The Mathematics of Fear: How 89% Became a Weapon
Between 1899 and 1969, fewer than 2,000 cases of botulism were recorded in the United States, averaging approximately 13 deaths per year in a population exceeding 100 million. Yet public messaging focused on a single statistic: that 89% of botulism outbreaks were linked to home-canned foods. Although accurate, this figure…
