God's Grace and the Legionnaire Killer
To the Editors:
After discussing the "American Legion Disease" [Aug. 16] with a group of fellow microbiologists, I read with interest John Knowles' Essay on "The Struggle to Stay Healthy." Knowles states that 200 years ago "divine aid was considered more important than that of the physicians. Only through God's grace could one escape disease or survive its attack." With this country's leading epidemiologists stumped for weeks, it seems that little has changed.
James A. Poupard Philadelphia
The "disease detectives' " difficult task is vital for preventing spread and recurrence. It does not save the victims already struck,...