A traveler walked down a country road in India. After traversing a few miles, he came to a fork in the road. The traveler knew that the two roads reunited after another mile or so, but he also knew that man-eating tigers roamed the woods.
An old man sat at the fork in the road, and the wise traveler decided to ask him what to do. The old man replied, “I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you this. During the past month, 100 men ventured down each road. Of the 100 who traveled the right road, five were eaten by tigers; of the 100 who traveled the left road, only four were eaten by tigers. It has been this way for as long as I can remember.”
Which road did the traveler take? Did he think he would be totally safe if he took the left road, or did he think only that he would be taking the safer bet?
Modern vaccinations and circumcision are choices facing parents every day. The bottom line of medical statistics tells us that, while vaccinations and circumcision may create problems with some patients, there is a better outcome for a higher percentage of children who receive these procedures.
It’s a no-brainer. Our new president can authorize all the studies he wants with our hard-earned tax dollars. They won’t change the facts.
Nurse Nan
