Outbreak (the movie)...and SPOILERS!

[Steven_H Harwood]

On 14 Mar 1995, deborah wisti-peterson wrote:

> i saw outbreak and thought the movie was totally stupid. 
> it made scientists look like a bunch of miracle-workers 
> that can cure any evil virus-caused disease within days 
> of its discovery, it made military officers look like a 
> pack of megalomaniacal crazies, and it is so bloody 
> inaccurate that i was simply astounded. one of many 
> inaccuracies; screening for the virus in blood samples using 
> a light microscope. another example; looking at an electron
> micrograph of the virus within mere hours of its being 
> discovered. another example; "100% virulence and it kills 
> within hours." hahahaha. another inaccuracy; using the monkey 
> serum to cure the all of the sick people within the town 
> within *hours* of infusion. (like that monkey has that 
> much serum! did you see how much serum was in the bag that 
> was given to that sick doctor? that was a big serum donation
> for a monkey that was "the size of a housecat"...er, if the
> monkey survived the donation process, that is). another inaccuracy
> was the fact that the victims of the virus ("motaba")
> apparently recovered without any permanent damage to
> their internal organs. if this virus can kill "within hours",
> then why were these people perfectly healthy after being on
> their death beds only hours previous to receiving the monkey's
> serum? and that soldier/helicopter pilot/scientist/electron 
> microscopist was just a little bit unbelievable, don't you think?
> 
> dustin hoffman was shallow and morgan freeman was stilted. i was
> really disappointed. i want my $6.75 back!
> 
> -- 
Surely we can't expect any level of scientific sophistication from a 
Hollywood formula movie!  It isn't suprising that you and others 
responding to seeing Outbreak were dissappointed.  Is there a way of 
screening out people responding to this movie from my normal Virology 
Net mail, Nothing personal, but I'm not interested and don't want to 
have to do it manually.

Steve Harwood
Oregon State University
Dept. Ag. Chem
Corvallis, OR  harwoods at bcc.orst.edu
>