See other Health Articles
Title: Cancer 'is purely man-made' say scientists.
Source:
Daily Mail
URL Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet ... -disease-Egyptian-mummies.html
Published: Oct 16, 2010
Author: Fiona Macrae
Post Date: 2010-10-16 02:38:28 by Armadillo
Keywords: egypt, mummy, cancer, pollution
Views: 718
Comments: 6
Cancer is a man-made disease fuelled by the excesses of modern life, a study of ancient remains has found. Poster Comment: Life back then was hard, the weak died early and most people had to do some kind of physical work.
Michael Zimmerman, a visiting professor at Manchester University, said: 'In an ancient society lacking surgical intervention, evidence of cancer should remain in all cases.
'The virtual absence of malignancies in mummies must be interpreted as indicating their rarity in antiquity, indicating that cancer-causing factors are limited to societies affected by modern industrialisation.'
To trace cancer's roots, Professor Zimmerman and colleague Rosalie David analysed possible references to the disease in classical literature and scrutinised signs in the fossil record and in mummified bodies.
Despite slivers of tissue from hundreds of Egyptian mummies being rehydrated and placed under the microscope, only one case of cancer has been confirmed.
This is despite experiments showing that tumours should be even better preserved by mummification than healthy tissues.
Dismissing the argument that the ancient Egyptians didn't live long enough to develop cancer, the researchers pointed out that other age-related disease such as hardening of the arteries and brittle bones died occur.
...
And the first reports in scientific literature of distinctive tumours only occurred in the past 200 years or so, including scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps in 1775 and nasal cancer in snuff users in 1761.
Professor David, who presented the findings to Professor Mike Richards, the UK's cancer tsar and other oncologists at a conference earlier this year, said: 'In industrialised societies, cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of death. But in ancient times, it was extremely rare.
'There is nothing in the natural environment that can cause cancer. So it has to be a man-made disease, down to pollution and changes to our diet and lifestyle.
It may be that those more susceptible to cancer died of other things before the cancer could manifest. Or the increased physical work produced more healthy people.
Maybe a combination of both produced a more rugged and healthy person. In our civilized times, you need not be rugged or healthy to survive and reproduce.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: christine, farmfriend, abraxas, All (#0)
*Ping*
I am calling BS on this. The effects of cancer have been known and happened since the time of Ancient Greece. Only recently have we known how cancer works. Also, animals can have cancer. For example, dogs and cats can develop different forms of cancer. Even some plants, such as trees can get tumor type cancers. And Armadillo, you are probably right. The reason cancer rates are so high now is that people live longer. And as people age, they are more likely to develop cancer.
If you make to age 80 without cancer then chances of developing it are slim.
Your optimism escapes me ! I say, stay fit, work or work out and keep that powder dry. Civilized times are going bye-bye !
"Politics and Religion are the building blocks of slavery and oppression. Greed is the mortar that bonds them". Doug Scheidt, 10-5-10
One thing different about todays world is the amount of Nuclear material floating around. Ask any train switchmen and they'll tell you about transporting radioactive dirt covered by tarp and how they would handle it personally. Radiation poisoning is a hell of a thing and most of the world now enjoys a small portion of its cup.
My opinion: Everyone gets cancer multiple times throughout their life, but the immune system normally takes care of it before it's noticed. Those who "get cancer" just have an immune system failure that allows it to grow and spread.
#2. To: Armadillo (#0)
(Edited)
Cancer 'is purely man-made' say scientists.
#3. To: Armadillo (#0)
#4. To: Armadillo (#0)
In our civilized times, you need not be rugged or healthy to survive and reproduce.
#5. To: Armadillo (#0)
#6. To: Armadillo (#0)
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest