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Nature 395, 217-219 (17 September 1998) | doi:10.1038/26104

Bacterial infection:  For whom the bell tolls

Craig Gerard1

"Now this bell tolling softly for another, says to me, Thou must die."The 1623 Meditation 17 by the English metaphysical poet John Donne was probably inspired by the church bells that tolled to announce death by the plague.

  1. Craig Gerard is at the Childrens Hospital, Perlmutter Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
    e-mail: Email: gerard_c@a1.tch.harvard.edu