 |
|
|
|
October 14th, 2010
06:15 PM ET
How the ancient world dealt with cancerCancer is widespread today, but it doesn't appear to have been in the ancient world. Why not? Researchers are learning more about the history of cancer and how civilizations have treated it. A study in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer suggests that cancer has become a more common disease only recently, because of modern lifestyle. Rosalie David, professor at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and Michael Zimmerman, professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, explored the evidence of cancer in the fossil record of early humans, in ancient Egypt and in ancient Greece. They argue that modern carcinogens - such as tobacco and pollution - may have contributed to the apparent rise in cancer in the last several hundred years. However, there are many reasons why this is a tenuous conclusion: No one can conduct a survey of ancient populations. The risk of cancer rises with age, and people only started living longer more recently. Cancer is also highly genetic. To say that pollution has helped make cancer prevalent is highly controversial, said James Olson, historian at Sam Houston State University in Texas. But certainly smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise all contribute to cancer in the modern world, Olson said. Still, the paper makes some interesting points about the historical record of cancer, he said. There are very few indications of cancer in early human remains, and possibilities that have been found have been disputed, the analysis said. In Egypt, out of hundreds of mummies only one case of cancer has been confirmed: Zimmerman's experiments on modern mummified tissue suggest that mummification does not destroy evidence of the malignancy - he and colleagues found colorectal cancer in a mummy. The ancient Egyptians wrote about many magical spells they used to treat cancer-like illnesses, a few of which are described in papyri. Here's one particularly gruesome remedy for what may have been cancer of the uterus: Break up a stone in water, leave it overnight, and then pour it into the vagina. Another treatment described was fumigation: The patient would sit over something that was burning. Still, it's not certain that any of the maladies described were actually cancer, David said. Ancient Greece first identified cancer as a specific illness, the analysis said. It appears that the Greeks had a better knowledge and awareness of cancer than their predecessors, which is a more likely explanation than an increase in cancer, David and Zimmerman said. In Ancient Greece, cancer gets referenced in the Hippocratic Corpus- texts said to have been written by the "father of medicine" Hippocrates between 410 and 360 B.C. Ancient Greeks knew that a mastectomy would help a patient with a lump in her breast, but they also recognized that cancer can recur and spread to other parts of the body. "They recommended an unbelievable variety of potions, and plant extracts, and combinations to see if they couldn’t kill the cancer in other places," Olson said. "None of those worked." It can be argued that since life expectancy was lower in the ancient world, most people didn't live long enough to develop cancer, David said. But the lack of evidence of childhood bone cancer suggests that perhaps overall rates were lower as well, she said. From about 500 to 1500 A.D. there was little advancement in understanding cancer, the analysis said. Then, in the 17th century, Wilhelm Fabricus described operations for breast and other cancers. Cancer rates appear to have increased since the Industrial Revolution, David said. In the past 200 years, reports of specific cancers such as scrotal cancer and Hodgkin's disease have emerged. Here's an overview from the American Cancer Society of the history of cancer. soundoff (2,770 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Next »Leave a Reply to Start Error Mercedes Sprinter Repair
Next entry »Survey: More children using marijuana
« Previous entryPositive HIV test prompts call for halt to porn shooting
|
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
 |
|
|
|
You're so interesting! I do not believe I've read through a single thing like that before. So great to discover somebody with a few unique thoughts on this topic. Seriously.. many thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that's needed on the internet, someone with a little originality!
https://www.niederschoenenfeld.de/niederschoenenfeld/vg_schnittstelle.php?link=http3A2F2Faffordableranking.com
After I initially commented I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I receive four emails with the exact same comment. There has to be a means you can remove me from that service? Thank you!
http://mosecolog.ru/wp-content/plugins/wp-noexternallinks/goto.php?ocrvcenter.com
https://www.xfdq123.com/url.aspx?url=https://affordableranking.com
http://www.nesmaemb.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
This website definitely has all the information and facts I needed concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
https://pn.aroundhome.de/go.cgi?pid=144&wmid=2289&cpid=1&prid=15&subid=&view=1&target=http://ocrvcenter.com
Howdy! This blog post couldn’t be written much better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept talking about this. I'll forward this article to him. Fairly certain he'll have a great read. Many thanks for sharing!
https://www.emg-srs.com/v1.0/Front/RedirectLink/7f2ae239-7a0a-4197-8e31-bb8710be8ec7?url=ocrvcenter.com
http://nyrealestatemls.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
http://images.google.im/url?q=http://ocrvcenter.com
http://www.keyword-research-tool.info/search/affordableranking.com
http://www.stripcoupons.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I most certainly will recommend this website!
