On mad cows

Firstly apologies to those informed readers who may be offended that, by replying to Mr. Piero Ronci, I might be lending credence to his most recent piece of arrant and arrogant tosh. To which particular display of bigotry do I refer? On this occasion it is BSE, or what Mr. Ronci would have us believe is mad cow disease in "English cows."

The real facts are available in serious publications, and cannot be gleaned by skimming scum from the tainted ponds of tabloid journalism. Perhaps he should plunge into clearer waters and subscribe to The New Scientist. If he did so, in recent months he would have learnt that there is still no proven link between BSE and the human equivalent: CJD. As of June 1996, the investigating scientists had identified only 15 cases of a new form of CJD, the origins of which could not be confirmed. In the absence of a definitive identification of the source of this variant form, the scientists have declared that the possibility BSE infected beef was/is responsible cannot be ruled out at this stage.

In other words, there is no conclusive proof whatsoever that BSE is responsible for this new form of CJD. It is just as likely that reading Mr. Ronci's letters causes the malaise, along with the myriad of other potential origins which have not yet been ruled out.

The facts do not end there, nor does the correspondents' ignorance. Although the Brits stopped using the feed which promotes BSE in cattle some years ago, the rest of Europe used it for years after we stopped, and some countries are still using it to this day. However testing for BSE in European cattle has only recently begun, as a direct result of the British findings. The Swiss, with one of the smallest cattle herds in Europe, have already reported that they have more BSE-infected cows than the British did at the peak of their problem. The Swiss scientists doing this investigation have also expressed surprise that "BSE apparently stops at their borders." This is simply because the rest of Europe has yet to carry out proper investigations into both BSE in cows, and the levels of CJD in their human populations. The reason for this delay is that they are some three years behind the British scientists, and until now as complacent (?) as Mr. Ronci in assuming this is solely a British ("English") problem.

The sad truth is that once these investigations are completed, it will be revealed that the problem is far greater in Europe than in Britain, because it has been allowed to continue unchecked for longer. Now is the time to begin investing in British beef futures for 1998-1999.

CHRIS CHARMAN

Jakarta

Note: This should be the last letter on the subject of "mad cows."

-- Editor