of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greenville NC November 2016 The concepts of "Science" and "Religion" are a recent invention. The English word “scientist” is relatively recent—first coined by William Whewell in 1834. It was applied to those who sought knowledge and understanding of nature. Even in the 19th century, a scientific treatise by Lord Kelvin and Peter Guthrie Tait, which helped define much of modern physics, was titled Treatise on Natural Philosophy (1867). If you had lived 100 years ago, a pastor or priest might have been your healer rather than a medical doctor. Religion versus Science is now seen as a static proposition. The reality is that Science (and Medicine) is now the reference for things that once were mainly in the realm of Religion. I believe that as we know more and more about Science, the sphere of Religion decreases. Here is an illustrative story: On December 30, 1916, Grigori Rasputin (1869-1916) was assassinated. Rasputin was a Russian religious leader, mystical faith healer and trusted friend of the family of Nicholas II, the last Tsar (Emperor) of Russia. In 1907, Rasputin was invited to see Alexei Nikolaevich, the son and heir to the Russian throne. The boy had suffered an injury which caused him painful bleeding. Back then hemophilia B was unknown and Alexei had a severe form of this disorder that was widespread among European royalty. The doctors did not understand his genetic disease and could not supply a cure. The desperate Tsarina Alexandra invited Rasputin to help her son. Rasputin was able to calm the parents and their son by standing at the foot of the bed and praying. From that moment forward, Alexandra believed Rasputin was Alexei's savior. The court physician believed that Rasputin was a charlatan and his apparent healing powers arose from his use of hypnosis. One of Rasputin's enemies, suggested that he secretly drugged Alexei with traditional Tibetan herbs. Others believed the secret of his power lay in his sense of calm, and the gentle strength, and shining warmth of his conviction. Alexei Nikolaevich (1904-1918) was the heir apparent to the throne of the Russian Empire (or Tsarevich). He was the youngest child and only son of Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra. Alexandra, the last Tsarina of Russia, was also the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. We now know, she was one of the most famous royal carriers of the hemophilia disease that descended from Queen Victoria. In 2009 Alexei’s bones were genetically analyzed and it was determined that he suffered from hemophilia B. Alexei had to be careful not to injure himself because he lacked factor IX, one of the proteins necessary for blood-clotting. Even without knowing what his illness was, because he was the only male heir to the throne, the fact that he was ill was a state secret. His hemophilia was so severe that trivial injuries such as a bruise, a nosebleed or a small cut were potentially life-threatening. The royal family consulted and paid for the best medicine of their time. But physicians then had no knowledge of nor therapy for this rare bleeding disorder. Today, a simple blood transfusion would in most cases save Alexei. But blood groups had not been discovered and blood testing for bleeding disorders had not been developed. The more modern treatment is intravenous infusion of Factor IX. Today, if you do not take your child to medical professionals, and instead rely on religious leaders, you may wind up in jail and your child may be removed by Child Protective Services. UUCG Beacon November 2016 Two Russian Navy sailors were assigned to Alexei to monitor and supervise him to prevent injuries, which were still unavoidable. They also carried him around when he was unable to walk. As well as being a source of constant torment to his parents, the recurring episodes of his illness and his lengthy recoveries interfered greatly with Alexei's education. In 1912 the Royal family was visiting one of their hunting retreats; the young Alexei jumped into a rowboat and hit one of the oarlocks. A large bruise appeared within minutes. Alexei had to be carried out in an almost unconscious state. Alexandra barely left his bedside. The royal doctors were helpless, but Rasputin calmed the royal family. Rasputin’s reputation grew with each successful treatment of Alexei’s episodes of illness. Religion trumped Science! The royal family’s devotion to Rasputin severely damaged their popularity the final years of their rule. Rasputin was murdered by nobles who hoped to save Tsarism by ending Rasputin’s sway over the royal family. Alexei Nikolaevich was murdered by order of the Bolshevik (Communist) government, alongside his parents, four sisters, and three retainers during the Russian Civil War. However, rumors that he had survived persisted until the 2007 discovery of his and