It was rather astonishing given that Vulcan had directly contradicted your statements in #293 with his in #295.
In 293 you wrote (accurately):
The other reason smallpox is difficult to diagnose is that the early symptoms mimic the flu or common cold, and the inital infective stages the rash MAY be confined to only the oral cavity. your 293
The above from you is correct and was my point the entire time. I have no idea why it took you until 293 to admit or understand it.
Vulcan, on the other and contradicts you:
2. The first syptoms of smallpox mimic the flu, however the person is still not contagious at this point.
3. Smallpox first becomes contagious when lesions/pox appear, AFTER the flu-like symptoms have existed for a day or two. Vulcun 295
Certainly people are infectious before lesions and pox occur (unless you are calling the rash confined to the oral cavity "lesion/pox", which would not really be accurate within what is commonly understood as lesion/pox.)
Like I said, I was dumbfounded as to your agreeing with him when just two posts prior you had made a statement that his post directly contradicted.
Vulcan says:
Smallpox first becomes contagious when lesions/pox appear
And then you say:
Certainly people are infectious before lesions and pox occur
Those two statements are completely contradictory
You also say:
(unless you are calling the rash confined to the oral cavity "lesion/pox", which would not really be accurate within what is commonly understood as lesion/pox.)
I don't know where you come from but here lesions/pox occur in the oral cavity.
As a matter of fact, even the AMA, says the same thing I do:
A maculopapular rash then appears on the mucosa of the mouth and pharynx, face, and forearms, and spreads to the trunk and legs
You'll notice that they don't make a distinction between the rash in the oral mucosa and the rest of the body.
Now you point out my post 293:
Go on, go back and look. I only say "some around here needlessly trying to scare people." And you jump in soon after that defending yourself. I must have touched a rew nerve, no?
In it I specifically quote post #199, in which, if anybody wants to look, I make no mention of you. You then respond to me in post 210 as if I was referring to you specifically! You seem rather touchy to me.
And then you finally get around to referencing something, and you link to Amazon.com!!!
What am I supposed to do, buy the book? The internet is a big place, why don't you take a little time a find references we can read? After all, that IS the reason for them.