Aug 21, 2022 06:10 PM
Medieval friars were riddled with parasites
https://www.science.org/content/article/...-parasites
EXCERPTS: When the University of Cambridge broke ground on a museum renovation in 2017, it uncovered the remains of dozens of medieval friars. Dating as far back as 1290, many skeletons [...] sported evidence of ... eggs of parasitic worms that potentially wreaked havoc on the friars’ intestines while they were alive.
Although these men lived a far more sanitary existence than the citizens in the town outside their community, they were far more likely to be riddled with parasites, a new study reveals. Their gardening practices may be to blame.
In medieval Cambridge, many citizens subsisted in squalor [...] The city’s Augustinian friars lived the high life by comparison. ... Many friaries were even outfitted with running water systems ... to allow the friars to wash their hands. Like many aspects of their life, their focus on hygiene brought them closer to God.
That may be why friars often outlived commoners. But no one had taken a hard look at whether friars were less susceptible to worms and other parasites—a common scourge of the time... (MORE - missing details)
Neil deGrasse Tyson: "I'm not an atheist!" (Joe Rogan)
https://youtu.be/I2itlUlD10M
"You can look up the dictionary definition of atheist and it kind of applies to me. But what is the definition of atheist in practice? It is what leading atheists do -- it's their conduct and it's their behavior, it's what they say and it's their attitudes. That is what an atheist is today because they are the most visible exemplars of that word. And most of their conduct I either don't agree with or simply don't engage in."
https://www.science.org/content/article/...-parasites
EXCERPTS: When the University of Cambridge broke ground on a museum renovation in 2017, it uncovered the remains of dozens of medieval friars. Dating as far back as 1290, many skeletons [...] sported evidence of ... eggs of parasitic worms that potentially wreaked havoc on the friars’ intestines while they were alive.
Although these men lived a far more sanitary existence than the citizens in the town outside their community, they were far more likely to be riddled with parasites, a new study reveals. Their gardening practices may be to blame.
In medieval Cambridge, many citizens subsisted in squalor [...] The city’s Augustinian friars lived the high life by comparison. ... Many friaries were even outfitted with running water systems ... to allow the friars to wash their hands. Like many aspects of their life, their focus on hygiene brought them closer to God.
That may be why friars often outlived commoners. But no one had taken a hard look at whether friars were less susceptible to worms and other parasites—a common scourge of the time... (MORE - missing details)
Neil deGrasse Tyson: "I'm not an atheist!" (Joe Rogan)
https://youtu.be/I2itlUlD10M
"You can look up the dictionary definition of atheist and it kind of applies to me. But what is the definition of atheist in practice? It is what leading atheists do -- it's their conduct and it's their behavior, it's what they say and it's their attitudes. That is what an atheist is today because they are the most visible exemplars of that word. And most of their conduct I either don't agree with or simply don't engage in."
