Mass Extinctions, Evolutionary Leaps, and the Virus-Information Connection

[Altair]

End-Botomian extinction event ca. 517 May which removed up to 80% of marine genera[11]

Another spelling error -> Mya.

 

[Altair]

From Chapter 3:

There was no plutonium. A supernova had not killed the dinosaurs. These results were later published in a paper titled ‘Negative results for the Supernova hypotheses’. In this paper they [Alvarez et al.] described how the measurements showed there was no plutonium-244 present, and how this result ruled out the supernova theory ¼[14]

Full stop or ellipsis?

 

[Nienna]

Chapter 14. I think there is a typo here:

When injected inside a pray, the viruses neutralized the host’s immune system,

Should this work be "prey"?

 

[Pierre]

Another spelling error -> Mya.

Thanks. Corrected in the main file and in the post.

 

[Pierre]

From Chapter 3:



Full stop or ellipsis?

Corrected in the main file and in the post.

 

[Pierre]

Chapter 14. I think there is a typo here:

Should this work be "prey"?

Thanks. Corrected in the main file and in the relevant post.

 

[Channa]

Hello
PDF in French 1-14
Channa

 

[Pierre]

Chapter 15: Terrain and/or germs?​

The previous chapters revealed in detail the astounding seniority, diversity, sheer numbers, overall harmlessness and pivotal role played by viruses in the emergence and evolution of life. However, viruses are widely considered as exclusively pathogenic agents, spreading disease, suffering and death.

How did reach we a paradigm so orthogonal to truth? This demonizing of viruses is in great part due to Louis Pasteur[1], who fathered a new germ theory[2] in the late 19th century, which limited any germs, including viruses, to their nefarious roles.

Darwin[3] didn’t create evolution; neither did Pasteur create the germ theory. As early as 1025 AD, Avicenna[4] developed basic forms of germ theory[5]. In 1546 - three centuries before Pasteur’s work - Girolamo Frastoro[6], one of the founding fathers of epidemiology proposed that epidemic diseases are caused by minute bodies that could be transmitted by direct contact, indirect contact and even over long distances without contact[7].

© Wellcome Images
Collection of three books about contagion, contagious diseases and their cure.
(Girolamo Fracastoro, ed. 1550)​

In 1762, Marcus von Plenciz[8] confirmed Fracastoro’s and Avicenna’s work by publishing an updated germ theory of infectious diseases:

Plenciz maintained that there was a special organism by which each infectious disease was produced, that micro-organisms were capable of reproduction outside of the body, and that they might be conveyed from place to place by the air[9]

So by Pasteur’s times, germ theory was old news. One of the dominant epidemiologic theories of these times was proposed by Antoine Béchamp[10] and Claude Bernard[11]:

By contrast, “terrain theory,” which was initiated by Claude Bernard and later built upon by Antoine Béchamp, alleges that the terrain—that is, the internal environment of the body—and not an external germ determines our health or lack thereof. What Béchamp referred to as “terrain” is very close to what modern medicine has now termed the innate immune system.[12]

Darwin didn’t create evolution theory but erased saltationism, likewise Pasteur didn’t create epidemiology but helped remove one of its fundamental factors: the terrain or immune system and replaced it by vaccines:

In 1882, while his desk was loaded with reports of disasters, Pasteur went to Geneva, and there before the cream of disease-fighters of the world, he gave a thrilling speech, with the subject: How to guard living creatures from virulent maladies by injecting them with weakened microbes[13]

Pasteur’s work was heavily promoted by the Flexner Report, funded John D. Rockefeller[14] and Andrew Carnegie[15] who hold respectively the first and the third worldwide net worth in recorded history[16].

Rockefeller accumulated wealth by operating illegal oil and railroad monopolies[17] while Carnegie accumulated his own by operating illegal steel monopoly[18]. Both were coincidently staunch supporters of eugenics[19] [20].

