October 8

Page Two

Healthy people of all ages can get AIDS, the terrifying plague that has spread around the world. In some places it is now the number one health problem for younger adults. Perhaps you know someone who has AIDS.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a condition in which a virus damages the body’s immune system, rendering it helpless against infection.

Just how widespread is AIDS now? How did that happen? Is AIDS preventable?

AIDS​—A Global Killer

SOME medical authorities feel that AIDS is on the verge of becoming a global catastrophe. “AIDS may be the health catastrophe of our lifetime,” claimed The New York Times. Dr. William O’Connor, a microbiologist, said: “What we’re dealing with is probably the greatest plague ever to hit the world.”

Dr. Halfdan Mahler of WHO (World Health Organization) stated: “We stand nakedly in front of a very serious pandemic as mortal as any pandemic there ever has been. . . . Everything is getting worse and worse in AIDS.”

With each passing year, the death toll increases. Soon, the death toll will likely be many times larger. And this may be the case even if not one more person were to be infected with the AIDS virus. Why? Because of the huge number of people who already have the virus, which stays with a person for a lifetime.

How many already have the virus? Some have said ten million worldwide. The report AIDS and the Third World estimates that before long, AIDS “will have infected 50-100 million people.”

That estimate is based on what has happened in Africa, Europe, and North America. But AIDS is also in Latin America and has entered Asia. Denmark’s Politiken observes: “What will happen if and when the epidemic breaks out in serious proportions in South America and Asia? . . . The number of infected will not be as low as 50-100 million.” Even if such figures are exaggerated, without a doubt there are millions of people already infected. And there will be many more millions in the years just ahead.

Also, the vast majority of those who now have the AIDS virus do not know that they have it. They are in apparent good health and yet can pass the virus on to others. So the number of people infected with the AIDS virus is certain to go much higher.

Surgeon general of the United States, C. E. Koop, said: “No previous disease has been at once so mysterious, so fatal, and so resistant to therapy and vaccine development.” He stated: “We do not yet have a cure, nor do we have a vaccine​—and we probably won’t have one generally available before the end of the century. Make no mistake about it. AIDS is fatal and it is spreading.” Dr. Koop also said: “I have been a surgeon for almost 50 years, and I have never seen such a threat as AIDS.”

AIDS Carriers​—How Many Could Die?

WHEN AIDS was first identified in 1981, health officials estimated that about 5 to 10 percent of those who had the virus would get the disease and die. But the virus proved to have a long incubation period. It may take five years or more for symptoms to become apparent.

Now, with the experience of the past eight years, some officials are estimating that 40 to 50 percent, or more, of those carrying the AIDS virus will develop the disease and die. AIDS and the Third World stated: “A computer model is said to predict that 50% of HIV-carriers will develop full-blown AIDS in five years, and 75% in seven years.” (The term “HIV” comes from the words “Human Immunodeficiency Virus,” the AIDS virus.)

The publication then said: “Many medical experts, and a majority of virologists, now believe that the death toll among HIV-carriers will approach very close to 100%. . . . The belief that all will eventually die is based partly on the fact that as every year goes by, more people who contracted the virus three or four or five years ago do indeed develop the disease. And it is based partly on the studies of the HIV virus itself.” Of course, such views are estimates. Only time will tell if they will be realized in actual fact.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, researcher at the National Institutes of Health in the United States, noted that about 90 percent of individuals who test positive for HIV antibodies have some sort of immune function impairment within five years.

Even if “only” 50 percent die of the 50 million to 100 million virus carriers projected for the near future, it would mean millions of deaths each year sometime in the next decade. One source put the projected death toll in Africa alone as possibly tens of millions.

Compared to War

The consequences of the AIDS plague in lives lost, in damage to society, and in financial cost are being compared to the consequences of major wars.

For example, in the United States, about 40,000 have already died. From one million to two million more are said to be infected. In New York City alone, an estimated 250,000 to 400,000 residents have the virus. In some parts of the city, AIDS has become the most common infectious disease in newborn babies.

While the rate of increase in the United States has slowed in some high-risk groups and the feared explosion of AIDS among heterosexuals has not come to pass, the number of deaths will still be very high in the near future. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates that by the end of 1991, over 200,000 Americans will have died from AIDS. In the one year, 1991, it is expected that over 50,000 will die from it. And by the end of 1992​—only four years from now—​more Americans may have died from AIDS than died in World War I, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined.

In fact, The Futurist states: “AIDS may kill more people by the end of this century than have been killed by all of our wars [of all the nations].”

The projected costs are staggering. In the United States the estimate is $50,000 or more per year for each patient. So in the years ahead, many billions of dollars will be required annually to pay for patient care. Some fear that health-care systems will be unable to cope with the number of patients or the cost.

Worse in Africa

In Africa few if any wars have ever done what AIDS is now doing. Britain’s New Scientist observes: “AIDS is running rampant through Africa.” An article in Politiken of Denmark said: “Uganda’s chief AIDS official states, ‘Unless something changes, every second adult in this country will be HIV-positive in the year 2000.’ Almost half of all the AIDS cases in Africa are women in their child-bearing years. Children account for one of every five AIDS cases in Rwanda. In Zambia, 6,000 babies will be born with AIDS this year. Among 800 prostitutes tested in Nairobi, nine out of 10 were infected with HIV. And these women sleep with an average of 1,000 customers per year.”

“If we do nothing, the continent will die,” says Pieter Piot, a Belgian expert. Jonathan Mann, who heads the WHO campaign, states: “The alternative is to give up on Africa, as if the world were not a single planet. But the epidemic cannot be stopped in any one country before it is stopped in all of them.”

Thus, many medical authorities feel that a global AIDS catastrophe has already begun. UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar calls it a “global conflict” that “threatens us with all the consequences of war.”

In some ways it is worse than war. Why? Because no end is in sight, the casualties continue to mount, and the “wounded” are not recovering.

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‘Many now believe that the death toll of HIV carriers will approach very close to 100 percent’

[Blurb on page 5]

“AIDS may kill more people by the end of the century than have been killed by all of our wars”

Why AIDS Is So Deadly

TO UNDERSTAND better how to protect ourselves from AIDS, we need to know why it is so deadly. What makes this virus more difficult to deal with than other viruses?

Viruses are the smallest of all disease-producing organisms, much smaller than bacteria. Influenza, polio, and the common cold are produced by different viruses. Once inside a host cell, a virus may kill the cell or merely “sleep” there until it becomes more active later. With the AIDS virus, it may take five or more years before symptoms develop.

Why So Deadly

What makes the AIDS virus so deadly is the fact that it attacks and disables key cells, including white blood cells that the body produces to help ward off disease. These white blood cells (called T-4 lymphocytes) are the body’s main defense against disease.

When these white cells are disabled by the AIDS virus, they cannot do their job. Thus, the body’s immune system is devastated. Infections that may not previously have been life-threatening now are. These include other viruses, parasites, bacteria, fungi, or various cancers.

Since the body is no longer able to fight these infections, they progress until the victim is dead. These infections are called opportunistic. They take advantage of the opportunity afforded to them by the body’s suppressed immune system. A person with AIDS may have several such infections at the same time.

