Park County Public Health

12/03/2025

12/02/2025

Her story began with a moment of wonder. When she was six years old, her father, Dr. Frank V. Plummer, placed a glass slide beneath a microscope and invited her to look closer. She leaned in and saw a landscape she had never imagined, human cells shifting and shimmering with life. That quiet moment set the path she would follow for the rest of her days.

Jewel grew up surrounded by resilience. Her grandfather, once enslaved, had become a pharmacist. Her mother taught young people to believe in the strength of their minds. In her household, excellence was expected, and possibility was a promise. But outside those walls, the world greeted her with limits shaped by prejudice.

When she entered the University of Michigan in 1942, she discovered that academic talent could not shield her from discrimination. She worked hard, yet she was denied a dorm room because of her race. The rejection stung, but she refused to let it define her. She transferred to Talladega College, where she found belonging, then set her sights on graduate study at New York University. When NYU dismissed her fellowship application for the same reason, she walked into their office and demanded fairness. Her insistence changed their minds. They awarded her the fellowship, though they still denied her housing.

So she commuted. She studied late into the night in quiet corners. She carried her ambition alone, knowing she was carving a path no one had cleared for her. In 1950, she earned her PhD in cell physiology, becoming one of the first Black women in America to hold such a degree.

Her work soon led her to Harlem Hospital’s Cancer Research Foundation, where she partnered with Dr. Louis Wright and Dr. Jane C. Wright. Jane treated the patients while Jewel studied their cells, watching them through time-lapse photography and comparing healthy and cancerous tissue side by side. In the early 1960s, their work helped prove that methotrexate could successfully treat several major cancers. The impact was enormous. Millions of patients benefited from treatments shaped by Jewel’s precision and insight.

Yet she believed her influence could stretch even further. She left full-time laboratory work to become an administrator, a choice many questioned. Jewel saw it differently. A scientist could discover new cures, but an administrator could create opportunities for thousands of scientists to rise. She became the first Black dean at Connecticut College and later the president of California State University, Fullerton. She built programs that opened doors for women and minorities in science, ensuring the barriers she faced would not stand in front of others.

By the time her life drew to a close, she had earned dozens of honors and left a legacy that still grows today. Jewel Plummer Cobb broke through every barrier placed in front of her and left behind a path lit with courage, opportunity, and hope.

12/01/2025

Stay warm and safe my friends!

11/30/2025

Letitia Geer lived at a time when women’s ideas were often brushed aside, especially in science and medicine. Hospitals were filled with tools designed by men who rarely considered how nurses worked or what would make a procedure faster and safer. Women were expected to follow instructions, not challenge them. But Letitia never accepted the belief that innovation belonged to others.

During the late 1800s she studied the syringes used in medical settings. These instruments were bulky, awkward, and demanded two hands to control. In emergency situations they were slow and difficult, and they placed nurses and patients at greater risk through unnecessary movements. Letitia watched these problems unfold day after day and believed there had to be a more efficient way to save time and protect lives.

So she began to imagine a different design. One that allowed precise control. One that worked naturally in a single hand. One that treated both the patient and the caregiver with respect. In 1899 she patented her one hand syringe, an elegant device that allowed a doctor or nurse to insert, hold, and deliver medication in a single motion. It was simple. It was efficient. That simplicity made it revolutionary.

Her invention did not arrive with fanfare. There were no grand announcements or awards for a woman inventor in her era. Yet hospitals soon adopted the design because it worked. Nurses relied on it in emergencies. Surgeons found it faster and more precise. Her mechanism influenced the evolution of syringes for generations, shaping the tools that modern medicine now takes for granted.

Still, Letitia Geer’s name faded from public view. There were no headlines calling her a pioneer, no place in mainstream history books, no widespread celebration of her contribution. But her invention traveled farther than recognition ever could. It became part of every emergency room, every ambulance, every clinic that needed reliable speed and accuracy.

Her story is a reminder that important change does not always come from people seeking credit. It often comes from those who simply care enough to make things better. Letitia Geer looked at a world that dismissed her ideas and refused to let that become her limitation. Her clarity, courage, and determination reshaped medicine, even if her name is not widely known.

