In an article published in 2010, two University of Manchester scientist strongly suggested that cancer is a modern man-made disease caused by environmental factors such as pollution and diet. In their study of remains and literature from ancient Egypt, Greece, and earlier periods they discovered only one case of the disease out of hundreds of mummies examined and only a few references to cancer in literature. They concluded that because cancer was extremely rare in antiquity, man is the reason why cancer is the second leading cause of death in modern society. Since the industrial revolution the disease has risen massively, debunking the theory that the rise is due to people living longer.
Findings from the study show that rare cancer deaths precluded the time the world population was experiencing early deaths. University Professor Rosalie David stated that, "there is nothing in the natural world that can cause cancer. So it has to be man-mad, down to pollution and changes to our diet and lifestyles." In her study, she was able to gather historical data from over thousands of years of information on the disease. Egypt, the father of pharmacology, is known to have practiced medical techniques that was deemed magical by the medical community today but they in fact worked. The Egyptians new the body very well based on their practice of mummification and the knowledge of binding fractures in an excellent way. The scientist want medical experts to give more attention to the medical literature and techniques of ancient societies since the diagnosis of cancer was almost non-existent during those times.
Billions of dollars are spent every year on cancer research in the US alone. Some might say modern man is trying to re-invent the wheel of cancer treatment and monetize cures for man-made diseases. It's no secret selling pharmaceuticals is big business but we need the world to understand that grief is caused from greed.
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