Among the early symptoms of AIDS are: prolonged and unexplained fatigue; swollen glands that last for months; persistent fevers or night sweats; persistent diarrhea; unexplained weight loss; discolored lesions of the skin or mucous membranes that do not go away; a persistent, unexplained cough; a thick whitish coating on the tongue or in the throat; easy bruising or unexplained bleeding. These early symptoms are often referred to as “AIDS Related Complex,” or ARC.

When AIDS becomes full-blown, deadly diseases develop. Among the more common are lung infections caused by parasitic germs known as Pneumocystis carinii, and the skin cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma, which also involves internal organs. In addition, the AIDS virus can affect the brain, causing paralysis, blindness, dementia, and eventual death. Dr. Richard T. Johnson, a Johns Hopkins professor of neurology, stated: “HIV [the AIDS virus] is in the brains of at least 1 million people in the U.S.”

Full-blown AIDS is accompanied by pain and uncontrollable weight loss, with the body getting weaker and weaker until death ensues. In Africa, says The Lancet, AIDS “has been associated with ‘slim disease,’ a term that describes the great loss of weight that accompanies diarrhoea.” From the onset of the disease to death may take a year or less, or it may take several years.

A Persistent Virus

There is another factor that contributes to making the AIDS virus more deadly than others. It has built-in mechanisms for survival not common to other viruses.

For example, in humans the influenza virus may last only a few days or weeks, and it stimulates antibodies that help to protect the victim from further infection by that particular virus. Once the epidemic runs its course, it disappears. The flu pandemic of 1918 lasted only about a year. The yellow fever virus depends on mosquitoes, which diminish in number with seasonal changes. Smallpox may also quickly run through a susceptible population and then disappear.

However, the AIDS virus is presumed to be persistent. It probably stays inside the human host for a lifetime and does not disappear on its own. The victim does not recover from the full-blown AIDS disease and so is unable to build the kind of immunity that would resist a recurrence.

Furthermore, the AIDS virus has shown significant variation in its genetic composition, making it more difficult to develop a vaccine. And viruses usually mutate, that is, change their character. For example, there are many different types of influenza and cold viruses. Already, a second type of AIDS virus has been identified in Africa and elsewhere. A different vaccine may be required for each type.

But why has AIDS spread so widely? What practices were involved that helped its insidious infiltration into the human family?

[Box on page 7]

FACTORS THAT PREPARE THE WAY FOR AIDS

According to the British medical journal The Lancet, each year more than 300 million additional people throughout the world become infected with sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and chlamydia. These may weaken the body, perhaps making it even more susceptible to the AIDS virus. Recreational, or illegal, drug use, too, may make the body less resistant to AIDS.

Also, in underdeveloped lands the lack of good nutrition due to poverty and the lack of adequate health-care facilities works against the building of the body’s resistance to AIDS. The health of hundreds of millions in those areas is already substandard, making it easier for the virus to claim additional victims.

[Picture on page 7]

White T-cells of the body’s immune system normally fight off harmful invaders

Why Has AIDS Spread So Widely?

WHY has AIDS become so widespread? While it is not certain exactly how, when, or where it originated, there are general patterns that explain its spread. In the United States and Europe, for example, the main avenue for spreading AIDS was male homosexual activity. When the epidemic was first identified, it appeared almost exclusively among homosexual (and bisexual) men. Until recently, over 70 percent of adult victims were homosexual men.

Then AIDS began to appear among intravenous drug users. In a few years, over 15 percent of all cases came from this group, which is getting larger. In some places, half of all intravenous drug users have the AIDS virus. Thus, Science magazine stated: “The great majority of Americans infected today are either homosexual men or intravenous drug users.”

In San Francisco, 50 percent or more of homosexual men have the AIDS virus. The city’s homosexual community is being devastated by AIDS deaths. A long-term study of homosexual men there showed that of those diagnosed as having the AIDS virus seven years ago, 78 percent had either full-blown AIDS, earlier symptoms of it, or some immune impairment. And while the rate of new cases among homosexuals has decreased, there is little that can be done for those already infected.

Regarding Haiti, the Los Angeles Times noted: “New data suggests that the AIDS virus was introduced into the Caribbean primarily by homosexual contact between islanders and Americans.”

Why So Susceptible?

Why are homosexuals so susceptible to AIDS? Because of their sex practices. While AIDS is also spread by oral intercourse, it is the practice of anal intercourse (sodomy) that has been the primary way of passing AIDS among homosexuals.

The human anus was designed for the elimination of waste​—excrement—​and not for sexual intercourse. It has only a thin layer of epithelial cells, the tissue that lines the anus. Anal intercourse results in a tearing of this lining and in bleeding fissures. Infected semen going into the rectum from the partner can provide a source of AIDS, as can abrasions and lesions on the male organ. Also, the damaged rectal tissues of the recipient permit infected secretions to pass the infection on to other sex partners.

In addition, homosexuals often have many partners​—hundreds, even thousands—​in a lifetime. One young homosexual who infected many others before dying from AIDS was reported to have had 2,500 homosexual contacts with men in ten years. His job with an airline enabled him to travel extensively. Another claimed to have had some 5,000 homosexual contacts in 20 years. The possibility that such people will spread AIDS is obvious.

Another factor is that because of their sexual practices, other diseases, such as hepatitis, gonorrhea, and herpes, are common among homosexuals. These diseases damage the body and, it is thought, make it more susceptible to AIDS.

Homosexuality Unnatural?

There can be no question about it: Homosexual relations have greatly accelerated the spread of AIDS. Such practices are against the biologic design of the human body.

Homosexuality thus cannot simply be passed off as an ‘alternate life-style.’ It is unnatural, a perversion of the way we were created. The Bible includes it among actions that result from “a disapproved mental state” and says: “God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, for both their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature; and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error.”​—Romans 1:26-32.

Too, God’s Law to the nation of ancient Israel stated: “When a man lies down with a male the same as one lies down with a woman, both of them have done a detestable thing.”​—Leviticus 20:13.

That homosexuality is unnatural can be seen from this basic fact: If everyone were exclusively homosexual, the human race would die out in one generation.

Is this to say, as some have suggested, that God is bringing the AIDS plague on homosexuals? No, the Bible does not say that. Instead, it is a matter of their ‘reaping what they are sowing.’ (Galatians 6:7) God’s Word states this principle: “They have acted ruinously on their own part; . . . the defect is their own.”​—Deuteronomy 32:5.

Heterosexuals Also Infected

However, AIDS is not just a homosexual disease; it has also spread to heterosexual men and women. One way is by means of bisexual men who become infected from sexual contacts with other men and then infect women with whom they have intercourse.

Intravenous drug users who share contaminated syringes and needles also pass AIDS on to others. They can then infect the men or women with whom they have sexual relations. In many places a high percentage of prostitutes have AIDS and pass it on to their customers.

