|
|
For about 100 years, scientists thought that peptic ulcers were caused by stress, spicy food, and alcohol. Later, researchers added stomach acid to the list of causes and began treating ulcers with antacids. Now it is known that peptic ulcers are predominantly caused by Helicobacter pylori, a spiral-shaped bacterium that normally exist in the stomach.
More than nineteen million Americans carry the factor V gene that causes blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and heart disease.
After a vasectomy, it takes about 12 ejaculations to clear out sperm that were already beyond the blocked area.
About 600,000 particles of skin are shed every hour by each human. If you live to age 70 years, you have shed 105 pounds of dead skin.
Cancer has been around as long as humankind, but only in the second half of the twentieth century did the number of cancer cases explode.