Today her legacy rests in a simple truth. Innovation does not need applause to matter. It needs only one person brave enough to improve a world that overlooks them.

11/25/2025

As you travel for the holiday please stay safe. One good way is to be prepared.

11/19/2025

FYI

DOES TYLENOL (ACETAMINOPHEN) CAUSE AUTISM?

In September, the Secretary of Health and Human Services announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) intended to change the labeling of acetaminophen to reflect a suspected link between prenatal maternal acetaminophen use and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

This was primarily based on 2 extensive population-based studies (one Japanese and one Swedish) that show a weak correlation between maternal acetaminophen use and the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disability (ID). We have previously discussed on this page how retrospective population studies can only show correlation, not causation (see October 15th post). In fact, studies employing rigorous sibling analysis to control for potential genetic confounding factors reveal that this correlation disappears.

Remember that correlation does not equal causation. In fact, other studies suggest that pain and inflammation during pregnancy increase the risk of autism, rather than drug exposure. It may be that all that these studies found is that pregnant women experiencing pain and fever are more likely to take acetaminophen. A letter to physicians from the FDA acknowledges that acetaminophen is the safest available option for pain and fever in pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) continue to recommend acetaminophen as the first-line option for managing pain and fever during pregnancy.

https://www.psychiatrist.com/pdf/maternal-use-of-acetaminophen-paracetamol-during-pregnancy-and-neurodevelopmental-disorders-in-offspring-a-reasoned-evaluation-of-risk-pdf/

11/17/2025

Inside a mother’s body, something extraordinary unfolds during pregnancy. Tiny fetal cells cross the placenta and enter her bloodstream. But they don’t stop there. They travel through her body, embedding themselves in tissues, bones, and even the brain. Scientists call this phenomenon fetomaternal microchimerism—one of biology’s most intimate mysteries.

For nine months, cells move in both directions, from mother to child and child to mother. And remarkably, they remain. Decades after birth, researchers can still detect traces of a child within their mother’s body — cells in her skin, in her heart, and in places still being discovered.

Some studies suggest these cells may help repair tissue or strengthen the immune system. Even when a pregnancy does not go to term, a cellular imprint remains — a microscopic reminder that a child was once there.

It is as if nature has left a secret love note, tucking part of a child inside their mother forever. A reminder that motherhood is not only about holding them in your arms — it is about carrying them within you, in ways unseen but always felt.

11/14/2025

In the winter of 1892, a worker in Laramie, Wyoming found a four-year-old girl frozen in a train car. A note on her coat read, “Her name is Josephine. I can’t feed her. Please be kinder than I could be.” While others wanted to send her away, a kind Chinese laundress named Martha Chen said softly, “She stays with me.”

People gossiped about a Chinese woman raising a white child, but Martha ignored them. She taught Josephine to read, to work hard, and to be proud. Josephine grew up between two worlds, learning that family isn’t about blood—it’s about love and kindness.

Years later, when disease struck the town, Josephine saved many lives and became one of Wyoming’s first women doctors. She said, “The woman who found me gave me life. The woman who raised me gave me purpose.” The boxcar that almost took her life stayed as a reminder that even the coldest beginnings can lead to the warmest hearts.

11/13/2025

RECALL - BOTULISM POTENTIALLY IN INFANT FORMULA

The FDA has announced a voluntary recall of 2 batches of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula sold at Amazon, Kroger, Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, and Sam's Club.

This involves contamination by spores from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which germinate in infants' guts, leading to toxin production that causes paralysis and respiratory difficulties. This is treatable (but can be fatal) and has led to the hospitalization of 13 infants in Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington.

Early symptoms can include constipation, poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing, and decreased facial expression.

See below for product images and how to identify the batches involved (as a precaution, all ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula should be disposed of). This shouldn't lead to a shortage as ByHeart produces only 1% of infant formula.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/response-broader-fda-investigation-byheart-initiates-voluntary-recall-two-batches-infant-formula