The motto of the Flexner Report could be summarized as follow: germs are bad, they have to be eradicated with allopathic drugs:

Unfortunately, the allopathic medicine regime, which plutocrats John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie forced on most of the world with their 1910 Flexner Report, still has a large segment of the scientific community believing that bacteria, fungi, and viruses are our enemy. The foundation of Rockefeller’s allopathic medicine scheme is Louis Pasteur’s flawed “germ theory,” which claims that outside microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses attack, invade, and infect the body, thereby causing disease.[21]

The guidelines brought up by Flexner report were applied in the North America and led to death of “alternative medicines” through defunding and banning of schools and practitioners in osteopathy, chiropractic medicine, electrotherapy, botanical medicines, naturopathy, and homeopathy[22]. Notice that these “alternative” disciplines were the dominating ones until then[23].

It propelled de facto allopathic medicine[24] as the only therapy and pharmaceutical companies as the sole supplier of medicine. Flexner gave a particular prominence to vaccine among the allopathic arsenal:

Flexner clearly doubted the scientific validity of all forms of medicine other than that based on scientific research, deeming any approach to medicine that did not advocate the use of treatments such as vaccines to prevent and cure illness as tantamount to quackery and charlatanism.[25]

Another consequence of the Flexner report was to erase any notion of terrain. The medical schools were hereafter focused exclusively on “curing” disease with chemical drugs; the causes of disease were not addressed any more. Preventive medicine was no longer considered a responsibility of physicians[26]. In other terms, the physicians were reduced to the role of pharmaceutical dealers[27].

© CFAT
The Flexner Report on medical education in the United States and Canada (1910)​

Pasteurism is an ideology which equates viruses with diseases. Given the astounding number of viruses shown previously, if viruses were solely pathogenic all their hosts including human beings would have disappeared from the surface of Earth a long time ago. Actually, we would have never appeared since we're made of virus, or more accurately, viruses made us.

Here’s one example illustrating this point: a seven-day-old infant has 108 (hundred million) viruses in each gram of feces[28]. He has natural immunity but no acquired immunity (antibodies on which the vaccines and some other allopathic drugs are based on).

However most infants are perfectly healthy - even when exposed to a virus for which he has no protection from his mother's milk / antibodies because she was not exposed to this virus - confirms the idea that viral disease are not per se due to viruses, but to the interactions between viruses and our immune systems:

It is not that the viruses are causing a disease. Rather, it is that they are simply presenting the body with a new genetic adaptation option. The body’s innate immune system then determines how much of that new information it will absorb. If the cells are in dire need of repair—perhaps as a result of poor dietary choices, a sedentary lifestyle, or toxicity in the environment—the virus will create an inflammation event as the body goes through its regenerative process. This is usually accompanied by a fever, loss of appetite, and an elevated white blood cell count. Such an inflammatory event is what we commonly refer to as “the flu.[29]

The herpes virus illustrates the point that viral diseases are the results of the interaction between the virus and the terrain (immune system). Most[30] human beings are infected by herpes viruses. But, in most cases the presence of herpevirus is asymptomatic. However, the reactivation of latent herpes can be induced by an imbalanced immune system:

The normal course of host–viral relationship implies a well-regulated viremia and thus limited malaise. However, certain factors cause this evolutionary-designed, benign relationship to fault.
For one, the design is tuned to a ubiquitous presence of viruses in the population, and the acquisition of virus at an early age. As such, they may be referred to as part of a normal, microbiotic flora; although in ancient times all subtypes were probably not present in all human subpopulations. An elevated level of hygiene in industrialized societies restricts this early transmission. When people are affected at a later stage in life, the immune system has taken on a somewhat different quality. The resulting misbalance of viral activity may cause diseases, of which mononucleosis presumably is a typical example.[31]

Herpesvirus is not the only example. The same goes for the influenza virus where the interaction between the virus and the immune system determines the outcome for the patient[32].

Basically, when there is a balance between the virus and the host, the infection is asymptomatic, the virus doesn’t cause any sickness. It’s the outcome by default in the virus-host relationship, and it applies to a number of viruses, including some that are way deadlier than herpes or influenza.

