OPINION:
“Scientist says ’constructal law’ steers coronavirus” (Page 1, Dec. 7) contains a very interesting take on the propagation of the novel coronavirus and susceptibility. If you throw a ball through the air it will assume a path that minimizes the sum of the potential (gravity) and kinetic energy. The “constructal law” is a variation of this phenomenon.
However, it is probably not a universal explanation for virus propagation and susceptibility. Coronavirus spread is very much seasonal and consequently latitude-dependent. The reason for this may lie in the effectiveness of the mucous overlaying the endothelial cells in lungs as a function of humidity. This would mean the virus is always there during the summer, but you are better able to trap and defeat it during the warmer months. Humidity is a big factor.
Your DNA is not your destiny, but this has only been acknowledged during the past 20 years in which the field of epigenetics has arisen. Regardless of your DNA, the genes have to be expressed, and that depends on your environment. The Neanderthals were wiped out and viral infection may have been a reason, but that 4% of DNA that may be present in your genome can be overcome. There are all sorts of things that you can do to strengthen your immune system, regardless of your DNA.
The problem for Western civilization is that health care has been defined in terms of drug therapy, and there is little if any effort expended on understanding how any disease originates or can be prevented. Both cancer and heart disease beat out COVID-19 by more than an order of magnitude, but apparently COVID-19 has been used to end the world as we know it.
If the medical establishment had a clue about how to prevent cancer or heart disease, it would have gone the way of the Neanderthals a long time ago.
SAMUEL BURKEEN
Reston, Va.
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