Stem Cell Research may lead to treatment of muscular dystrophy & epilepsy
June 5th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Gene Pool
I know Emulsion Compulsion is a movie site, but it’s Jerry-related so bear with me.
You don’t have to study the heavens tonight to know that the stars are in their courses.
Timpani…
On the same day disability and civil rights attorney Harriet McBryde Johnson died, scientists at London’s Newcastle University announced the creation of a stem cell technique designed to offer a treatment for a series of genetic conditions, including some forms of muscular dystrophy and epilepsy.
OH, YEAH!!!
Earlier this year a team that’s a hell of a lot smarter that you and me created the first IVF embryos to contain DNA from one man and two women. The technique can create a child “with three parents” and could prevent a host of deadly hereditary diseases. Scientists believe that this can all be achieved within three years.
Is this the same stem cell research that Jackanape in Chief George Bush wants outlawed?
I credit 1968 as the first year that I began watching the Telethon with regularity. This year marks the 40th year that I don’t leave my house on labor day. From 1972 to up until around ten years ago when Jerry started taking nap breaks, I logged as many hours per year as humanly possible. The advent of VCR’s made it much easier to enjoy all twenty-one-and-a-half hours of the annual love-in.
In spite of it’s annual one-day shelf life, the Telethon means almost as much to me as the movies do. The man behind it is the first (presumably) non-animated artist ever to punch my memory card. As early as five-years old Lewis was on my radar and I hunted down each one of his new releases. His pictures splattered all over the movie section made it easier on a kid just learning to read.
The Chicago American TV Guide was my first Bible and every Saturday night I scoured its pages for Jerry Who Else’s? name. Even though I had no conception of what a telethon is, Jerry’s name was above the title so count me in. The first syndicated Telethon was broadcast Labor Day weekend, 1966. At a family get-together, my cousins watched some noxious sporting event while I stole away to the back bedroom to see my first glimpses of Jerry the humanitarian. Two years later I had one of the older kids on the block buy me a pack of No-Doz to help me make it through the night. I was hooked!
As much as I would like to tell you more about today’s scientific breakthrough, who am I kidding. I could barely make my way through this story let alone the latest issue of New Scientist magazine.
Tags: Epilepsy, Harriet McBryde Johnson, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Lewis. MDA Telethon, Labor Day Telethon, MDA, MDA Telethon, Muscular Dystrophy, Muscular Dystrophy Association of America, Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, Science, Stem Cell Research, The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, TreatmentShare: 
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Mort Sahl (how many of you kids know that name?) did a joke about the telethon and Jerry. In the middle of the show, Jerry is backstage ready to go back out when one of the head scientists for MDA meets him. He says, “Mr. Lewis, you will be so happy. We have finally found a cure!”. Jerry responds “A cure?”. The scientist nods happily, “Yes. A cure! Everyone with MD will now be cured! Isn’t that wonderful? So now you can go out there and tell everyone and stop with the telethons.” And with that, Jerry pulls out a gun and shoots the scientist. Hey, the show must go on!
Never liked Mort Sahl…