NationStates Jolt Archive


#1 Life-Saving Invention

New Granada
30-09-2005, 22:49
I suspect that of all the things people have invented, few have been more directly and immediately responsible for saving human lives than the Atom Bomb.

There is great reason to believe that, had not the A-Bomb been invented, we would live in a much worse world.

I see no reason why, without the nuclear deterrance, mankind would have not engaged in progressively more devestating world wars, culimating in genocide more horrendous than any which we have known.
Something Ya
30-09-2005, 22:55
I suspect that of all the things people have invented, few have been more directly and immediately responsible for saving human lives than the Atom Bomb.

There is great reason to believe that, had not the A-Bomb been invented, we would live in a much worse world.

I see no reason why, without the nuclear deterrance, mankind would have not engaged in progressively more devestating world wars, culimating in genocide more horrendous than any which we have known.


I have to disagree... I'd say soap was the greatest 'invention.'
Keruvalia
30-09-2005, 23:04
Yeah ... as far as life saving inventions go, I'm gonna have to agree with soap. Amazing how many lives have been saved by surgeons simply washing their hands.
The Noble Men
30-09-2005, 23:07
I'd say medicine. No question.
Drunk commies deleted
30-09-2005, 23:10
Antibiotics. Maybe smallpox vaccine. It's too close to call. Atom bomb? Not really.
Lacadaemon
30-09-2005, 23:12
irrigation? the plough? Those two must have stopped a few people starving to death in their day.
NashHouse
30-09-2005, 23:14
Does Controlled Fire Count as an invention..cause it gets my vote... :D
Drunk commies deleted
30-09-2005, 23:19
Yeah ... as far as life saving inventions go, I'm gonna have to agree with soap. Amazing how many lives have been saved by surgeons simply washing their hands.
Soap's good, but antibiotics will save lives not just from infected wounds, but from plague, pneumonia, TB, and other nasty infections that would otherwise kill off large numbers of people every year. How often do you have surgury? Not as often as you get simple bacterial infections probably.
I V Stalin
30-09-2005, 23:40
Soap's good, but antibiotics will save lives not just from infected wounds, but from plague, pneumonia, TB, and other nasty infections that would otherwise kill off large numbers of people every year. How often do you have surgury? Not as often as you get simple bacterial infections probably.
Antibiotics wouldn't do shit against the plague - bubonic plague, and its variants, are viral diseases, whereas antibiotics work against bacterial infections.
[/science lesson]
Life saving invention? The flushing toilet. Oh, yes.
Drunk commies deleted
30-09-2005, 23:45
Antibiotics wouldn't do shit against the plague - bubonic plague, and its variants, are viral diseases, whereas antibiotics work against bacterial infections.
[/science lesson]
Life saving invention? The flushing toilet. Oh, yes.
Yersinia pestis (another pic)- gram-negative coccobacillus belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae

from http://www.kcom.edu/faculty/chamberlain/Website/lectures/lecture/plague.htm

Plague is a bacterial infection. Interesting side note, Soviets made antibiotic resistant pestis at their bioweapons research facility, Vector.
Bottle
30-09-2005, 23:48
Soap's good, but antibiotics will save lives not just from infected wounds, but from plague, pneumonia, TB, and other nasty infections that would otherwise kill off large numbers of people every year. How often do you have surgury? Not as often as you get simple bacterial infections probably.
The weird thing is, antibiotics are now become a significant THREAT to human health. Because of wide-spread use of "anti-bacterial" soaps, sprays, etc, we are seeing exponentially increasing rates of mutation for bacteria, rates that are soon going to outpace our abilities to develop new drugs.

Here's your PSA from Bottle for the day: DO NOT USE ANTIBACTERIAL PRODUCTS or medications unless your DOCTOR specifically tells you to do so. Antibiotics can be a very good friend, but they may also become a vicious enemy if we don't use them correctly.
Drunk commies deleted
30-09-2005, 23:51
The weird thing is, antibiotics are now become a significant THREAT to human health. Because of wide-spread use of "anti-bacterial" soaps, sprays, etc, we are seeing exponentially increasing rates of mutation for bacteria, rates that are soon going to outpace our abilities to develop new drugs.

Here's your PSA from Bottle for the day: DO NOT USE ANTIBACTERIAL PRODUCTS or medications unless your DOCTOR specifically tells you to do so. Antibiotics can be a very good friend, but they may also become a vicious enemy if we don't use them correctly.
Yep. That's how the Soviets made their super plague. They just exposed large ammounts of Pestis to antibiotics, found the few that could survive exposure to the chemicals, and used them as seed stock for more plague.
Equus
01-10-2005, 00:20
Soap's good, but antibiotics will save lives not just from infected wounds, but from plague, pneumonia, TB, and other nasty infections that would otherwise kill off large numbers of people every year. How often do you have surgury? Not as often as you get simple bacterial infections probably.

Washing and cleaning with soap helps to keep the viruses and bacteria that cause nasties like plague, flu, and other nasty diseases from getting passed along in the first place. It's not just surgeries that benefit from soap.
Neo Kervoskia
01-10-2005, 00:32
Plastic.
Lolalala
01-10-2005, 00:41
Definately believe the make-up is the most important invention. Second has to be the color pink. yes. pink.
The Black Forrest
01-10-2005, 01:11
Uhm? CPR and Mouth to Mouth?