Cancer is a Man-Made Disease, Say Researchers

[Celebration]

http://topnews.co.uk/214639-cancer-man-made-disease-say-researchers

According to a study conducted by the researchers from the University of Manchester, England, only a handful of Egyptian mummies were found to have cancer and there is limited reference to cancer in ancient Greek or Egyptian literature.

The researchers also noticed that cancer among children and young adults is not related to longevity; rather it is a man-made disease.

The investigators of the study claim that cancer at that time was extremely rare, as cancer was detected in only one mummy after examining hundreds of mummies.

The researchers also stated that rise in cancer, particularly childhood cancer, happened after the Industrial Revolution.

For their study, the scientists looked into the literary evidence from ancient Greece and Egypt. They also conducted the medical examinations of the remains of the animal and human from the period when dinosaurs existed.

[stray cat]

1. The cure for cancer is to have more people die earlier from other diseases?

[WingDinger]

6. That exact contention is the one debunked. Read article.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Here's a confusing phrase:

'...medical examinations of the remains of the animal and human from the period when dinosaurs existed.'

I hope that is merely the result of sloppy syntax - not that the reporter is suggesting that humans & dinosaurs lived at the same time.

Also wonder about this, from the article at the link:

'The researchers also mentioned that people in the ancient times didn’t live for a longer period to develop cancer.'

Hard to believe that researchers would say such a thing without mentioning the frequency of cancers that begin during childhood.

[fascisthunter]

3. uh-oh!!!! Not good for businesses selling cancer causing materials

[Celebration]

4. Here is a better source

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/204809.php

The investigators examined literary evidence from ancient Greece and Egypt, as well as mummified remains from ancient Egypt. They also carried out medical examinations of animal and human remains further back in history, as far back as the period of the dinosaurs.

....................

* According to animal, non-human primates, and early human remains and fossil evidence, cancer was extremely uncommon. One Edmontosaurus fossil of unknown primary origin had evidence of metastatic cancer.
* Virtually all evidence of tumors, which were extremely uncommon anyway, were benign.
* The few malignancies were found were in non-human primates, but none of them are cancers found in modern adult humans.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. Skin cancer

is not man made. Unless you classify sun exposure and living long enough to be man made.

[provis99]

8. skin cancer IS manmade.

We are destroying the ozone layer, leading to more skin cancer, particularly in childhood.

[DavidDvorkin]

10. Skin cancer existed long before we started destroying the ozone layer

Sun exposure was causing skin cancer before that started happening.

[Celebration]

11. Could you even tell skin cancer in mummies?

I think they were looking for evidence of solid tumors, particularly in children. Not sure that skin cancer was on their radar.

[DavidDvorkin]

12. It would be remarkable if they could detect skin cancer in mummies

Although it's amazing what they can detect.

[laconicsax]

14. Remarkable that the inherent contradiction from that is glossed over.

Cancer is man-made: a result of the industrial revolution. Ancient Egyptian mummies had cancer--that proves it!

[trotsky]

15. Are you kidding? All the best woo is hopelessly contradictory.

No wonder they embraced this nonsense.

[laconicsax]

16. I believe the correct term is "mysterious."

Although I could be wrong and "mysterious" is for something else.

[DavidDvorkin]

17. Remember that the ancient Egyptians had all kinds of advanced superscience

and mastery over magnetism and stuff like that, which is how they built the pyramids and preserved the mummies. So you see, the Industrial Revolution began thousands of years ago, not centuries ago as you may have been taught in school.

Or maybe the ancient, peaceloving matriarchal supercivilization was somehow involved. It's hard to keep track.

[laconicsax]

18. I thought it was space aliens.

Wasn't that the point of Van Danniken's racist crap? That primitive Africans couldn't have possibly achieved anything without help from an advanced alien race.

[DavidDvorkin]

19. I suppose that's the most popular woo-woo idea about how the pyramids, etc. were built

But there's also the mythology that the Egyptians were masters of superscience. And black.

[trotsky]

20. You're thinking of the Atlanteans.

Who, despite their mastery of all things in space & time, somehow couldn't keep their island from sinking. Or at least didn't think of moving off of it.

[DavidDvorkin]

21. No, I'm thinking of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Genesis-Prehistoric-Origins-Ancient/dp/159143114X

I think the ancient Atlanteans went underground, where they continue their supercivilization in vast caves that they can easily hide from us. I'd write that novel, but I think it was done a few times back in the pulp days.

[trotsky]

7. Duplicate bullshit.

Already covered to death in this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=222x94474

[HuckleB]

9. +1

Good grief.

[laconicsax]

13. So non-human animals don't get cancer?

:shrug:

[HuckleB]

22. Or not...

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/10/20/is_cancer_a_disease_of_the_modern_world.php#comments