Beyond the post-antibiotic apocalypse

摘要

When the University of Nottinghamopened its new Centre for HealthcareAssociated Infections in 2007, one of itssenior microbiologists, Professor RichardJames, said of the rising threat ofsuperbugs: 'Quite frankly, the impendingcrisis on the horizon can be called the"post-antibiotic apocalypse".' James wasfar from being the first or last to employthe metaphor of doom in his warningsabout MRSA and other drug-resistantbacteria. However, according to a newanalysis by James's colleague, psycholinguistProfessor Brigitte Nerlich, whilst theinvocation of apocalypticmetaphors can certainlygrab attention, this discourse is ultimatelycounter-productive because the fear thatis provoked stiflesbehavioural change among the public(http://bit.ly/aZp70).