Should there only be one company making gear?

Oh yeah, I sure am glad we don't have horrible debilitating diseases like AIDS, ebola, and syphilus anymore!

Hurrah for modern medicine, or as it was known in ancient times through the middle ages: the occult.

The greek word for occult is: pharmacia. Sound familiar?

I was heading over to the Thai joint to pick up some Phad Thai the other day and almost ran off the road going under a highway overpass. There are some large park-and-ride lots that are empty on the weekends, and some group of large armored men (and women?) were pairing off with large swords and shields going at one another in about half a dozen mock-battles. It was quite a sight as they were all wearing a full body of very convincing reproduction fighting armor from head to toe. Big-ass swords and shields too - definitely not toys! I almost thought a film was being made, but there was no trucks or crew to be seen, just the fighting couples! It was dusk and the lights were just coming on out there. Really bizarre! Oh, and Nrchy in armor add's a whole new dimension to that Quizno's match-up I mentioned earlier!

Marco

Nrchy ... have you had AIDS, ebola or syphilus recently ?
On the other hand in 13th century britain 1/3 of the population was killed by plague, and in some towns 2/3 of the population.

I have had burst appendix and a staph infection in my arm. I'd have been dead twice over if I'd been born 200+ years ago.

Seandtaylor99... Though Nrchy may not be infected, if you'd asked that
question in South Africa, or perhaps Thailand you'd find that the figures
are likely close, if not surpass those you quote for 13th century Britain.
I'd hazard to guess that many of those infected may eventually prefer to
be dead as opposed to living with the results of a compromised immune
system and the disease it may bring. I'd also make a guess that if 13th
century Britain had the medical resources to combat the plague, and the
medical system were similar to our insane version of same here in the
good ol U.S.A, most of those people would still be dead because they
could not afford to be treated (much as many folks with AIDS in the U.S.
cannot afford the meds). Thank you Pharmaceutical corporate greed,
and the stranglehold that the powerful (read: wealthy) medical
establishment has on our country.

Comparing treatable ailments to AIDS or Cancer for which there is still
no cure (and most certainly affecting large populations around the
world) is ludicrous. Also, in spite of medical advancements that you
mention, people are dying all over the world from infections and
diseases just as treatable as those you survived. Glad you made it BTW
as a burst appendix is a very serious matter.

Marco

I guess my point was that not everyone died during the middle ages, and not everyone is dying of these terrrible diseases today, but for the ones who are affected the result is the same. There are more bad diseases around today than there were then. How is that for a ringing endorsement for medical science!

AIDS, so one theory goes is an offshoot of antibiotic resistant syphylus. There are many diseases that have gone underground for a short period to return as stronger strains that are resistant to the ubiquitous antibiotics found today. We haven't cured much really, just made it stronger, while peoples immune systems are worse than their stereo systems!!!

Even the meds for AIDS don't cure it, they just drag out the life of the poor unfortunate who has to be treated.

I must commiserate with you on the appendix issue though. I had mine out at four years old in Austria. Quite an adventure as I recall.