Just as we had the high walls of sanitation, we now have vigilant guards of diagnostic testing, and most importantly, we possess heavy artillery—the antibiotics, the big guns. So if a breach occurs, say a bacterial infection slips past those outer defences, we simply assume we can call in the heavy artillery. The threat is neutralised, the patient recovers, and we all return to our lives feeling completely safe. It is a deeply reassuring illusion, and we have lived with this idea for nearly a century.

The underlying assumption is that we possess an endless, infinite stockpile of these magic bullets. I mean, the entire structure of modern life, from minor surgeries to global travel, relies entirely on the premise that if we get sick, we can fix it. But then, you know, you sit down and start looking through this massive stack of sources for  ...