Posted on 09/10/2005 10:50:09 AM PDT by DoughtyOne
FoxNews - on the Record w/Greta Van Susteren
September 9th, 2005
Transcript of an interview with Michael Baden, renowned Forensic Pathologist.
Van Susteren / Baden
Officials say the grim job of collecting and identifying the dead could take months. Are the dead bodies dangerous to those now collecting them? And how do you give the person dignity in death under these circumstances? And what about disease or even mosquitoes? Joining us live in New York is Forensic Pathologist Doctor Michael Baden.
Hi Gretta. Doc...
Good evening Doctor Baden.
Doctor Baden, earlier in the show Trace Gallager my colleague talked about the mosquitoes that have now descended upon New Orleans once again having been swept away by the storm. What's the problem with mosquitoes pose?
The mosquitoes can carry West Nile Virus and some of the encephalitis diseases, but that's the reason they should have been spraying for mosquitoes days ago. I think it's an outrage that they haven't started aerial spraying for mosquitoes, which is something that is commonly done even when there aren't hurricanes in New Orleans because of the breading grounds there.
I think that the the focus on toxic water is is misinformed. That water isn't toxic unless you drink it. People walking through water, the worst they can get is a rash or something, and dragging people out of their homes because of toxic water ah I think is is wrong and squandering manpower. I have a number of doctor friends, ah including the former Health Commissioner in a New Orleans, who moved back into their homes in a New Orleans. Ah so ah getting people out is just a waste of time and it's based on misinformation.
Unintelligible word you say that the mosquitoes can carry West Nile, ah can meaning like one in a billion or common, I mean like how serious a problem is this?
Oh it can... remember they sprayed New York city a couple of years ago for West... the whole city of New York was sprayed because of ah ah ah the mosquitoes carrying West Nile. What has to happen is it has to be a conjunction between the mosquitoes and birds and the viruses ah can cause a serious problem ah in ah ah ah...
When you say serious, ten being the most serious like Oh my God we've got to got to do something right now and one being like do ya know well it's not that important unintelligible...
Oh no, the easiest thing now is have the Army go out, they have helicopters and they can very rapidly spray the city at very ah ah little cost and a it's an ideal time to spray. There's nobody there even though the sprays themselves don't harm people and I think they they can be dozens or ah you know ah hundreds of cases depending on the circumstances. It won't be thousands of cases. But ah, it's a serious condition, other cities have been sprayed with less of ah a ah ah potential for danger.
Alright, we only have thirty seconds left Doctor Baden. If ah people are going down to New Orleans they need shots?
No, they don't... they don't have Tetanus in New Orleans. Tetanus ah and Hepatitis if they don't treat the water... ah I've been advised by my colleagues in New Orleans that ah ah at this time Tetanus and Hepatitis ah immunizations are unnecessary even though they're being given out and all that ah... and Typhoid is unnecessary also. It gives you a sore arm.
Alright Doctor Baden, thank you sir.
Thank you.
Transcribed by D1
True...
" Where I fault CNN is their spin against Bush and their failure to address the lack of state and local leadership.
I don't honestly know if it's truly respectful to allow all these people to die, yet show none of them on televison."
Agree with first sentiment and diverge slightly with the second.
If the media wants to show the dead, with the family's permission, at their funeral service- that would be ok.
The fireman after 9/11 covered the remains of the fallen with the flag, as they were brought out of Ground Zero.
That was appropriate and respectful.
But, CNN wants to show the uncovered corpses as they lay-which is morbid and disrespectful to the dead and their family members.
Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that the mortuary generally prefers to make the dead presentable for viewing, especially if time has elapsed since death, before allowing the family to see them.
Because the image of a loved one in disarray, covered in blood, in rigor ,discolored and in many cases now, bloated -will never be erased from their memory and shouldn't be broadcast nationwide.
Course we can't spray them with DDT which really kills them and their spawn. But hey, if you lose a relative to malaria or something you can hug an environmental whacko or something.
" think that the the focus on toxic water is is misinformed. That water isn't toxic unless you drink it. People walking through water, the worst they can get is a rash or something,"
...
Is this Doctor a quack? Many people got and get cuts easily wading through all the debri which leaves a person exposed to the contaminated water and assorted bacteria which can lead to other things. And rashes if not treated fast and appropriately can turn into open sores, etc.,
What utter nonsense. Had the authorities NOT taken away the guns from the good citizens, the looters and shooters would not be such a danger. Getting the good citizens out of their houses (at gunpoint!) only serves to give the looters and shooters more to loot. It certainly doesn't guarantee that they'll catch them--or that they'll even try.
Thanks for the comments.
While I understand your desire to have the bodies presentable, it's so far removed from the tragedy they experienced that I still object.
Tell me ten thousand people died and it's just a number. It doesn't reveal a foot sticking out from under, over there. It doesn't reveal a corpse on it's stomach across the way. It doesn't show an arm by itself up the street. You don't see the body recovered from the mud that had been under 20 feet of water. It doesn't show the person whose bloated body was lodged in an attic.
Some will see this as a morbid desire to see, but I see it as truly recognizing what these people went through. Seeing those bodies would remind us like nothing else what we should be fighting to avoid when there's a call to evacuate or prepare for the next one.
I really do understand where you are coming from, but on a number of levels, I think showing the bodies is important. Show them late at night so the kids can miss it, but show the adults what the reality of this situation truly is.
Thanks again for the discussion.
Pay attention to the news. They're saying the French Quarter will be "up and running" in a couple of months. Your assumption is a little off target.
Point well taken, but are you sure you didn't own DDT stock? Heh heh heh...
Which is not to say that a tetanus shot wouldn't be in order if your were exposed. Right? If you step on a nail what do you do? If you have a cut and go into the water, what do you do.
A preemptive shot is not indicated, as least according to Baden.
One estimate mentioned on Fox earlier today was that the place will be drained in under a month. Quite a difference from the 6 or more months they mentioned originally, perhaps because they got more pumps to work than they thought they could.
Please cite your source on this.
Not likely.
If they can pull that off, it's silly to suggest folks need to abandone their homes. Thanks for the report.
Sunnyside you never fail to be on the wrong side of an issue!
The doctor is no quack. Michael Baden is widely known.
Your point is well-taken, and is definitely a hazard for those who are still in houses where the water is up. However, bear in mind that the figures for flooding are (depending on which source you hear) either 60% or 80%.
That means either 40% or 20% of all the houses are NOT flooded. We've seen some of them on news footage, and I know about others because of friends and relatives living in the area--well, not any more, they evacuated ahead of the storm, but they've checked their houses. They are largely undamaged. Some of these houses currently have their water and their electricity turned on, although I certainly wouldn't drink anything out of the tap for a long time.
I think that instead of sending DPs to strange cities and new lives we should force them back to their homes.
Well some homes are no longer there. Others are uninhabitable. I don't advocate sending anyone back, but I don't advocate forcing people to leave at gunpoint either.
The people who left have no idea of what happened to their houses and in that respect they might no worse off than the people who stayed. Wouldn't you say that those who left (and obeyed authorities) have an equal right to their homes?
Well, see if i told ya I owned DDT stock, we could be in trouble for insider trading. ha. ha!
Well, see if i told ya I owned DDT stock, we could be in trouble for insider trading. ha. ha!
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