It is also an are where our innate fears, fears that modern society tells us are unacceptable, might have a place. There is a deep-seated fear of diseased people that once kept us healthy. Modern science has given us an understanding of disease that means there is often no need to physically separate paints where we know the disease is not easily transmitted. The shunning of an aids victim, or a child with cancer, is totally unacceptable in polite society. But prions, and especially research into possible links to various forms of dementia, suggest some dark futures. Maybe it isn't a great idea for the kids to visit grandma in hospital.