http://www.ladygamer.jp/ws/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=299&url=http://www.affordableranking.com
https://www.mx1.cookinghistory-thefilm.com/redirect/redirect.php?url=https://affordableranking.com
http://silverchain.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
https://www.continual-e.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
https://etiqueta.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.affordableranking.com
Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Thank you for providing these details.
https://pixelfoundry.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
I blog quite often and I really thank you for your content. This great article has really peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your site and keep checking for new information about once per week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.
http://www.fastest100.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.affordableranking.com
I wish to point out my respect for your kind-heartedness in support of those people that really want guidance on the content. Your special commitment to passing the message across appears to be especially significant and has usually empowered girls like me to get to their pursuits. Your invaluable tutorial indicates much a person like me and substantially more to my office colleagues. Thanks a lot; from each one of us.
https://www.clipsit.net/www-southwestcardanniversary-com-check-your-anniversary-points/
Awesome article, it was exceptionally helpful! link sms : https://blogs.shortms.com/3-secret-send-sms/
https://blogs.shortms.com/3-secret-send-sms/
Awesome article, it was exceptionally helpful! slotxo
https://www.slotcat888.com/blog/slot/15/slotxo-cahnge-to-slotcat888
http://my24seven.de/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
http://www.chartmail.org/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and effort to put this content together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
https://g.keal.us/url?q=http3A2F2Faffordableranking.com&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjc4bW-lJToAhVSaCsKHbpSD50Q0Y8FMAZ6BAgAEAI&usg=AOvVaw3svb-xIN3lde91YTaXGhp_
https://hairhealthbeauty.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.affordableranking.com
Excellent blog you've got here.. It’s difficult to find quality writing like yours these days. I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
http://broadwayindurham.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
http://www.knowledge.matrixplus.ru/out.php?link=http://affordableranking.com
http://www.lytkarino-4a.ru/redirect?url=http://www.affordableranking.com
Everything is very open with a clear description of the challenges. It was really informative. Your site is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
https://www.foreseeresults.ws/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.affordableranking.com
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. There's no doubt that that you should publish more on this issue, it may not be a taboo matter but typically people don't discuss such topics. To the next! Kind regards!!
http://www.hellotw.com/gate/big5/affordableranking.com
Hello, I think your site might be having web browser compatibility problems. Whenever I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in I.E., it has some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other than that, wonderful blog!
http://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/stocktaking/Home/SetLanguage?langtag=en&returnUrl=http://affordableranking.com
This is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate info… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read post!
https://omnitraveltours.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
Pretty! This was an extremely wonderful article. Thank you for supplying these details.
http://www.wildphotoforum.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
https://egenda.out4food.ro/SmartWebform/?public=1&u=cb&v=1&redirectSafari=http3A2F2Faffordableranking.com
https://blackdiamondcapital.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
There's certainly a lot to learn about this subject. I love all the points you have made.
https://www.kohlssweepstakes.biz/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
https://6qn.audioresearch.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
Your style is really unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I'll just book mark this page.
http://atlantahardware.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
http://www.hairymound.com/cgi-bin/atc/out.cgi?id=46&u=http://www.affordableranking.com
https://www.foreverygirl.info/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
I blog quite often and I truly appreciate your information. The article has truly peaked my interest. I will take a note of your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week. I opted in for your Feed as well.
http://www.leerspellen.nl/mobiel/game.php?url=http://affordableranking.com
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day. It's always helpful to read content from other writers and use something from other sites.
http://standupguy.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
I could not resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!
http://www.kurstap.az/kurstap/countSite/29?link=http://affordableranking.com
Spot on with this write-up, I actually feel this amazing site needs much more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the information!
https://123gomme.it/it/ViewSwitcher/SwitchView?mobile=True&returnUrl=http3A2F2Faffordableranking.com
https://xcelarena.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
There is definately a great deal to find out about this topic. I like all the points you have made.
http://forum-aromashka.ru/go.php?http://affordableranking.com
This site was... how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I've found something which helped me. Appreciate it!
https://comicsia.ru/redirect/simple/?u=http3A2F2Faffordableranking.com
After looking over a handful of the blog posts on your web site, I seriously like your way of blogging. I added it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Please visit my website too and tell me your opinion.
http://www.lamesaayso.org/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
I need to to thank you for this excellent read!! I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. I have got you book-marked to look at new things you post…
http://www.2etechnologygroup.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
http://www.astana.zeta.kz/ru/site/changelanguage?lang=en&url=http://www.affordableranking.com
Right here is the perfect site for everyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a subject that's been written about for a long time. Excellent stuff, just great!
http://realestateinbigsky.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=postfallslocal.com