In Africa, AIDS is widespread among heterosexuals. As many women as men have it. While the spread of AIDS among heterosexuals in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere is not yet as rampant as in Africa, it is increasing in that group too. So more and more women and men who are not homosexual or bisexual are getting AIDS and passing it on to others. A report stated: “AIDS has become the No. 1 killer of women aged 25-34 in New York City.” And sadly, a large number​—some say about 50 percent—​of women carrying the AIDS virus are giving birth to babies who have the disease.

Because there has been a permissive attitude toward sexual morality during the past few decades, fornication and adultery have become commonplace. Men and women often have many different sex partners. And those who are infected with AIDS can pass it on to others. Such promiscuous behavior is also condemned in the Bible.​—1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; Revelation 22:15.

Blood​—Another Source of Infection

Others were infected by blood transfusions. The Medical Post of Canada reports: “Dr. Thomas Peterman, a medical epidemiologist with the AIDS branch of the Centers for Disease Control . . . estimated that 12,000 Americans became infected with HIV [AIDS virus] from contaminated blood transfusions from 1978-1984.”

Many of these blood recipients have died or are dying. Various hospitals have advised those who received blood transfusions before new testing methods were introduced in 1985 to get checked for AIDS.

Studies by the Federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta estimated that by early 1985 most of the 10,000 Americans with severe hemophilia had been infected with the AIDS virus. In addition, from 30 to 50 percent with more moderate hemophilia had also been infected. It is estimated that over half of the hemophiliacs in Brazil may have been infected with the AIDS virus.

Dr. Margaret Hilgartner of the New York Hospital​—Cornell Medical Center said: “A severe hemophiliac is exposed to the blood of 800,000 to 1 million different people every year. Before the drug companies started heat-treating the blood products, the risk of infection was incredible.” She also said: “We are seeing more and more suicides among young hemophiliacs. They are very angry. They feel like scapegoats.”

Jonathan Goldsmith of the Nebraska Regional Hemophilia Center in Omaha said that transfusion medicine “has always been dangerous because you are dealing with a biological product. But this is the worst. It has produced a great sadness in physicians. We never intended anything like this to happen.”

Married people who have been infected with AIDS through blood transfusions can pass the disease on to their mates through sex relations. In one study of married men who got AIDS from blood transfusions, it was found that 14 percent of their wives also had the virus.

In Africa, it is reported that some 10 percent of all men and women who have the AIDS virus received it through infected blood from transfusions or the use of contaminated needles, such as in vaccinations. Since some estimate that there may be some five million AIDS carriers there, this could mean that there are over 500,000 people in Central Africa who got the AIDS virus from contaminated blood.

With AIDS so widespread now, what can people do to protect themselves?

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In Africa, AIDS is widespread among heterosexuals

[Blurb on page 10]

In Africa, some 10 percent who have the virus got it through infected blood

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AIDS was first spread mainly through homosexuals and drug addicts. Blood transfusions have also spread AIDS

How to Avoid AIDS

MANY government and private agencies have educational campaigns to help people learn how to avoid AIDS. However, what is often missing in such advice is any moral consideration. Rarely is any appeal made to avoid a practice because it is morally wrong.

Regarding this, TV commentator Ted Koppel said to a university graduating class: “We have actually convinced ourselves that slogans will save us. Shoot up [drugs] if you must, but use a clean needle. Enjoy sex whenever and with whomever you wish, but wear a condom. No! The answer is no. Not because it isn’t cool or smart or because you might end up in jail or dying in an AIDS ward, but no because it’s wrong, because we have spent 5,000 years as a race of rational human beings . . . searching for truth and moral absolutes. In its purest form, truth is not a polite tap on the shoulder. It is a howling reproach. What Moses brought down from Mount Sinai were not the Ten Suggestions.”

The Way to Avoid AIDS

The AIDS plague could have been avoided. As The New York Times Magazine said: “It is the first plague in the history of mankind whose regulation is entirely dependent upon our knowing behavior.”

To avoid AIDS, a cardinal rule must be: Live a moral life. This means no sexual relations outside of marriage and no illicit drug use. Yes, there must be a change in behavior patterns, for, as Science News reported, “it is obvious that it is behavior that transmits the virus that causes AIDS.”

Very few who live moral lives get AIDS. True, one marriage mate may be moral, but the other mate may be immoral and infected with AIDS and may thus pass on the disease to the innocent mate. Of course, an innocent mate who suspects the other of immorality or drug abuse has the right to take protective steps. The innocent are not required, as it were, to commit suicide.

The Tokyo newspaper Asahi Shimbun quotes health officials as saying: “If you are leading an ordinary life, you will not contract the disease. So there is no reason to be inordinately worried about the disease. But if you want to ‘fool around,’ do so at your own risk, the risk of committing suicide.” Shoko Nagaya of the health ministry advised: “Know your partner.”

Is it really possible, however, to “know your partner” in this permissive world that has winked at immorality? How can you be certain that your partner has not been sexually immoral or has not abused drugs and thus been exposed to AIDS?

What is needed is education that moves people to hate what is morally wrong. And regardless of today’s permissive views, sex outside of marriage is immoral, as is illicit drug use. These practices can lead to sickness and premature death.

No Guarantee

In one country, 93 percent of 18- and 19-year-old men and women interviewed had engaged in immoral sex relations. Only 25 percent of the men and 20 percent of the women said that they had ever used a condom​—the medical device recommended by some medical officials as an AIDS preventive. In another land, a study revealed that after being diagnosed as AIDS-positive, homosexual men merely cut the number of partners in six months from 12 to 5. More of them feel secure because of increased condom use.

But is condom use a guarantee? Various health officials estimate the failure rate for condoms at from 2 to 10 percent or more, with natural membrane condoms being much less effective than those made from latex. The Financial Post of Canada reports: “Jack Layton, chairman of Toronto Board of Health, says prophylactics [condoms] have a failure rate of up to 30% in preventing pregnancy.”

Beth Aub, writing in The Daily Gleaner of Jamaica, says: “The condom is not any more safe today than it ever was. In fact, it is less so, as the AIDS virus is much smaller than the human sperm and it will, therefore, be that much easier to slip through, and while the female can only become pregnant on a few days of each month she is exposed to AIDS whenever she has sex with an infected male. The condom is not safe.” And Surgeon General Koop warns that condoms have “extraordinarily high” failure rates when used by homosexuals.

Thus, these devices are no guarantee against getting AIDS. Instead, living by the Bible’s high moral standards is the very best protection.

Is the Blood Supply Safe?

Until testing of blood began in 1985, thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands when including Africa) of people got AIDS from contaminated blood. In some places the number is still large. A report this year from Africa states: “Nearly one in 15 Central African children receiving blood transfusions to combat malaria-related anemia may become infected with the AIDS virus as a result, a new study has found. Transfusions are now the No. 2 source of AIDS transmission in the region.”

In Western countries it is claimed that the blood supply is now virtually safe. But how safe? In the usual tests for AIDS, it is the antibodies that reveal the presence of the virus. But, as The Economist states, “the antibodies picked up in the test take time to appear.” People donating blood can have the AIDS virus but may not yet have developed the antibodies. So although declared AIDS free, they have the virus and can pass it on when their blood is used in transfusions. And the New York Blood Center estimates that about 90 percent who receive transfusions of even a single unit of AIDS-infected blood will become infected with the AIDS virus.

