NOVEMBER 18, 2024

Viruses—Outnumbering the Stars


Originally published by our sister publication General Surgery News

By Henry Buchwald, MD, PhD
‘A virus is a piece of bad news wrapped up in a protein.’
—Sir Peter Medawar, 2011
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My first encounter with the power of a virus took place when I was 11 years old. I contracted a relatively mild case of polio with leg paralysis. After several weeks of vigorous walking, I was able to fully recover. At age 14, I spent the afternoon playing ball and the evening at the home of a close