The Great Influenza By John Barry Summary

Dealing with the unknown Did you know that there are 206 bones in the adult human body and 300 in a child's? When children grow some of the bones fuse together. As everyone can imagine it probably took time, experiments, and research to figure this out. Scientists go through a lot of uncertainty, trial, and error in their daily work. An article from “The Great Influenza” written by John Barry, observe scientists and analyze how they deal with uncertainty in their work. Scientists deal with uncertainty everyday in their work. Certainty can make people more confident, knowing that something is guaranteed to go right gives everyone strength. Many people can agree that, “Certainty gives one something upon which to lean.”(Barry) The opposite of uncertainty is certainty. Uncertainty can make anybody terrified, knowing that something is not guaranteed to go right can make people weak. Scientists have come to the conclusion that, “Uncertainty makes one tentative if not fearful, and tentative steps, even when in the right direction, may not
All scientists have to go through their work not going as planned.“A scientist must accept the fact that all his or her work, even beliefs, may break apart upon the sharp edge of a single laboratory finding.” (Barry) Knowing your own work might fail also goes along with uncertainty. This can lead to worry and having no belief in what their doing,”Ultimately a scientist has nothing to believe in but the process of inquiry” (Barry)The best scientists are often risk takers and are whiling to do things that they would not normally do. "The best among them move deep into a wilderness region where they know almost nothing, where the very tools and techniques needed to clear the wilderness, to bring order to it, do not exist.”(Barry) Although it might be hard scientist must step into the vast unknown to find new objects, it is a part of their job that has to be