Dr. Harvey Klein of the U.S. National Institutes of Health says that it may take six weeks to three months for antibodies to appear. During that time, a newly infected person’s blood may not have antibodies, or not enough of them, to show up in testing.

The Medical Post of Canada states: “Antibodies, detectable by current screening tests, can take as long as six months to develop.” A U.S. National Cancer Institute study showed that some individuals do not develop testable antibodies until 14 months after infection with the AIDS virus. Still newer findings reported by The Lancet, a British medical journal, reveal that the AIDS virus may multiply in someone even longer before becoming evident in tests. Though there are efforts to develop tests that can detect the virus even before antibodies appear, these are only at an early stage.

A medical report by specialists at Mainz University in the Federal Republic of Germany states: “Transfusion medicine has to accept the fact that absolutely HIV-free blood no longer exists.”

Other Blood Diseases

Making the matter worse is the fact that diseases other than AIDS are far more commonly passed on by blood transfusions. Dr. Klein states: “AIDS has gotten all the publicity. But over the last 25 years, really the most important problem in blood transfusion is post-transfusion hepatitis. And even today, the major cause of death related to blood transfusion is post-transfusion hepatitis.”

One form of this disease is called non-A/​non-B hepatitis. In the United States, over 190,000 people contract it in blood transfusions every year. Of these, some 10,000 are killed or permanently injured. The virus has not yet been clearly identified, and there is no sure test for it at this time.

Thus, the French medical daily Le Quotidien du Médecin states: “Maybe Jehovah’s Witnesses are right in refusing the use of blood products, for it is true that an important number of pathogenic agents can be transmitted by transfused blood.”

You Have a Choice

Each individual must make a choice in this matter. If the choice is to continue immoral relationships or illegal drug use, then one must face the consequences: the reaping of harm for the sowing of moral wrong.

But who is to establish proper moral values? Well, who knows our makeup best and what the consequences are for violating such moral standards? Surely, the Creator of humans does. And in his inspired Word, the Bible, he plainly states: “God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh.”​—Galatians 6:7, 8.

There is no question that man’s Creator has determined that homosexuality, fornication, and adultery are moral wrongs, as is illicit drug use. His Word tells us: “Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men” can expect God’s approval.​—1 Corinthians 6:9; see also 2 Corinthians 7:1.

The Bible warns: “Keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication.” (Acts 15:29) The Greek word used here for “fornication” includes every kind of sexual intercourse other than between a man and his wife. And did you notice that this command includes avoiding the use of blood?

The continuing words of that scripture apply today with even greater force. It states: “If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!” Consider how many have died and will yet die from AIDS because of immoral sexual activity and drugs, as well as the thousands (in Africa possibly hundreds of thousands) from contaminated blood. Consider, too, the hundreds of millions whose health is being damaged by other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as by other complications of blood transfusions and by drug abuse.

When these are added together, it makes up a huge toll in poor health and untimely death. In view of the consequences, we can see the wisdom of the Creator’s prohibition of these practices.

Professor Vicente Amato Neto, Brazilian expert on infectious diseases, says: “I often say that the best prevention for AIDS is for one to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, for the members of that religion are neither homosexuals nor bisexuals, they are loyal to their marriage​—they associate it with reproduction—​don’t use drugs and, to complete the picture, they don’t accept blood transfusions.”

Toronto Life magazine states: “The only clear-cut answer to AIDS is celibacy leading to monogamy.” And Valentin Pokrovsky, president of the Soviet Union’s Academy of Medical Sciences, affirms: “Combating AIDS cannot be confined to medical efforts. A healthy way of life, purity of relations between the sexes and conjugal fidelity are the best means for AIDS prevention.”

Yes, accepting the Creator’s standards for human behavior is the best way to avoid AIDS.

[Blurb on page 13]

“What Moses brought down from Mount Sinai were not the Ten Suggestions”

[Picture on page 13]

Blood transfusions have spread AIDS​—and still do

[Picture on page 15]

Chastity leading to marriage can prevent many heartaches, including AIDS

Autumn Leaves​—Why So Beautiful?

AGAINST the clear, blue autumn sky, the mountainsides are ablaze with brilliant colors​—red, violet, gold, yellow, orange, and brown. Indeed, the spectacular annual display of fall foliage in areas like the northeastern United States and eastern Canada is a masterpiece of the first rank.

What makes the leaves take on so many colors? Although some key factors still remain a mystery, scientists do know that the process is not so much a change as it is a disappearing act.

Chlorophyll​—the stuff that gives leaves their green color—​is normally bound to a protein. But the cool, dry autumn air triggers a series of changes in the tree, causing the protein to break down into amino acids. And like a frugal farmer getting ready for winter, the tree absorbs and stores the amino acids in the trunk or roots before shedding the leaves. With the protein removed, the chlorophyll starts to disintegrate, and the green color disappears, thus unveiling the natural colors of the leaf tissues​—yellow, orange, and brown—​that have been there all along.

But what about the flaming reds and scarlets of the sugar maple, sumac, and some other plants? That, according to researchers, involves another factor. The cool nights slow the flow of the sap in the tree, thus impeding the removal of sugar from the leaves. The bright autumn sun converts the residual sugar into a pigment called anthocyanin, which gives the leaves their bright red color.

So, in a way, this breathtaking display, associated with the brilliant sun and cool nights of autumn, is really the trees doing their annual housekeeping to get ready for the close of another growing season. It is all there for our enjoyment​—and to remind us of the great Artist and Designer behind it all.

Young People Ask . . .

How Can I Get More Privacy?

“Mom!” you exclaim, scrambling for a robe. “I’ve asked you a hundred times to knock first!” But Mom seems to find your predicament amusing. To add insult to injury, she has once again poked around in your dresser drawers on the pretense of “straightening them out for you.” Then there’s that sister of yours who thinks she has the undeniable right to borrow everything you own​—with or without permission.

‘Doesn’t anyone respect my privacy?’ you wonder.

FEW things are as irksome as an invasion of one’s privacy. Oh, you don’t question the fact that your parents have the right to supervise you. But do they really have to snoop into every detail of your life? And while you don’t mind sharing a room with a brother or a sister, are you not entitled to enjoy the room by yourself some of the time?

Fortunately, the picture may not be quite as dark as it looks. With a little skill and imagination, you may be able to add a sizable portion of privacy to your life.

Your Parents​—Concerned or Just Curious?

Parents have a right to know what is going on in the lives of their children. They want you to “flee from the desires incidental to youth” and be spared from calamity. (2 Timothy 2:22) They see how promiscuity and drug abuse have ruined other young lives and want something better for you.

Quite naturally, then, they worry about how you behave when out of their sight. So when a parent makes an unwelcome incursion into your room or takes a peek into your diary, this is not just idle curiosity but likely an expression of real love and concern. When a young girl complained to a newspaper columnist that her mother demanded a door be left open when she is alone with a member of the opposite sex, the columnist replied: “Thank your ‘nosy’ mother for caring enough about you to do what a mother is supposed to do​—minimize the human temptations all normal kids eventually encounter.”

