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Brief history of cancer
Commonly identified as a disease of modern life, cancer has accompanied and threatened man since ancient times. Attempts to defeat it largely shaped the history of human and scientific progress (and failures) in the face of disease. From early Egyptian and Greek physicians to aseptic genetics labs, through medieval operations, Victorian operating rooms, the discovery of anesthesia and X-rays, the monumental and award-winning volume.
The Emperor of All Evils by oncologist Siddartha Mukherjee, is a sensitive and intelligent approach to the history of this disease today crossed by marketing, media, laboratory businesses, to which the United States came to declare war on and which we are only now beginning to understand.
In 2010, some 600,000 Americans, and more than 7 million people worldwide died of cancer. In the United States, one in three women and one in two men will develop cancer during their lifetime. A quarter of American deaths, and about 15 percent of all deaths in the world, will be attributed to him. ” These overwhelming numbers are the gateway to one of the 2011 publishing successes.
Winner of the Pulitzer and The Guardian’s First Book Award, nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award and Top 10 of the year by a critical spectrum as broad as The The New York Times, Time magazine and Oprah Winfrey, The Emperor of All Evils is presented as nothing more and nothing less than the official biography of cancer.
Written between 5 and 15 minutes per day (what was left of free time to its now-famous author, but then respected and young full-time oncologist, more father of the family, Siddartha Mukherjee), the book has almost 700 pages and got contract when his deed went roughly in half. Of course, with Monday’s newspaper, the first thing you think is that it is incredible that the editors have not dueled for publishing it. But the truth is that its author ran into rather mixed thoughts where caution prevailed. “The responses were bipolar.
Or they would say, ‘No one is going to read about cancer,’ or, ‘How could this book not have been written before.’ ” What they all definitely agreed on was that cancer frightens, which only fueled the enthusiasm of its author. “For me, that was the wrong answer. If people are afraid, it is the main reason to speak, “he said emphatically, rounding up his ambitious project.
BRIEF HISTORY OF A LONG FIGHT
It was from the first autopsy that Galen’s theories began to collapse. There was no black bile but an organism to discover. The study of anatomy took up the idea of surgical ablation of cancer, inaugurating an entire stage as prolific as it was bloody, recently alleviated by the discovery of anesthesia in 1846. “Anesthesia and antisepsis were combined technological advances that liberated surgery from its medieval chrysalis.
Armed with ether and carbon dioxide, a new generation of surgeons undertook terribly complex anatomical procedures. ” The adventurous first oncologists managed to remove some tumors from the body, but they could not prevent cancer from growing again sooner or later. Again and again “they went back to the operating table and cut,
The therapeutic frenzy to end the evil crab had its greatest exponent in William Halsted: a cocaine-addicted doctor who invented a radical mastectomy in the late 1800s. Empty the women’s body as much as possible (removing glands, muscles, even rib bones) in order to achieve total remissions and, in many cases, where it was not necessary to operate, with the sinister intention of bending their character.
The surgeries were quite a spectacle. The 1900s inaugurated the era of celebrity medical “trustworthy” who operated to the delight of witnesses as privileged as they were intrigued. “The operating room was for them a theater of operations and surgery, an elaborate performance, often witnessed by a silent audience watching from a skylight above the theater.”
Dazzled by their own brilliance, they could not even see yet the failure of the brutal operation. It was that no matter how much they removed, cancer returned or was already waiting, crouched, in some other organ.
Around the same time, in a different setting, a series of coincidences gave rise to the discoveries of X-rays, radio, and finally, eureka, the crazy idea that this new form of energy might be useful for all this. It was a young man of twenty-one, Emil Grubbe, who on instinct made the first successful test: “Grubbe began to bombard Rose Lee, an older woman affected with breast cancer, by means of an improvised X-ray tube ( …) He irradiated it for 18 days.
Although painful, the treatment had some success. ” Gruebbe immediately followed up with other patients, all with the same result: the tumors were shrinking. At the beginning of the 20th century “a new branch of cancer medicine was born, radiation oncology.”
Hamza Fazal is a reporter for The Hear UP. After graduating from the University of Abbottabad, Hamza got an internship at the NPR and worked as a reporter and producer. Hamza has also worked as a reporter for the Medium. Hamza covers health and science for The Hear UP.
