:41:55,096
Which means that,
at least for now,
812
00:41:55,221 --> 00:41:59,809
these questions
will remain unexplained.
813
00:41:59,934 --> 00:42:02,812
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