The Folly of Deception

How, though, should you react if your parents impose what appears to be an unreasonable restriction of privacy? Observes writer Andrea Eagan: “Yelling at your mother because you feel that she’s being unreasonable may not be the most productive thing for you to do. You probably don’t react very well when someone yells at you, and you shouldn’t expect your mother to either.”

The same can be said for resorting to deviousness or lying. “The devious person is a detestable thing to Jehovah.” (Proverbs 3:32) Furthermore, deviousness often backfires. One young girl who was forbidden by her parents to become romantically involved with a teenage boy tried to correspond with him secretly, using a girlfriend’s home as the mailing address. Little did she expect her girlfriend’s parents to scrutinize their daughter’s mail!

In their book Options, authors Diana Shaw and Caroline Franklin Berry gave sound advice when they said: “Lying to [your parents] when you want them to trust you makes as much sense as stealing to prove how honest you are. When they catch you, they’re likely to crack down on you even more, just for being a sneak.”

‘Giving Your Heart’ to Them

“My son, do give your heart to me,” said the writer of Proverbs 23:26. No doubt your parents would likewise appreciate your honestly and calmly communicating with them. If you need some private time to study or simply to unwind, don’t whine or cry. Help your parents to understand just how important privacy is to you. Allay any fears they might have by spelling out exactly how you intend to spend this time. When they know your periods of solitude include purposeful activities, such as homework, cleaning your room, or meaningful meditation, they are more apt to view this as time well spent.

‘Giving your heart’ includes openly discussing your problems and concerns with your parents. When you do so consistently, they will be less prone to suspect that you are hiding something from them and more prone to allow you privacy. Of course, a solid record of upright conduct goes a long way in assuring a parent you can be trusted. “Even by his practices a boy [or girl] makes himself recognized as to whether his activity is pure and upright.”​—Proverbs 20:11.

Finally, ‘giving your heart’ to them means doing things their way. For example, does your mother make unannounced room inspections​—immediately followed by a lecture on neatness? Observes the book The Private Life of the American Teenager: “Many parents refuse to respect the privacy of a child’s room unless the room is cleaned.” True, you may prefer the lived-in look to mother’s more antiseptic style. But would not increased privacy be worth doing things mom’s way?

When You Have to Share

Sharing a room with a brother or a sister can make it especially difficult to find a measure of privacy. The situation can be particularly touchy if you must share with a new brother or a new sister in a stepfamily. The Bible, though, urges Christians: “There must be no room for rivalry and personal vanity among you, but you must humbly reckon others better than yourselves. Look to each other’s interest and not merely to your own.” (Philippians 2:3, The New English Bible) Yes, Christians should be “ready to share.”​—1 Timothy 6:18.

So rather than fighting, try negotiating with your sibling roommate. Perhaps you can work out a schedule whereby each allows the other some time alone in the room. Spell out clearly what items can be used or borrowed and which ones are off limits. Simply rearranging the furniture (perhaps using a room divider) may create more living space or at least the impression of privacy. A number of youths also find that rising early affords them the opportunity to study, work at a hobby, or even exercise in pleasant solitude!

Applying the Golden Rule

The real key to obtaining privacy is to show consideration. The Bible says: “All things . . . that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.” (Matthew 7:12) When we show consideration for the privacy of others, most likely we will be shown consideration ourselves.

So if the door to your parents’ room is closed, knock before you enter; perhaps they’ll reciprocate. If your sister wants to study or meditate, play your music another night if you want the same kindness shown to you later on. Do you resent others peering into your diary? Then respect the personal belongings of other family members. “The more you earn your family’s trust, the more privacy you’ll get,” notes Seventeen magazine.

Use Privacy Constructively!

How, though, will you use your newfound privacy? Why not determine to put your personal time to good use? There are many constructive things you can do. Solitude may provide you an opportunity to develop new skills, such as playing a musical instrument or learning a second language. To 18-year-old Lynn, privacy means “being able to entertain thoughts and feelings about something or make decisions without others trying to do it for me.” Twenty-year-old Paula adds that “privacy also means having time and a place to do things alone, such as meditate and pray to Jehovah without interruption.”

Consider the example of Jesus Christ. Here was a teacher and public figure who exposed himself daily to crowds of people. Yet, he knew how to use privacy productively. At Mark 1:35 we are told that “early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] rose up and went outside and left for a lonely place, and there he began praying.” Praying privately strengthened Jesus’ faith and prepared him for the trials he was destined to face. Our faith in God and appreciation for his love for us can likewise be strengthened by seeking out times to meditate and pray.

Yes, the possibilities are numerous. With effort, a willingness to communicate, and a display of sincere consideration for others, you may very well obtain all the privacy you need.

[Blurb on page 20]

Ranting and raving accomplish little. Through calm discussion, help your parents understand your feelings

[Pictures on page 21]

Reorganizing your room, such as by adding a room divider, is one way to increase privacy