Being diagnosed with cancer can be devastating and affect anyone at any age. Several factors, such as genetics and lifestyle, can cause it. However, cancer can also be caused by the negligence of others. In such an instance, you can sue the people responsible for causing your cancer and claim compensation for the diagnosis and any associated damages.
Determining when and who to sue for getting cancer can be a complex process. So, it’s a wise idea to hire a lawyer to get you through the process and get the compensation you deserve. The attorney can advise you on when, how, and whom to sue for getting cancer.
With that said, here’s when you can sue for getting cancer:
- Product Liability
You can sue for getting cancer from a defective product. For example, in one hair product cancer lawsuit, a claim was made that a hair straightening product was causing uterine cancer in women. The defects in the hair product increase the risk of developing uterine cancer for whoever uses it. If you think you’re in a similar situation, you can sue the manufacturers if a certain product increases your risk of developing cancer.
However, proving your case and claiming compensation can be challenging. In such a case, you must prove the defective product caused your cancer to sue the manufacturer or retailer. You’ll have to request tests on the products to prove the defect and the relationship to cancer development. The product defect has to have caused your cancer diagnosis directly. One example is when the product has excessive amounts of lead. You’ll need to hire experts or resort to government authorities to investigate the product to prove this. This way, you have a piece of solid evidence to sue the product manufacturer.
- Medical Negligence
Medical negligence is one of the most common reasons to sue for getting cancer. You could sue for medical malpractice if the doctors, healthcare facility, hospital, or other medical professionals failed to offer the standard of care causing your cancer diagnosis. For example, if the doctor failed to order necessary tests or misdiagnosed your case resulting in cancer progression, you can sue for medical negligence.
To successfully sue for medical negligence, you must prove that the medical practitioner’s actions directly caused your cancer diagnosis. You must also show that you suffered damage because of the negligent actions of the medical practitioner. By doing so, you can claim compensation for treatment of progressing cancer, lost wages if you cannot work, and pain and suffering.
- Environmental Factors
Exposure to environmental pollutants and toxins is a common risk factor for cancer. Prolonged exposure to asbestos at the workplace, radiation, and other chemicals can increase cancer risk. If you can prove your cancer was caused by exposure to a certain environmental toxin like asbestos, consider suing the company or entity responsible for the pollutants.
Suppose a company’s activities produce excessive radiation that affects the population in a specific area and results in cancer. In that case, you can sue that company for exposing you to toxins that caused the development of your cancer.
Like the previous points, you must prove your cancer was directly caused by a specific substance you were exposed to. You’ll also have to show that the exposure was from the negligence of the company or entity you’re suing. Another aspect you must consider is the entity’s knowledge of the potential risks of exposing people to the toxin or substance. Since you’ll also claim that the company or entity was negligent, expose their bad practices that contributed to the development of your cancer.
Additionally, working in a hazardous environment may expose you to substances or toxins that can increase your cancer risk. For instance, if you’re a construction worker with constant exposure to asbestos, you’ll be at risk of developing cancer. Working as a firefighter can also expose you to asbestos and other carcinogenic substances that cause cancer.
You can sue your employer for getting cancer while working in a hazardous environment. To be successful, you must prove the cancer was caused directly by exposure to a specific chemical or substance at the workplace or in the line of duty. For example, getting cancer from asbestos exposure at a construction site.
In such a suit, you’ll claim compensation for the medical expenses covering the diagnosis and treatment, lost wages, damages for the pain and suffering caused to you and your family, and other associated costs.
Conclusion Getting a cancer diagnosis because of someone else’s negligence can be traumatizing and devastating. However, you can get a little relief through compensation for the medical expenses and other related damages, such as pain and suffering. The process of suing for getting cancer can be complicated, and it’d be best to hire an experienced lawyer to handle the litigation process. An attorney can also advise on the available legal options available and the compensation to seek.
Khalil ur Rehman is a proud born and raised in Abbottabad. Khalil has worked as a journalist for nearly a decade having contributed to several large publications including the Yahoo News and The Verge. As a journalist for The Hear Up, Khalil covers climate and science news. [email protected]
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