Unfortunately for us, many people in different parts of the world hold unscientific beliefs that threaten not only their own health, but the rest of us as well. In the United States we have the anti-vaxxers who refuse to allow their children to be immunized. Some claim religious exemptions, some quote bogus studies about autism. The result is a loss of “herd immunity.”
Chinese folklore prescribes animal and plant remedies that have no scientific basis, but are still believed by millions. For example, bats, which may be the source of the coronavirus and the SARS virus, are thought to be good for restoring eyesight. People actually eat bat feces. (I can get you some from our shed, but it will cost you.) In some cases these beliefs have resulted in endangering some animals. The widespread idea that rhino horns are good for impotence has led to a dangerous decline of that species.
If indeed coronavirus has resulted because people have ingested wild animals, I’m reminded of the old saying “nature bats last.” (And by the way, if you are a deer hunter, you better not eat venison from deer suffering from wasting disease. I am not kidding.)
See Yi-Zheng Lian, “The Coronavirus and ‘Jinbu’ Foods,” New York Times, (Feb. 23, 2020), p. SR2.
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