Crossword Puzzle

Clues Across

1. At its beginning, it was referred to as “The Way” (Acts 19:9)

7. A forefather of Abraham (Genesis 11:16-26)

8. A mixture of feeds for livestock (Judges 19:21)

9. Peter struck off his ear with a sword in the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:10)

13. Cain thought the punishment for his ----- was too great (Genesis 4:13)

15. A son of Shemida of the tribe of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:14, 19)

16. By means of this, carried in the dove’s bill, Noah knew that the floodwaters had abated (Genesis 8:11)

17. God’s ----- is always justified and under control (Psalm 145:8)

21. One of four cities built by Nimrod in the land of Shinar (Genesis 10:10)

22. Nomadic housing (Jeremiah 35:10)

23. Samuel’s hometown (1 Samuel 1:19, 20)

25. A site where the Israelites encamped on the border of Moab (Numbers 33:44, 45)

27. Course (1 Peter 2:21)

28. A grandson of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:1, 2)

31. Ridiculed (Psalm 119:51)

32. Perfect love throws it outside (1 John 4:18)

33. A son of Jonathan, a descendant of Jerahmeel of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:33)

34. The group of people who left Egypt with the Israelites [2 words] (Exodus 12:37, 38)

Clues Down

1. Given under Mosaic Law for injury or loss (Exodus 22:14)

2. The Sadducees did not believe in it (Mark 12:18)

3. Occasion (John 1:18)

4. A son of Abraham (Genesis 25:1, 2)

5. It should mean what it says (Matthew 5:37)

6. An object figuratively used when putting Satan in the abyss (Revelation 20:1-3)

10. Weapon used by Phinehas to bring an end to the scourge upon Israel (Numbers 25:6-8)

11. Famous unnamed monarch [3 words] (1 Kings 10:1)

12. When the lame man asked for these, Peter and John cured him [3 words] (Acts 3:1-10)

14. In Jesus’ illustration, it was on these that those gathered to the marriage feast were found (Matthew 22:1-10)

18. Place near which king Ahaziah was struck down at Jehu’s order (2 Kings 9:27)

19. In Daniel’s vision, this animal represented the kings of Media and Persia (Daniel 8:20)

20. A mighty man in David’s military forces (1 Chronicles 11:26, 31)

24. Royal city always associated in the Bible with city of Hamath (Isaiah 10:9)

26. One of three trees from which Jacob cut staffs (Genesis 30:37)

29. Zechariah’s grandfather (Zechariah 1:1)

30. Produced by bees (Psalm 22:14)

31. Water barrier (Joshua 3:13)

CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS PAGE 27

Answers Across

1. CHRISTIANITY

7. EBER

8. MASH

9. MALCHUS

13. ERROR

15. ANIAM

16. LEAF

17. ANGER

21. ACCAD

22. TENTS

23. RAMAH

25. IYIM

27. STEPS

28. IBSAM

31. DERIDED

32. FEAR

33. ZAZA

34. MIXED COMPANY

Answers Down

1. COMPENSATION

2. RESURRECTION

3. TIME

4. ISHBAK

5. YES

6. KEY

10. LANCE

11. QUEEN OF SHEBA

12. GIFTS OF MERCY

14. ROADS

18. GUR

19. RAM

20. ITHAI

24. ARPAD

26. STORAX

29. IDDO

30. WAX

31. DAM

Wonderfully Made to Live, Not Die

IF AGING could only be postponed! Do you long for such a breakthrough? Why, yes. Who would not like to escape wrinkles, gray hair, brittle bones, loss of stamina, forgetfulness, vulnerability to sickness, and finally death?

Since the commercial system knows how people feel about aging, advertisements appeal to a desire to camouflage or postpone its effects. The subject is often featured in magazine articles and books. Some make amazing claims. The Complete Book of Longevity begins like this:

“Some of you who are reading these words may be among the first of the immortals. With the diseases of aging​—and the mechanism of death itself—​about to fall to the advancing armies of science, the question is not whether the immortality breakthrough will occur . . . but how to stay alive until it does.”

From what science has already achieved, is there any real basis for such optimism?

Has Science Increased Man’s Life Span?

During this century, the developed countries of the world have experienced a dramatic increase in life expectancy. For example, in the year 1900 the average life expectancy of men in the United States was 46 years. “From 1900 to 1980 male life expectancy at birth increased 51% to 69.9 years,” states the American Journal of Gerontology. Now it is 71.8 years for men and 78.8 years for women. A number of other countries have an even higher life expectancy, with Japan the highest​—74.2 years for men and 79.8 years for women. Does this prove that man’s life span has been extended?

The dramatic increases noted above are due largely to a lower infant-mortality rate. Today, more babies survive to adulthood than in past centuries. “Medical advances,” explains The Body Book, “have increased average life expectancy, but they have not increased the maximum life span.” As Brian Stableford, a biologist at the University of Reading, England, expressed it in his book Future Man: “Our lifespan has been reckoned since Biblical times as 70 years, and although two thousand years of scientific advancement have allowed many more people to reach that term, scientists have so far done nothing to extend it.”

Stableford was referring to words penned 3,500 years ago by the ancient Israelite Moses: “In themselves the days of our years are seventy years; and if because of special mightiness they are eighty years, yet their insistence is on trouble and hurtful things.” (Psalm 90:10) ‘Why,’ you may wonder, ‘has modern medicine been unable to change this fact of life?’

Aging​—According to Science

Aging is such a common experience that few people question why it happens. To the scientific mind, however, aging has long been a puzzle. Why? “It seems to conflict with the drive to survive that underlies most bodily activities,” explains the book The Living Body, by Karl Sabbagh. How close are scientists to understanding the cause of aging?

“There is no single theory that explains all of the phenomena of aging.”​—The New Encyclopædia Britannica.

“The contemporary student of aging is faced with more theories than a centipede has legs.”​—Dr. Gairdner Moment, professor emeritus of biological sciences.

“Many gerontologists will agree that these are highly muddled times for us. We neither know what is the underlying mechanism of aging, nor are we able to measure the rate of aging in precise biochemical terms.”​—Journal of Gerontology, September 1986.

“The parable of the blind man trying to describe an elephant also illustrates the problems of researchers in aging.”​—Dr. C. E. Finch, professor of biology and gerontology.

One way to explain aging, as suggested in the book The Living Body, is that cells have “a built-in clock” that allows them to reproduce until “it is time to stop.” What, though, about brain cells, which do not reproduce after birth? Most neurons survive from the person’s birth on into old age. Thus, in the case of a centenarian, the same neurons have functioned for a hundred years.

Yet, millions of neurons die during the life of a human, and the neuron death rate increases with age. Another theory of aging is that cells gradually function less efficiently because of wear and tear. “But since living systems can repair and rebuild themselves, why aren’t these capabilities used fully to fix up the wear and tear?” asks Dr. Richard Cutler in the book The Biology of Aging. “Another difficulty with the wear-and-tear hypothesis,” he adds, “is how to explain the wide range of life-spans characteristic of different mammalian species.”

Chimpanzees have a life expectancy of 40 years, and the gorilla, which is bigger, one of only 30 years. Why do humans live so much longer if aging is due to wear and tear? Why do some reptiles, like the giant tortoise, outlive man? And why do some forms of life seem to last indefinitely?

A Lesson From the Smallest and the Largest

Consider for a moment the organism called amoeba. “This one-celled protozoan,” states the magazine Science Digest, “doesn’t die, physically speaking. Its one cell divides into two, and both halves are livelier than when they were as one.” Among one-celled organisms, the amoeba is no exception. As Dr. Tracy Sonneborn emphasizes in the book The Biology of Aging: “Many lower forms of life . . . do not undergo natural aging or death; they can go on living, growing, reproducing forever in full vigor.”

What about higher forms of life made up of many cells? Sequoia trees are the largest living things on earth. Fires bring death to young sequoias, but some survive to become giants of the forest. As their reddish bark thickens, they become more resistant to the threat of fire. Indeed, the fire-resistant bark may be over two feet [0.6 m] thick.

Sometimes fire penetrates the bark and scars the trunk of a redwood. Trees thus weakened may topple under their great weight. Another danger is soft soil or soil erosion, which may cause a sequoia to lean to one side. To keep the tree upright, however, an amazing mechanism causes extra growth of the trunk and branches on the opposite side. If this fails, it may suddenly crash to the ground. But death because of old age has not been recorded so far.

States the book Giant Sequoias: “The largest and the oldest-appearing trees continue to grow with apparent vigor, putting down annual layers of wood whose volume is about the same as in previous centuries. Individuals that continue to be free of fire damage and remain upright might well live to the great ages sometimes predicted for them.”

Contrast this with plants that annually blossom and die. “Annuals,” observes Dr. Carl Leopold, an expert in plant research, “are programmed to die after a single season’s growth, whereas other species may persist for exceedingly long times. Famous for longevity are the sequoia trees, with life spans as long as 3000 years.”

If sequoias are designed to live so long, why not man? If one-celled organisms can keep reproducing without aging, why not the cells of the human body? And if it can keep nonreproducing cells, like neurons, for a hundred years, why not forever?

While scientists struggle to find the cause of aging, many have found an answer from another source. The Bible is a book that claims to be inspired by man’s Creator, Jehovah God. (2 Timothy 3:16) If it is, then the Bible should supply a satisfying answer to the question that perplexes human scientists. Does it?

