Surgeon-turned-senator writes book on how to prepare for bioterrorism
March 28, 2002
By NANCY ZUCKERBROD
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - It was 2 a.m. when Sen. Bill Frist received a call from a concerned acquaintance wanting to know if the rash on her son's knees was from anthrax.
The question was one of many put to the surgeon-turned-senator last fall when anthrax-laced letters first turned up. The scare thrust Frist into the spotlight, as colleagues and others looked to him to explain what was happening.
Now Frist has written a book, "When Every Moment Counts: What You Need to Know About Bioterrorism from the Senate's Only Doctor."
"Look in the index, find your question and get an answer rather than toss and turn though the night worrying whether that rash that you have is anthrax or tularemia or smallpox," said Frist, R-Tenn.
At the time of the anthrax outbreaks, Frist's Web site was one of the few that gave information on how to handle mail and what to do in case of exposure. At the height of the scare, it was getting 40,000 hits a day, compared with a few hundred before.
Most of Frist's book is written in a question-and-answer format, which Frist hopes will make it easier to follow.
"Otherwise it's kind of boring to read about botulism toxin," he said. "But when you ask a question and the answer is it's the strongest poison known to mankind, and you learn that a few drops in a bottling plant would have an impact, all of a sudden you begin to think about those things."
Frist, 50, was a heart-lung transplant surgeon before ousting three-term Democratic Sen. Jim Sasser in 1994. He won re-election in November 2000.
Stories about terrorism are interspersed throughout his book, including a description of how a cult in Oregon contaminated salad bars with salmonella bacteria in 1984.
Also included is practical information, such as what supplies to keep on hand in case of an attack and which gas masks offer the most protection.
The book offers some stark images, such as a chest X-ray of one of last year's anthrax victims and a heartbreaking image of a baby who developed lesions from smallpox vaccine.
Frist said he is trying to educate and motivate people, not scare them.
"The goal is to reduce the potential for panic and paralysis and to transform that potential into resolve, into calmly facing what can be done," he said.
Frist said he will donate the royalties to the Tennessee Public Health Association for bioterrorism training for health professionals.
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On the Net:
Sen. Bill Frist: http://www.senate.gov/(tilde)frist/
Book Web site: http://www.wheneverymomentcounts.com/
