A News Sonnet A Day for April 2010: 28

I've set myself a goal for National Poetry Month this year: Compose a sonnet based on a science-themed news story each day.

Today's installment takes its cue from "Merely Seeing Disease Symptoms May Promote Aggressive Immune Response" from Catherine Allen-West at the Association for Psychological Science.

Shutter Bug

A picture may be worth a thousand words,
But show a slide that indicates disease
And soon improved immunity occurs.
When viewers saw a pox, a cough, a sneeze,

Their sampled blood then evidenced a boost
In quantities of interleukin-6
As some bacteria were introduced.
Put different images into the mix,

Even the pointed barrel of a gun,
And cells are less adapted to protect.
The cost of an immune response is one
That can debilitate. In this respect,

The body's disposition makes it bold
When pulling strength to fight the common cold.

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