Aging​—According to the Bible

According to the Bible, man was created perfect, with the prospect of living forever. This was held before him as a reward for passing a simple test of obedience. Our first parents were commanded not to eat the fruit of a certain tree called “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” The tree served as a loving reminder to them of God’s invisible presence and of his authority to determine what is good and what is bad for his creatures. Jehovah God clearly warned them: “In the day you eat from it you will positively die.”​—Genesis 2:16, 17; 3:3.

Sadly, the first man and woman rebelled and ate the forbidden fruit. Being a God of truth, their Creator was impelled to keep his word, and thus he sentenced them to death. The Bible does not contain the biologic details of how God did this. What we do know, however, is that Adam and Eve passed on their sinful state to their offspring. As the Bible explains: “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.”​—Romans 5:12.

This is a judgment that no human scientist can reverse. But Jehovah God, the Maker of the human body, knows how to do it. Lovingly, he provided his Son, Jesus Christ, to ransom the offspring of Adam and Eve. All who show appreciation for this provision will eventually be freed from aging and death.​—John 3:16.

You Can Enjoy Life Forever in Paradise

The fact that our original parents were made to live, not die, is something marvelous to contemplate. It is an aid in grasping this thrilling promise: “The creation . . . will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.”​—Romans 8:21.

Accordingly, what Adam and Eve lost will eventually be restored to many of their offspring. Consider what that can mean for you. Our first parents lived in the most beautiful setting that has ever existed on earth. According to the Bible, “Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden, toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Thus Jehovah God made to grow out of the ground every tree desirable to one’s sight and good for food.”​—Genesis 2:8, 9.

Picture all those majestic trees to satisfy their sense of sight and the variety of attractive fruit trees to satisfy their sense of taste. Add to this the variety of wildlife​—an endless source of fascinating research. As the Bible says: “Now Jehovah God was forming from the ground every wild beast of the field and every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call it, each living soul, that was its name.”​—Genesis 2:19.

In addition to all of this, Adam and Eve were given a satisfying purpose in life. They were to raise a large family. Then, as their family grew, they were to subdue the rest of the earth, transforming it into a global paradise. But this massive project could turn out successfully only if they submitted to the direction of their heavenly Creator.​—Genesis 1:26.

Since they chose to act independently of God, thousands of years of misery, sickness, aging, and death resulted. But before driving our first parents out of that Paradise garden, Jehovah God made a statement that is recorded for our benefit: “‘Here the man has become like one of us in knowing good and bad, and now in order that he may not put his hand out and actually take fruit also from the tree of life and eat and live to time indefinite,—’ With that Jehovah God put him out of the garden of Eden.”​—Genesis 3:22, 23.

If our first parents had proved obedient under test, they would have been allowed to eat from that “tree of life,” symbolizing God’s reward to them of everlasting life. This, then, is further proof that man was made to live, not die.

God’s purpose has not changed. (Isaiah 55:11) Jesus confirmed this on the day of his death. To a repentant thief who died alongside him, Jesus promised: “You will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42, 43) Soon, during Jesus Christ’s reign from heaven, he will ensure that the earth is transformed into a paradise. Then that thief, along with billions of other human dead, will be resurrected back to life. If such resurrected ones ‘do good things,’ they will never die again; their resurrection will turn out to be “a resurrection of life.”​—John 5:28, 29.

But the Bible also refers to “a great crowd . . . out of all nations” who will never need a resurrection at all. These are people alive today who exercise faith in Jehovah God and his Son, Jesus Christ. They will survive on earth when God destroys all wickedness during the coming “great tribulation.” Thereafter they will continue being guided “to fountains of waters of life”​—yes, endless life in a paradise earth.​—Revelation 7:9, 10, 14, 17.

Already this international “great crowd” numbers into the millions. You too can be included among them. How? By trusting in Jehovah God and his provision for salvation. Then, if you continue to follow what is recorded at Proverbs 3:5, 6 and John 3:16, you will personally experience that man was made to live, not die.​—Revelation 21:3-5.

[Picture on page 23]

Who does not want to escape the effects of aging?

[Picture on page 25]

Millions alive today will experience personally that man was made to live, not die

[Picture on page 26]

The ravages of the aging process will be reversed in God’s new world

From Our Readers

Medical Help

Thank you for the article “Sunbathers Beware!” (September 22, 1987). For some time I had a small spot on my leg but paid no attention to it. After reading the article, I consulted a dermatologist, and it turned out to be a malignant melanoma of the third degree. It took 29 stitches to close the wound after the cancer was removed, and I’m still recuperating. I’m very grateful to you for the information.

D. S., Brazil

We had to give injections twice a day to my mother, who was dying of cancer. They were painful for her, that is, until we read in Awake! (June 22, 1987) that applying ice to the area would numb it and would make penetration smooth and less painful. If we forgot, she would ask for it. She would easily dehydrate, and the “salty drink that saves lives” (September 22, 1985) helped her feel better and survive till we got her to the hospital. It was the only thing she would drink.

D. A., United States

Clerical Misconduct

I and my friends were greatly offended by your June 22, 1987, article “Homosexuality and the Clergy.” What is the point of telling others that some clergymen, especially Catholics, are homosexuals? I am sure that the clergy of Jehovah’s Witnesses are not immune from the influence of sexual sin in our society.

I’ll admit that every priest is not a saint. But I’ll bet that the Church has a track record on fidelity to purity and the meaning of sexuality that would surprise many outsiders. As a Catholic, I at times point out errors of other religions. But I do not attack the personal integrity of their ministers. That is bigotry.

The point in telling others that some clergymen are immoral is the same point Jesus made in telling certain clergy of his time that they were “like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of . . . every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27, 28, Catholic “Jerusalem Bible”) You are correct that Jehovah’s Witnesses’ elders are not completely immune from the influence of sexual sin. But the few who err are immediately removed from office for such. On the other hand, clerical misconduct in many churches often results only in “transfer” or “treatment” unless it becomes too scandalous. This was recently illustrated in a “New York Times” article of June 12, 1988, about several priests charged with child molestation, one of whom had “been in treatment for 10 years” while still serving in parishes.​—ED.

Unbiased “Window”

I appreciate the international points of view and flavor and the historical background of Awake! The content has won me over. The thoughtfulness provokes insight and reassures me. I had thought your organization would be steeped in unloving biases so common today. I am happy to have investigated before I gave up. My prayers are for my family and friends who are still not opening this window for a peek.

A. R., United States

Watching the World

AIDS Detection Uncertain

Researchers have discovered that a person carrying the AIDS virus may not show it under standard testing methods designed to detect antibodies developed by the body in response to the virus. “The finding is troubling because it also suggests that the virus is actually being carried by some people at high risk of AIDS infection who were declared free of the virus in commonly used tests, and that they could transmit it to others,” notes The New York Times. “The finding also means that some contaminated blood might slip through screening procedures designed to protect the supply of transfusion blood.” The scientists found that the AIDS virus can hide in macrophages​—scavenger cells of the body’s immune system—​or even lie dormant in T-4 cells, which normally trigger antibody production. This may explain why some people infected with the AIDS virus did not form antibodies until after a year or more had passed. Researchers immediately began working to devise new testing methods.