Indeed, a number of healthy people are the unknowing carriers of many “pathogenic” viruses, even deadly ones like HIV (if untreated), which never caused them any trouble:

We explored non-human sequence data from whole-genome sequencing of blood from 8,240 individuals, none of whom were ascertained for any infectious disease. [...] we mapped sequences to 94 different viruses, including sequences from 19 human DNA viruses, proviruses and RNA viruses (herpesviruses, anelloviruses, papillomaviruses, three polyomaviruses, adenovirus, HIV, HTLV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, parvovirus B19, and influenza virus) in 42% of the study participants. [33]

This study is not an isolated case. Another study[34] revealed results that were even more unexpected with 92% of healthy participants carrying at least one viral genus and one subject carrying each of the 15 genera that were tested during this trial, without, of course, presenting any symptoms.

Count of viruses in healthy carriers suggest that Béchamp was right, it’s the reaction of the immune system to a virus – not the virus alone - that will result, possibly, in a disease.

Given their pervasiveness[35] inside and outside our bodies, it would derisory to try to control our exposure to viruses. However, we can control to a large extent our immune system since it is known to be modulated by diet[36], exercise[37], stress[38], socializing[39], fatigue[40], toxicity[41] and emotions[42].

Being right didn’t prevent Béchamp from being deemed heretical. To give you an idea of the ideological pressure supporting the germ theory and censoring the terrain theory, let’s examine Wikipedia, the “free” encyclopedia, where the whole “terrain theory” page was removed and replaced[43] with “germ theory denialism” ascribing, de facto, to Bechamp and others the denial of virus existence.

© XenForo
Screenshot of the message about Wikipedia changing terrain theory to denialism​

Bechamp’s terrain theory was amalgamated with the no-virus theory, throwing the baby (terrain) with the bathwater (no-virus theory). It is also a serious distortion of objective facts.

How ironic it is to equate Bechamp with the virus deniers. First, the first virus was discovered decades after the end of Bechamp's career[44], at the time even the word “microbe” didn’t exist[45].

Second, Bechamp was the first one to identify the role of microorganisms in wine fermentation, the presence of microorganisms in chalk, and who discovered and expounded the theory of antisepsis[46].

In addition, Bechamp was the one who discovered that a parasitic microorganism was the cause of the silkworm condition called “pébrine” also known as “pepper disease”, Bechamp stated the following:

The disease is parasitical. Pébrine attacks the worms at the start from the outside and the germ of the parasite comes from the air. The disease, in a word, is not primarily constitutional.[47]

Ironically, it was Pasteur who was defending the no-germ theory by invoking the “spontaneous generation” of the disease:

Pasteur, apparently, had not finally given up his ‘spontaneous generation’ ideas until 1862 or 1864 […] yet here he denies that this disease [pébrine] is parasitic! And after Béchamp’s papers proved it![48]

In the same vein, Pasteur denied that it was agents smaller than bacteria (viruses) that cause rabies although the use of bacterial filter excluded the bacteria hypothesis[49].

On both counts Pasteur was wrong. Rabies is caused by a virus called Rabies lyssavirus, a member of the Rhabdoviridae family, and Pébrine is not due to spontaneous generation but by a microorganism; namely a protozoan[50] called Nosema bombycis[51]. Modern science confirmed Bechamp’s findings.

© Sharma
Electron Micrograph of Nosema bombycis​

The misleading germ theory initiated by Pasteur prevailed until the advent of genetic research a few decades ago, whose results suggest that the truth about pathogens, including viruses is much more nuanced and complex than what Pasteur believed.

Pasteurism is to epidemiology what Darwinism is to evolution. Both are regressive, reductionist and materialist ideologies. They both contributed to erasing the fundamental role played by viruses in “evolution” and in life, including of course human life.

After this little digression about terrain theory VS germ theory, let’s go back to the main line of force of this book. We’ve seen that the evolution of life is regularly punctuated by the introduction of new viruses. Viruses contribute to the removal of obsolete species during comet-induced mass extinctions and but they also contribute to the apparition of more evolved species during the ensuing recovery. As seen previously[52] there is a strong association between viruses and cometary events.

But is there any historical ground to this association between comet and viruses? Is there any scientific evidence associating comets and viruses? Can viruses even survive a cometary environment? Where do viruses ultimately come from? The next part of this book aims to answer these questions.

