“Haven’t you got somewhere more important to go - the university for instance? You’ve got it far too easy, young man. In my day…”
So, saying, eighty-year-old Tom Weston left Kevin in the Richmond to return to his second-hand bookshop while Kevin continued reading Solomon’s “The Day of Reckoning”.
It was as if Solomon had attended one of Kevin’s student lectures. He used all the same introductions with mentions of the ancient Greeks, Plato and Aristotle and the words of Tertullian and Niccola Machiavelli.
“When every province of the world so teems with inhabitants that they can neither subsist where they are nor remove themselves elsewhere, the world will purge itself in floods, plague, and famine.”
He quoted Joseph Hakluyt’s old English words of warning:
“Throughe our longe peace and seldome sickness we are growen more populous than ever heretofore. Many thousandes of idle persons are within this realme, which, havinge no way to be sett on worke, be either mutinous and seeke alteration in the state, or at leaste very burdensome to the commonwealthe.”
There were others like Thomas Malthus and Paul Ehrlich but not one reference to the counter arguments that Kevin used. But then Solomon started on the science and molecular genetics.
“We can now create new highly pathogenic and transmissible viruses.
We can use them for research to understand infection, or we can use them in more practical ways such as for population control.
“But we need to retain our control over the methods we are developing so that we can decide how they should be used. We cannot rely on politicians who do not understand science.
“We can and must develop a highly resistant bacterium or a virus that can be used to counter the ever-growing threat posed by the
effects of overpopulation—the availability of sufficient food, of natural resources, of jobs, and the space in which to live a decent and civilised life free of eternal conflict. Scientists must be granted the freedom to use technology to solve social problems of this magnitude.
We are granted the freedom to use technology to improve life. But this only has the effect of increasing the population to unsustainable levels. Granting us the freedom to use technology to reduce the population to a balanced and sustainable level has to be the next logical step.
“What we cannot do is allow politicians who do not understand even basic science, let alone the complexities of virology and molecular biology, to continue to perpetuate the status quo for their own shallow, short-term reasons. Politicians and religious leaders are to blame for the current situation. They turn their backs on the problem because they are too afraid to act. Scientists must now intervene if the human race is to have a better quality of life in and beyond this overcrowded planet…”
Then came the final part - the plan.
“Unless we want to destroy everything, we must have an available counter-balance, an effective treatment for our virus, a drug or a vaccine, that is ready and available in advance of the release of the virus to use selectively in order to retain proper scientific control.”
Kevin refolded the sheets of paper.
Up to a certain point, everything Solomon had written was music to his ears. But Solomon had then taken things further. Solomon was effectively advocating that scientists should decide who should live and die. That had never been in Kevin’s plan, but perhaps that was because he was not a biologist but a teacher of social and economic history.
As he got up to pay for his lengthy lunch, he wondered what Solomon was doing now. Where was he? Was he one of the so-called associates that Mohamed El Badry had spoken of?
Kevin’s nerves were calmed by another call from Larry Brown that evening.
“I spoke to WHO again,” Larry said. “I mostly repeated myself but told them more about the doctor, Dr Mustafa.”
“Good,” Kevin said. “So when can we expect an investigation to start?”
“That’s the problem. I think we’re being optimistic if we think the WHO or anyone else will deal with it. The WHO only works through certain channels. It works with governments, but the Nigerian government do not see a few deaths as important enough, especially with the other problems they’ve got.
“I could only speak to someone working for the deputy CEO and she wouldn’t discuss the Thai cases with me. I’m an outsider. The only way is to get the US government to ask questions. I’d need to go via the US ambassador.”
“I’m worried,” Kevin admitted. “I’m starting to fear a knock on my door at midnight.” He explained the messages on the Malthus website. “I think he’s a virologist called David Solomon. I’ve found a paper he wrote called ‘The Day of Reckoning.’ It makes me nervous.”
“What’s the guy’s name again?”
“David Solomon,” Kevin said. “He was involved with the Boston Malthus Club.”
Larry made the connection. It was Josh Ornstein.
***
It was late evening in Bangkok when Colin called.“The fellow who moderates the Malthus Society website is Kevin Parker. He’s a lecturer in British social and economic history at Bristol University and an expert on the history of population control.
Else then came across something where he describes himself as –
what was it? – yes, an advocate of direct action aimed at persuading governments and the United Nations to be more proactive in reducing the world’s population.’ He lives in Bristol, and we’ve got his email address and a phone number.”
The office was performing magic as always. I checked the time. It was late evening in Bangkok and late afternoon in UK. I phoned the mobile number of Kevin Parker, but it was constantly engaged.