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It is believed that the Incas used anesthesia. Evidence supports the theory that shamans chewed cocoa leaves and drilled holes into the heads of patients (letting evil spirits escape), spitting into the wounds they made. The mixture of cocaine, saliva, and resin numbed the site enough to allow hours of drilling.
Chronic marijuana use can damage the white blood cells and reduce the immune system's ability to respond to disease by as much as 40%. Without a strong immune system, the body is vulnerable to all kinds of degenerative and infectious diseases.
In 1844, Charles Goodyear obtained the first patent for a rubber condom.
On average, someone in the United States has a stroke about every 40 seconds. This is about 795,000 people per year.
Cytomegalovirus affects nearly the same amount of newborns every year as Down syndrome.