Apr 2, 2020 10:07 PM
(This post was last modified: Apr 3, 2020 02:42 AM by C C.)
Did superstition cause the COVID-19 outbreak?
https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/...-prologue/
EXCERPT: . . . So, did superstition play a role in this novel coronavirus pandemic? Although we don’t know the exact path of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it is clear that unfounded beliefs about the benefits of different kinds of animal meats and byproducts, combined with the view of some people that freshly slaughtered meats are safer and more tasty than frozen, encourage traders to sell these products in the wet markets of Asia. This created an environment ripe for the transfer of pathogens among different species and ultimately to humans. To the extent that these beliefs—many of which are drawn from Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM—contribute to demand for these products, they are a public health hazard. However, the persistence of these unfounded ideas is encouraged by a number of larger forces that may be more powerful than mere cultural tradition.
Peter Li, professor of East Asian Politics at the University of Houston-Downtown, points out that the Chinese government considers wildlife a resource, and wildlife breeding is a powerful and lucrative industry. Furthermore, the wildlife industry has presented itself as a pro-conservation effort, justifying the breeding of bears, tigers, and rhinoceros as a means to replenish endangered species. However, farming has not prevented the illegal hunting of wild species, many of which continue to decline in numbers. Following the 2003 SARS outbreak, which emerged from a live animal market in Guangdong providence, the Chinese government cracked down on wildlife trade for the exotic markets, but the restrictions were later relaxed.
On February 23, 2020, in response to the Wuhan outbreak, the Chinese government implemented a ban on all trade and consumption of wildlife (Li 2020), but given the government’s track record and the sheer size of the industry, it is unclear whether the ban will last or ultimately be effective. Overcoming popular ideas will be difficult. A 2011 survey of Beijing residents showed that some were concerned about wildlife preservation and were willing to choose TCM remedies made from alternative substances, but a large percentage of respondents preferred medicines derived from wild animals because they believed them to be more potent and safe (Lui et al. 2016).
The Chinese government could have a positive influence by openly criticizing the unscientific ideas of TCM, but because TCM is so closely tied to the national identity, Beijing has not done so. As Prof. Li wrote in an email, “superstition and nationalism are mixed together to reinforce each other.” Westerners who criticize TCM are likely to be labeled cultural imperialists, but many commentators, scholars, and scientists within China have long criticized the unfounded ideas of TCM. Unfortunately, political and economic forces exert a substantial influence. As I suggested in a previous column, it seems unlikely that the many references to superstition in the Chinese commercial market (e.g., red-colored products, lucky cats, the number eight, and feng shui) will ever disappear because they are sustained by the profit motive. Similarly, profit provides a strong incentive to promote Chinese live and wild animal markets using false claims of health benefits.
As to the question of superstition’s role in the current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, the water is further muddied by a number of more recent epidemiological studies... (MORE)
China approves treating coronavirus patients with injections made from BEAR BILE and GOAT HORN
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...-HORN.html
INTRO: China has approved the use of bear bile to treat coronavirus patients, angering activists and raising fears it could undermine efforts to stop the illegal animal trade which is blamed for the emergence of the disease sweeping the globe. The move comes just weeks after China banned the sale of wild animals for food, citing the risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans.
But the National Health Commission in March issued guidelines recommending the use of 'Tan Re Qing' - an injection that contains bear bile powder, goat horn and three other medicinal herbs to treat critically ill coronavirus patients.
The Asiatic Black Bear is commonly and illegally traded for its body parts throughout Asia. Experts believe more than 12,000 bears are kept on bear bile farms in China and Vietnam today It is one of six traditional Chinese medicine products included in the directive.
President Xi Jinping has been keen to promote traditional medicine and saying it should be given as much weight as other treatments. The active ingredient in bear bile, ursodeoxycholic acid, is used to dissolve gallstones and treat liver disease but has no proven effectiveness in treating COVID-19... (MORE)
https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/...-prologue/
EXCERPT: . . . So, did superstition play a role in this novel coronavirus pandemic? Although we don’t know the exact path of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it is clear that unfounded beliefs about the benefits of different kinds of animal meats and byproducts, combined with the view of some people that freshly slaughtered meats are safer and more tasty than frozen, encourage traders to sell these products in the wet markets of Asia. This created an environment ripe for the transfer of pathogens among different species and ultimately to humans. To the extent that these beliefs—many of which are drawn from Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM—contribute to demand for these products, they are a public health hazard. However, the persistence of these unfounded ideas is encouraged by a number of larger forces that may be more powerful than mere cultural tradition.
Peter Li, professor of East Asian Politics at the University of Houston-Downtown, points out that the Chinese government considers wildlife a resource, and wildlife breeding is a powerful and lucrative industry. Furthermore, the wildlife industry has presented itself as a pro-conservation effort, justifying the breeding of bears, tigers, and rhinoceros as a means to replenish endangered species. However, farming has not prevented the illegal hunting of wild species, many of which continue to decline in numbers. Following the 2003 SARS outbreak, which emerged from a live animal market in Guangdong providence, the Chinese government cracked down on wildlife trade for the exotic markets, but the restrictions were later relaxed.
On February 23, 2020, in response to the Wuhan outbreak, the Chinese government implemented a ban on all trade and consumption of wildlife (Li 2020), but given the government’s track record and the sheer size of the industry, it is unclear whether the ban will last or ultimately be effective. Overcoming popular ideas will be difficult. A 2011 survey of Beijing residents showed that some were concerned about wildlife preservation and were willing to choose TCM remedies made from alternative substances, but a large percentage of respondents preferred medicines derived from wild animals because they believed them to be more potent and safe (Lui et al. 2016).
The Chinese government could have a positive influence by openly criticizing the unscientific ideas of TCM, but because TCM is so closely tied to the national identity, Beijing has not done so. As Prof. Li wrote in an email, “superstition and nationalism are mixed together to reinforce each other.” Westerners who criticize TCM are likely to be labeled cultural imperialists, but many commentators, scholars, and scientists within China have long criticized the unfounded ideas of TCM. Unfortunately, political and economic forces exert a substantial influence. As I suggested in a previous column, it seems unlikely that the many references to superstition in the Chinese commercial market (e.g., red-colored products, lucky cats, the number eight, and feng shui) will ever disappear because they are sustained by the profit motive. Similarly, profit provides a strong incentive to promote Chinese live and wild animal markets using false claims of health benefits.
As to the question of superstition’s role in the current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, the water is further muddied by a number of more recent epidemiological studies... (MORE)
China approves treating coronavirus patients with injections made from BEAR BILE and GOAT HORN
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...-HORN.html
INTRO: China has approved the use of bear bile to treat coronavirus patients, angering activists and raising fears it could undermine efforts to stop the illegal animal trade which is blamed for the emergence of the disease sweeping the globe. The move comes just weeks after China banned the sale of wild animals for food, citing the risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans.
But the National Health Commission in March issued guidelines recommending the use of 'Tan Re Qing' - an injection that contains bear bile powder, goat horn and three other medicinal herbs to treat critically ill coronavirus patients.
The Asiatic Black Bear is commonly and illegally traded for its body parts throughout Asia. Experts believe more than 12,000 bears are kept on bear bile farms in China and Vietnam today It is one of six traditional Chinese medicine products included in the directive.
President Xi Jinping has been keen to promote traditional medicine and saying it should be given as much weight as other treatments. The active ingredient in bear bile, ursodeoxycholic acid, is used to dissolve gallstones and treat liver disease but has no proven effectiveness in treating COVID-19... (MORE)