The Age of Bacteria

I saw a phenomenal lecture by the late Stephen Jay Gould back in the mid 90s. His topic: Although we like to think that we live in the Age of Man, by all scientific standards, we really live in the Age of Bacteria.

That thesis has been on my mind all weekend since I got the news that my mom is back in the hospital with an infection they are having trouble pinpointing. For those of you keeping score, this is her fourth infection since her surgery just over a month ago and the third trip to the hospital via the emergency room.

It's been something like six decades since the discover of antibiotics. If you think the war on drugs and the war on terrorism are interminable and unwinnable, take a look at our war on infection. There are fewer casualties than there used to be, but we're not making any decisive wins.

It's hard to watch. I just want to hear that she managed to get a full night's sleep or that she kept a day's worth of meal down. Going a week without a fever would be good news. I'm tired of hearing about how many hours she spent in the ER before being admitted. Or that their taking yet another CT scan and giving her, a diabetic, yet another quart of sugar-saturated CT contrast to drink. (Actually, I happened to be on the phone with her yesterday when the nurse came in the with the contrast, and because I made a fuss, she got a sugar-free version. Yes, folks it does exists. And for the record, I knew it had to and now I'm pissed that she's had to drink the sugary version several times before and then get shot up with insulin, which she's always been able to avoid because she manages her diabetes so well.)

The raw, jagged edges of modern medicine and the medical establishment are visible. Giving sugary solutions to diabetics. Hunting and pecking for the right antibiotic. Hundreds of dollars of prescriptions out of pocket because she exceeded her drug limit.

Exceeded her drug limit trying to recover from an infection she caught in the hospital.

I had a deep talk with my brother this evening. I'm weirdly relieved that I'm not the only one worring that this could be what kills her and -- she's always been so healthy -- inwardly raging that this isn't supposed to be what kills her.

This bacteria isn't supposed to win. Because it's supposed to be the Age of Man.