Anyone notice what may have been a goof in the scene in which Dr. Soames is telling Nick about the symptoms of Captain Trips? Dr. Soames says to Nick, "They are the symptoms of the common cold, of influenza, of pneumonia. We can cure all of those things, Nick. Unless the patient is weakened by a previous illness, antibiotics will knock them out. But not this.... Nothing seems to help."
Actually, in 1978, when the novel was originally published, and even today, there is no known cure for the common cold. Antibiotics are often highly effective against bacterial infections, but, with a few exceptions, they are still not very helpful for most viral infections. And the common cold is, unfortunately, usually the result of a viral infection, so antibiotics are pretty much completely useless for the common cold.
There are some antiviral medications that can fight influenza virus today, but they are marginally effective, and they weren't even available in 1978.
So Doc Soames should have told Nick that they could treat (as opposed to cure) all of those conditions, and that antibiotics would usually knock out serious bacterial infections, like bacterial pneumonia.
(Ok, maybe a little too pedantic lol)
Actually, in 1978, when the novel was originally published, and even today, there is no known cure for the common cold. Antibiotics are often highly effective against bacterial infections, but, with a few exceptions, they are still not very helpful for most viral infections. And the common cold is, unfortunately, usually the result of a viral infection, so antibiotics are pretty much completely useless for the common cold.
There are some antiviral medications that can fight influenza virus today, but they are marginally effective, and they weren't even available in 1978.
So Doc Soames should have told Nick that they could treat (as opposed to cure) all of those conditions, and that antibiotics would usually knock out serious bacterial infections, like bacterial pneumonia.
(Ok, maybe a little too pedantic lol)