---

[1] P.J. van der Eijk (2018) “Hippocrates in Context” BRILL
[2] The Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021) "Germ theory" Encyclopedia Britannica
[3] See part II, Chapter 8: Saltationism vs Darwinism
[4] (980 – 1037) Persian polymath who is regarded the father of early modern medicine
[5] Byrne, Joseph Patrick (2012) “Encyclopedia of the Black Death” ABC-CLIO. p. 29
[6] (Ca. 1476– 1553) Italian physician, poet, and scholar in mathematics, geography and astronomy
[7] The Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021) "Girolamo Fracastoro" Encyclopedia Britannica
[8] (1705-1786) Viennese physician. Hypothesized rightly that each infectious disease is caused by a different microorganism dwelling within the human body.
[9] Ethel D. Hume (1924) "Béchamp or Pasteur? A Lost Chapter in the History of Biology” A distant Mirror
[10] (1816-1908) Professor of Medical Chemistry and Pharmacy. Member of many scientific societies. Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. Synthesized the first organic arsenical drug.
[11] (1813 –1878) French physiologist considered as “one of the greatest of all men of science". Pioneer of blinded experiment and originator of the concept of homeostasis
[12] David Skripac (2021) “Our Species is Being Genetically Modified: Humanity’s March Toward Extinction?” Global Research
[13] Trung Nguyen, R.B. Pearson (2018) “The Dream & Lie of Louis Pasteur” EnCognitive
[14] (1839 – 1937) American businessman
[15] (1835 – 1919) American businessman
[16] Wikipedia contributors (2021) “List of wealthiest historical figures” Wikipedia
[17] Segall, Grant (2001) ”John D. Rockefeller: Anointed With Oil” Oxford University Press
[18] Boselovic, Len (2001) "Steel Standing: U.S. Steel celebrates 100 years" PG Publishing
[19] Eric D. Isaac (2021) “Carnegie Institution for Science Statement on Eugenics Research” Carnegie Science
[20] Weintraub, Lia (2012) “The Link between the Rockefeller Foundation and Racial Hygiene in Nazi Germany” Tisch Library Research Award
[21] David Skripac (2021) “Our Species is Being Genetically Modified: Humanity’s March Toward Extinction?” Global Research
[22] Stahnisch, Frank et al. (2012) "The Flexner Report of 1910 and Its Impact on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Psychiatry in North America" Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2012: 1–10
[23] Ibid
[24] The Modern Revolution Editors (2016) ‘’The Flexner Report of 1910: How Homeopathy Became ‘Alternative Medicine’” The Modern Revolution
[25] Wikipedia contributors (2021) “Flexner Report” Wikipedia
[26] Ibid
[27] Ludmerer, Kenneth (2005) “Time to heal : American medical education from the turn of the century” Oxford University Press
[28] Breitbart, M. et al. (2008) "Viral diversity and dynamics in an infant gut" Research in Microbiology 159 (5): 367–73
[29] David Skripac (2021) “Our Species is Being Genetically Modified: Humanity’s March Toward Extinction?” Global Research
[30] James, C., et al. (2020) “Herpes simplex virus: global infection prevalence and incidence estimates” Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 98(5), 315–329
[31] Grinde B. (2013) “Herpesviruses: latency and reactivation - viral strategies and host response” Journal of oral microbiology, 5, 10.3402
[32] Hillaire M et al. (2013) “Clearance of influenza virus infections by T cells: risk of collateral damage?” Curr Opin Virol.;3:430–7
[33] Moustafa, A. et al (2017) “The blood DNA virome in 8,000 humans” PLoS Pathog. 22;13(3):e1006292
[34] Wylie, K. M. et al. (2014) ‘’Metagenomic analysis of double-stranded DNA viruses in healthy adults” BMC biology, 12, 71
[35] See Chapter 13 : ‘’Pervasiveness of Viruses’’
[36] Childs, C. E. et al. (2019) “Diet and Immune Function’’ Nutrients, 11(8), 1933
[37] Da Silveira et al. (2021) “Physical exercise as a tool to help the immune system against COVID-19: an integrative review of the current literature” Clinical and experimental medicine, 21(1), 15–28
[38] Segerstrom, S. C. et al. (2004) ‘’Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry’’ Psychological bulletin, 130(4), 601–630
[39] Liu, H. et al. (2005) “Effects of social isolation stress on immune response and survival time of mouse with liver cancer” World journal of gastroenterology, 11(37), 5902–5904
[40] Ryant, P. et al. (2004) “Sick and tired: does sleep have a vital role in the immune system?” Nature Rev Immunol 4, 457–467
[41] Robert P. Morse et al. (2012) “Structural basis of toxicity and immunity in contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) systems” PNAS 109 (52) 21480-21485
[42] D'Acquisto F. (2017) “Affective immunology: where emotions and the immune response converge” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 19(1), 9–19
[43] Steven Avery (2020) ‘’ Wikipedia changes terrain theory to denialism’’ XenForo
[44] Lecoq H. (2001) ‘’Discovery of the first virus, the tobacco mosaic virus: 1892 or 1898’’. C R Acad Sci III. 324(10):929-33
[45] Philippe Decourt (1984) ‘’Les zymases ou ferments solubles de Béchamp à la lumière des connaissances du XXe siècle’’ Histoire des sciences médicales pp147-151
[46] Ethel D. Hume (1924) "Béchamp or Pasteur? A Lost Chapter in the History of Biology”. A distant Mirror pp34-38
[47] Hume, 1924, p35
[48] Hume, 1924, p36
[49] Ali Saïb (2010) ‘’Les virus, mais ou ennemis’’ Conference cycle Universcience
[50] Single celled organisms
[51] Sanchita Kadam (2021) “Diseases of Silkworm: 4 Main Diseases” Notes on Zoology
[52] Chapter 9 : ‘’The Enigma of Speciation’’

