Letter to the Editor
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Good morrow mine esteemed brethren,
A writing moste peculiar hath crossed my path by way of carrier pigeon, and I couldst not permit such abhomynable arguing forego dispute. Al-thugh I am a mere spectre, a phantom of days long passed, I pray thee, take heed of the guidance of thine learned lordshipes and be grateful for the blessinges beforen thee. Verily, I suggest each and every scholar in this fine institution abide by the issued decrees, for they followe the counseil of the moste learned physicienes and philosophres. As for my tale of woe and sorrow, I beseech thou to listen and appreciate the giftes of moderne science for they would haven saved mine owne life.
It was the year of the Lord 1348 when a great pestilence took hold of my town in the county of Dorset, and spread forth to all and sundry. With such a fury and tempestuousness yet unforeseen, we witnessen an accursed maladie claim souls in aboundaunce. Wherever thou loked with thine eies, thine gaze was troubled by an occean of bodies, one heaped atop another in vast trenches near the churches, merely waitinge to be covered by more dead the morn next. Thrugh-oute the land, the peple were afeared and many-fold persounes were abandoned by thine kin to secure the savety of them-selves.
We had no savf refuge nor any hope of salvation in sighte for neither physicienes nor medicines were able to offren a cure. At night, I prayed for a healinge, some sort of miracle. Each morn, I awoke with dread, knowinge there was nought to forestall the spreden of the pestilence. Not long thereafter, the ende of mine life arriven. The course of mine death was afar from peaceable: the tumoures and buboes throbbed and the sores from blood-letting ached while a wretched fever ravaged mine body. There was nought a soul near-by when I toke mine last breth, non there to easen the anguisshe.
Wherefore, I do forsake the perspectif writen in the Virginia Laue Fortnightly this past six-and-twentieth day of Januarie. It portraien an unconninge of moderne medicine and a voide of compassioun for other man-kinde in need. This neuest forme of pestilence callen Covid-Nine and Ten ist not the same horrour of mine. Now, there are soluciounes and protectiones in existence, unlike mine own time. Nonetheless, the aforementioned writing has many compleininges over imagined injustices and oppressiouns. Al be that the writer of the opinioun proclaimed he is contrarie to neither vaccines nor boosters, methinks he doth protest over-muche.
Instede of cherishing the quik arivaille of the cure, he bemoans the decree to avail oneself of the wondrous ‘booster’ as a recquirement to studie at one of the moste respected schooles of laue in thine country. Rather, he besmirches the very name of science itself by invoking the name of sources of ill-repute and insufficient skill and learninge. Moreover, he misconstruen the evidence supportinge continued vaccination to safeguard against the horrid sickness. Thugh I be but a peasant borne into poverte, I carefully examined the resources offren to buttress his controversial jugement on the moralite and intelligence of the decree. I find it sorely lackinge.
One resource listed might be a man of medicine, but upon reviewinge his educaccioun, it appears that his specialtie is on matters of surgerie of the pancreas and not on infectious diseases or vaccination. His owne colleagues at the prestigious Johns Hopkins whom hath studied infecciones find his opiniounes and arguements disagreeable and incorrect.[1] I know not how moderne persounes think, but I certainly would chuse to listen to those with expertise on such matters.
Muche of the other resources seem to suggest that the current variacioun of the pestilence, Omicron, does not warrant the decreed use of the booster. However, mine owne research hath found that the booster was approximately ninety per cent effective in forestalling hospitalisationes whereas merely possessing the first two doses was only seven-and-fifty per cent effective.[2] Thus, evidence supportens the conclusioun that the booster is needed to reducen the amount of infecciounes. The writer might assert that the lackinge of severe illness and symptomes indicates that Omicron is not dangerous, but many reputable institutiones hath concluded that it remains a sizeable risk to moste persounes.[3] [III]
To be sure, the last four-and-twenty months hath been distressinge and the cause of much frustraccion. Hou-ever, I haven little sympathy for the alleged aggrievances of the writer. It is no burden to undertake a harmless and effective medicine as a measure of proteccioun and care for thine neighbours. On be-half of fellow victimes of diseses past, I decrie the callousness to those infortunate souls for whom the sickness did beget concerns most severe for their savety. Not all peple hath so muche privilege to be so unafeared of a disease which hath claimed the lives of milliounes thrugh-out the world and created long-lastinge effectes on those who mercyfully survived. I declare that under-takinge the slight effort of innoculaccioun is not just a humanitarian dutie, but the only logical conclusioun to reach with all availble science.
For those who foresake the plentiful giftes offren by societie, I simplie must say that I muste commit the crime of flatulence in thou generale direccioun. Hou darest thou bemoan the opportunitie presenten to thou. I suffren a needless and horrifyinge death and thou can assiste others in avoidinge similar fates, but proclaim it an injustice to do so by decree. Great shame upon thou and upon thine cattle and upon thine kin. Eache persoun with dignite and honour wouldst never questioun the wise edicts of thine lordshipes whomst are lokinge out for our all best interestes.
With muche displeasure,
A concerned ghoust of times passed.