Date:  Thu, 7 Aug 1997 11:40:20 -0400
From:  Grant Barrett <gbarrett[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]JERRYNET.COM>
Subject: RE>Vonnegut and "culprit zero" (was: "Is...is")

I think you'll find that "patient zero" is used in many attempts to track any biological contagion.
Compare with "index patient," another interesting usage in that field.

Grant Barrett
gbarrett[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dfjp.com

--------------------------------------
Date: 8/7/97 11:31 AM
To: Grant Barrett
From: Mark Mandel
To me, that term was an obvious allusion to "Patient Zero", the hypothesized (and, I think,
eventually identified?) vector who first broadcast AIDS in the European and American gay
communities.