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The term bacteria was devised in the 19th century by German biologist Ferdinand Cohn. He based it on the Greek word "bakterion" meaning a small rod or staff. Cohn is considered to be the father of modern bacteriology.
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.
On average, someone in the United States has a stroke about every 40 seconds. This is about 795,000 people per year.
More than 150,000 Americans killed by cardiovascular disease are younger than the age of 65 years.
Certain rare plants containing cyanide include apricot pits and a type of potato called cassava. Fortunately, only chronic or massive ingestion of any of these plants can lead to serious poisoning.