In 1993, I had written an article following a Swiss TV program on the theme "Should tobacco smoke be regulated outside the private sphere? having sensed the rise of scientific fundamentalism. Fifteen years later, in the midst of the AH5N1 crisis, I reworked this article for the Matin Dimanche readers' letter. Today, it is time to put it back on the front page...

In 1993, I had written an article following a Swiss TV program on the theme "Should tobacco smoke be regulated outside the private sphere? having sensed the rise of scientific fundamentalism. Fifteen years later, in the midst of the AH5N1 crisis, I reworked this article for the Matin Dimanche readers' letter. Today, it is time to put it back on the front page...

The complete article on the AH5N1 flu

Flu, hysteria and the integral condom

Let us be reassured! If traditional religions are in decline, the opportunities to indulge in blind faith are more numerous than ever. The new priests have traded in the cap and tiara for the white coat, calculator and syringe, they now invoke statistics rather than scripture, but have retained the fundamental principle of the old system: they demand blind obedience to their creed, this time in the name of scientific reason and public health.

"It's scientifically proven." This argument automatically dismisses any opinion that falls outside the officially recognized, measured, regulated and acceptable framework. Raise an objection and you are immediately inundated with statistics. Insist more and a group of experts will meet to prove the validity of the medical-scientific dogma.

In recent months, the world's populations have been hit by a new pandemic, perniciously called "prevention". The extent of the spread of the virus is staggering and its implementation perfectly orchestrated. The WHO and other international organizations, governments, big pharma and the media are all singing the same refrain, as one voice - demonstrating that concerted action on a global level is entirely possible.

The situation is alarming: a simple flu has created as much hysteria as the threat of an alien invasion, to the point that even the most discerning minds are caught up in the game of one-upmanship. The infection is so serious that we forget the real danger: the prefabricated doses of fear inoculated to the populations systematically undermine the psychic immune defenses of the citizens. To date, there is only one antidote to this insidious epidemic: to refrain from all contact with the media, the bureaucracy and the medical profession. 

History is repeating itself: the proselytizing fervor is now more interested in the safety of our bodies than in the salvation of our souls; rosaries of statistics are recited to impose a worldview and formulate the needs of consumers. A new crusade is underway to save humanity from these viral devils - and to make the transition from a petrodollar to a pharmadollar economy. A huge territory remains to be exploited: the human body.

But then, how far will our health ayatollahs go?

Suddenly, in a flash of intuition, the future was revealed to me and I contemplated The Ultimate Solution, the culmination of the current conception of prevention and health:

The integral condom.

The principle will be the same as the penis condom, but it will cover the whole body. A buccal filter will allow breathing and tube feeding, and it will be possible to fit optical lenses at the eye site. The soles of the feet and hands will be reinforced.

The integral condom will give rise to an exceptional revival in fashion, with different sizes, cuts and colors. To crown it all, a "delivery" model will adapt to the mother's model and, through an airlock system, will immediately propel the newborn into its little protective envelope.

According to my vision, the arrival on the market of this ultimate instrument of prevention will mark the full achievement of science at the service of public health. Finally, our existence will be contained within scientifically proven - and controllable - limits.

Alain-Yan Mohr, 
Haute-Nendaz
August 09

The (truncated) article on the AH5N1 influenza published in the Matin of August 9, 2009

The original 1993 version

Don't worry! If traditional religions are in decline, the opportunities to indulge in blind faith are more numerous than ever. The new priests have traded in the cap and tiara for the white coat and calculator, they now invoke health statistics rather than scripture, but they have retained the fundamental principle of the old system: they demand total obedience to their creed, this time in the name of scientific reason.

"It's scientifically proven." This argument automatically sweeps aside any opinion that goes beyond the officially recognized, measured, regulated and... acceptable framework. Raise an objection and you are immediately inundated with statistics. Insist further and a panel of experts will meet to prove the validity of the scientific dogma.

The other night, French Television was broadcasting "Justice en marche" on the topic "Should tobacco smoke be regulated outside the private sphere?" The first thing this program taught me was that tobacco smoke is probably the primary cause of statistics. One of the debaters, a doctor (or was he a statistician?), head of an association for the prevention of smoking, literally suffocated us with statistics, without worrying about whether the numbers bothered the audience. He was caught up in his proselytizing fervor and claimed that smoking kills one in ten people, thus giving a flagrant example of lack of scientific objectivity.

With a series of numbers lined up in the right order to corroborate a hypothesis, they intend to make us change our behavior, and they call it prevention. For my part, I see this as a manifestation of the rise of scientific fundamentalism.

This blindness is all the more regrettable since every scientist knows today that the act of observing affects the result of what is observed. In simple terms, a researcher always ends up finding what he is looking for. But then, how far do they go?

Suddenly, in a flash of insight, the future was revealed to me and I contemplated The Ultimate Solution, the culmination of the current understanding of prevention and health:

The integral condom.

The principle will be the same as the penis condom, but it will cover the whole body. A buccal filter will allow breathing and tube feeding, and it will be possible to fit optical lenses at the eye site. The soles of the feet and hands will be reinforced.

The integral condom will give rise to an exceptional revival in fashion, with different sizes, cuts and colors. To crown it all, a "delivery" model will adapt to the mother's model and, through an airlock system, will immediately propel the newborn into its little protective envelope.

According to my vision, the arrival on the market of this ultimate instrument of prevention will mark the full achievement of science in the service of health. Finally, our existence will be contained within scientifically proven limits.

Alain-Yan Mohr, 1993