Meanwhile, according to the AP (Associated Press) report, an assistant professor at Cornell University of Medicine claims that “the nation’s blood supply is far more contaminated than the public has been led to believe,” asserting that “one in 10 blood transfusions will result in some sort of infection, including hepatitis and AIDS.” The AP report also noted that Dr. Joseph Feldschuh told a medical conference that “the public has been misled, particularly on the chance of acquiring AIDS through a transfusion.” In fact, he said, even though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, was estimating that one in 40,000 units of blood may contain undetected AIDS virus, “patently false estimates have been fed to the public, putting the risk of acquiring AIDS through transfusion at one in 250,000 to one in 1 million.” Feldschuh cited studies from which he concludes that about one in 3,600 units of blood may have the AIDS virus though unbetrayed by antibodies.

Snakes Instead of Cats

People living in certain mountainous regions on the island of Crete keep snakes in their home. Why? For the same reason some people have cats​—to chase away mice. “Most of the species of snakes render invaluable services to rural people,” says Ethnos, a newspaper of Athens, Greece. “They protect crops from the rodents, they feed on harmful animals, and they exterminate insects.” The article calls this practice “a curious phenomenon, indeed.”

Transfusion Advice

Blood transfusions should “be kept to a minimum,” a U.S. National Institutes of Health panel has advised. And considering improved surgical procedures, the panel recommended that “traditional uses of blood be re-evaluated.” The government warning was the first to be issued based on the risk of getting AIDS through blood transfusion. Transfusions carry “documented risks of infection and immune changes,” said chairman Tibor Greenwalt. Though the panel considered the chances of contracting AIDS from a transfusion to be small, the report warned that the “level of risk is unlikely to be appreciably decreased in the foreseeable future even if additional screening tests are added.”

Lethal Computers

“Government scientists believe a serious accident caused by faulty microchips is ‘inevitable’ in the next four years,” reports The Times of London. Why? Recent investigations have revealed a high percentage of faulty microchips used in military equipment. Computer experts fear that similar weaknesses will occur in the microprocessors used in civilian applications​—such as power stations, aircraft, and some cars. In an effort to avert disaster, British scientists claim to have developed “the first microprocessor capable of being proved mathematically to be free of design faults,” says The Times.

India’s Population Climbing

“India’s population has reached more than 800 million,” reports The New York Times, “and top Government officials say they are alarmed by the failure to bring a sharp drop in the nation’s birth rate.” With a growth of over 120 million people in less than eight years, India may eventually overtake China, at 1.1 billion people, as the most populous nation of the world. The increase has negated the government’s efforts to raise the standard of living and remove poverty. Saroj Kharpade, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, warned that the country was heading toward a situation in which “there would be no houses, no water, no schools, no health facilities in adequate measure to take care of the increasing numbers.”

Adrift for Five Months

In June a new record of endurance at sea appears to have been set by five Costa Rican fishermen who were adrift for five months on the Pacific Ocean. Setting sail from Costa Rica for an eight-day fishing trip, they were hit by a two-week-long storm that knocked out their radio and blew their 30-foot [9 m] boat far out to sea, where their fuel supply was exhausted. They survived by collecting rainwater and eating fish and turtles. A Japanese tuna boat rescued them about 700 miles [1,130 km] southeast of Honolulu, some 3,600 miles [5,800 km] from where they started. It was the only ship they saw in all that time. Aside from facial sunburn and some swelling of the limbs, they were found to be in surprisingly good health.

Another World War II Fatality

World War II has claimed another fatality. A mine exploded in the province of Mersa Matrûh, some 300 miles [480 km] northwest of Cairo, killing one person and wounding two others. Hundreds of thousands of mines from the war are said to lie buried in Egypt’s western desert regions, where battles between Allied and Axis forces were fought in 1942 and 1943.

Ant-Produced Insecticide

A new way to get rid of termites and locusts has scientific circles intrigued. The insecticide used is produced by a small black ant​—of the genus Monomorium—​and a tiny dose of it suffices. “A drop of venom [on the prey] and death follows in a few seconds,” reports the French daily Le Monde. Unlike insects sprayed with man-made insecticides, those treated with ant venom do not appear to develop an effective immunity. The venom is already synthesized, and a laboratory is planning on producing a man-made version of this ant-produced insecticide.

Pope’s 37th Trip

According to a New York Times account, the unusual appears to have been the norm on the 37th overseas trip of Pope John Paul II. Paraguay heard possibly the shortest applause for a papal speech. The President, “Gen. Alfredo Stroessner . . . clapped his hands four or five times,” and the government officials and foreign diplomats present at the presidential palace followed suit. Uruguay had perhaps “the briefest scheduled encounter” with the pope. Schoolgirl María Paula Lolena managed only her greeting, “In the name of all Uruguay, we give you these flowers.” Then she fainted​—still holding the flowers. Bolivia saw likely ‘the highest Mass celebrated by a pope.’ The altar at El Alto, near La Paz, was at 13,450 feet [4,100 m] above sea level. It was attended by a group of Indians who mix devotion to “Mother Earth” and the sun with their Catholic beliefs. “I am not sure what the Pope means to them,” said their priest, José Iriarte.

Self-Medication

“The American public believes that for every ill, there’s a pill​—that everything can be treated,” says Dr. Harvey Klein, a Cornell University Medical College professor. Out of only 725 approved active ingredients, some 300,000 over-the-counter medications and vitamins have been formulated. Spurred on by advertising, Americans spent $12 billion procuring them last year in an effort to improve their health​—a growth of 43 percent since 1982. There are, however, risks. “There is no totally safe medication known to man,” says Dr. James S. Todd of the American Medical Association, “and the lay person is in no position to judge.” Care must especially be exercised when taking multiple drugs, as combinations can be dangerous. It is recommended that product information and warnings be carefully read and expert advice sought in case of doubt.

Monuments of Praise

Majestic mountains have long impressed thinking persons with man’s littleness. Standing near towering crags, it is difficult not to be awed by their vastness and height. Imposing, lofty, these soaring rock masses were thought by some cultures to be the obvious dwelling places of their gods.

In addition to their grandeur, mountains collect and store water or channel it to rivers and lakes. Mountains support plant life, lower areas being excellent places for growing grain and fruit. They also serve as a place of refuge for both man and animals. Mountains are fitting monuments to the praise of their Maker.​—Amos 4:13.

‘Like Bread and Water to the Heart’

That is how the Watchtower and Awake! magazines were valued by a Protestant minister from Málaga, Spain. He explained:

“I have been a Protestant pastor for several years, and I can assure you that in all my theological studies, I have not found the simplicity and clarity that your publications have. To me, Jehovah’s Witnesses are admirable people; in a hypocritical world, they live according to what they believe. . . .

“At the moment, due to personal problems, I can’t study with you, as I would like to, but thanks to God, I do receive your magazines, and they are ‘bread’ and ‘water’ to my heart, which hungers and thirsts for the living God.”

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Please send a year’s subscription for The Watchtower and Awake! I enclose $10 (U.S.).