this quarter we are studying infectious diseases. we have had lectures on the common cold, on pneumonia, and on influenza. dr. siegel is an infectious disease specialist, whose undergrad students affectionately call him "dr. bob" but whose medical students do not look so fondly upon him. his favorite joke is, whenever anyone in the class sneezes, he says, "Bless you, take care of that viral infection!" his lectures always mean for a good laugh. a particularly unforgettable one was when, in teaching us about fungi, he wore a beret and ate baguette, brie and wine while talking to us. the point was that with fungi, we are able to have french culture. without it, we would have only grape juice and matza, namely, israeli culture.
more recently, he was assigned to teach us about influenza. he started out the lecture with an original poem, entitled "putting perils before swine flu." you may or may not enjoy it as much as we did.
In this module respiratory
filled with microbes old and new
few can match the global story
of the small but deadly flu.
So I present this short polemic
hoping that the theme pertains
to a possible pandemic
of some novel viral strains.
As a goal this talk intends a
coverage of some viral tricks
utilized by influenza
in its feared genetic mix;
Of alterations in the make-up
of the pathogen's genome
and the ways that host cells take up
pirates of their plasmic home.
You will hear some short discourses
of changes in the viral genes
from avian and porcine sources
and what this combination means.
...
Orthomyxoviridae
designates it as "true slime"
and its malicious resume
is marked by pathogenic crime.
Hs, Ns, and strange locations
in each viral designate -
crossing borders into nations
microbes circumnavigate.
...
I give you now my viral blurb -
a small esteem for influenza,
as you critique both noun and verb
from opening to last cadenza.
And as we contemplate the virus
and its facets, warts and all,
there's surely something to inspire us:
mighty yes, though mighty small.
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