 

[Pierre]

Here is the pdf for chapter 15.

 

[KJS]

PDF with merged chapters 1 to 15, if I may. Thank you very much @Pierre, it is a great read!

 

[Pierre]

PDF with merged chapters 1 to 15, if I may. Thank you very much @Pierre, it is a great read!

I'm very glad you enjoy it!

 

[Jones]

Thanks Pierre, this is such an interesting read and I really appreciate your ability to distil what seems to be copious information down into the most salient details.

The previous chapters revealed in details the astounding seniority, diversity, sheer numbers, overall harmlessness and pivotal role played by viruses in the emergence and evolution of life.

- detail

The guidelines brought up by Flexner report were applied in the North America and led to death of “alternative medicines” through defunding and banning of schools and practitioners in like in osteopathy, chiropractic medicine, electrotherapy, botanical medicines, naturopathy, and homeopathy[22].

- practitioners in osteopathy,

The herpes virus illustrates to the point that viral diseases are the results of the interaction between the virus and the terrain (immune system).

- illustrates the point that

Basically, when there is a balance between the virus and the host, the infection is asymptomatic, the virus doesn’t any sickness. It’s the outcome by default in the virus-host

- the virus doesn't cause any sickness

However, we can control to a large extant our immune system since it is known to be modulated by diet[36], exercise[37], stress[38], socializing[39], fatigue[40], toxicity[41] and emotions[42].

- extent

Bechamp’s terrain theory was amalgamated with the no-virus theory, throwing the baby (terrain) with the bathwater (no-virus theory). I

- throwing the baby (terrain) out with the bathwater

Maybe with the group helping out with editing you will get the time to publish this one too?

 

[Channa]

Pierre, thank you for this fascinating reading
PDF Ch 1-15 in French

 

[Siberia]

Thank you for sharing the new chapter, Pierre! Your book is super interesting, as always.

A few possible typos, fwiw:

However, the reactivation of latent herpes can be induced by a imbalanced immune system:

An imbalanced?

But, in most case the presence of herpevirus is asymptomatic.

Cases?

Basically, when there is a balance between the virus and the host, the infection is asymptomatic, the virus doesn’t any sickness.

Seems like some verb is missing. Doesn't induce any sickness? Fwiw

 

[PERLOU]

Merci PIERRE...
Merci aussi pour le récapitulatif des 15 chapitres...

Thanks PIERRE...
Thanks also for the 15 chapters summary...