one of his sisters' remains. Charred bones were identified with modern DNA techniques. The family was formally interred on the eightieth anniversary of their murder and were eventually canonized (sainted) by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000. Britain's Queen Victoria’s hemophilia gene appears to have been a spontaneous or de novo mutation and is usually considered the source of the disease in modern cases of hemophilia among royalty. Victoria, through two of her five daughters (Princess Alice and Princess Beatrice), passed the mutation to various royal houses across the continent, including the royal families of Spain, Germany and Russia. Victoria's own son Prince Leopold suffered from the disease. For this reason, hemophilia was once popularly called "the royal disease". The hemophilia B is a sex-linked X chromosome disorder which manifests almost entirely in males, although the gene for the disorder is located on the X chromosome and may be inherited from the mother for male children or from either mother or father for female children. Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, apparently escaped the hemophilia gene. Queen Victoria's father, was not a hemophiliac, and the probability of Victoria’s mother having had a lover who suffered from hemophilia is minuscule given the low life expectancy of 19th-century hemophiliacs. (DNA analysis of her ancestors will tell us for sure.) Science and physicians have learned to more effectively treat diseases, and help their patients avoid them. US Life expectancy before 1880 was about 40 years of age. It has been increasing ever since. Our current life expectancy is 79.3 years. In 1847 Vienna, Ignaz Semmelweis, MD (1818–1865), instituted a requirement that physicians on his OB-GYN ward clean their hands before attending childbirths, which they were not doing—even after doing autopsies! Semmelweis thus dramatically cut new mothers' death rate due to childbed fever. Yet his principles were marginalized and attacked by his professional peers. He was kicked out of the University of Vienna and died in obscurity. One of the great discoveries of the 19th century was germ theory and bacteriology, vaccinations followed and were soon required. For example, an 1853 law required universal vaccination against smallpox in England and Wales, with fines levied on people who did not comply. Further interventions were made by a series of subsequent Public Health Acts, notably the 1875 Act in the UK. Reforms included building latrines and sewers; the regular collection, incineration and/or burial of garbage; the provision of clean water and the draining of standing water to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes. When Robert Koch, MD, confirmed a species pathogenicity became famed as "Koch's postulates". In 1905, Koch was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and remains renowned as the founder of medical microbiology. In 1930, the Nobel in Physiology or Medicine, went to Karl Landsteiner for his discovery of human blood groups, blood banks became widely available in the US after 1945 and now the world, so we can safely give blood even in Greenville, NC. Because of the knowledge we have gained from science and the scientific method, I can claim that if Tsarevich Alexei were my patient, I could save his life, and Religion or prayer would not be necessary. Richard J. Baltaro, MD, PhD President of the Board [email protected] UUCG Beacon November 2016 Since the floods of Hurricane Matthew and evacuation of two to three thousand people in Greenville, some 250 persons found emergency shelter at closed schools and at churches. I visited New Dimensions Community Church, First Presbyterian, and The Pentecostals where all kinds of necessities were being collected and distributed: toiletries bagged, diapers, paper products, etc. I asked, "What do you need?" and made a run to the store for toothbrushes and baby ointment. Churches Outreach Network coordinated the crisis response by churches along with Red Cross and Baptist Relief. Then the clean-up. Now, ongoing support of those who lost homes, everything. The Pentecostals are providing shelter to evacuated Latinos from a sister church community. Asked, "What do you need?" they told me that gift cards allow folks to buy food, gas, whatever is uniquely needed at the time. To guarantee distribution of the cards to those most in need, I contacted the executive director of Amexcan, Juvencio Rocha-Peralta who told me about camps of farmworkers who have been out of work for several weeks. Some 200 "camps" have been mapped in North Carolina. Juvencio described two of the seven camps outside Greenville, houses with two bunk-beds to each room, with a central kitchen. The workers are ages 20-30. They have no car, are delivered to work by their employer's van six days a week, and driven shopping on Sunday.