Someone came to my high school once to talk about this. “Cancer rates have dramatically increased in recent years,” they said, of course ignoring the fact that they had no cancer in the Middle Ages because they didn’t know what it was.
Actually ninelen, cancer has been known about since the ancient Greeks. It was first described by Hippocrates, who thought the tumours resembled a crab in some ways, hence the name (like the constellation). Rhea’s got the idea though: cancer is caused by living longer.
Corrected for age and cigarette smoking cancer rates have remained about the same over the course of the 20th century. There has been some shifts in cancers e.g. stomach cancer was once very common but is now rare thanks to antibiotics and antioxidant food preservatives. Most the hysteria about rising cancer rates is sold by focusing on very rare cancers, like childhood leukemia, in which a spike of a few dozen cases in a year or two makes a 10% increase in cancer rates.
There a lot of money and power to be made in convincing people they are constantly under attack and that they need to buy special products and vote for special politicians to protect them. That’s why I own stock in Whole Foods and wish I could’ve bought it in Bill Clinton (he really cleaned up after he left office.)
I’m sure the scientists actually have a very clear explanation, but the journalists most of us hear this through don’t want to take up the column space to spell everything out.
That’s called absolute versus relative risk. The absolute risk is your current chance of getting the cancer plus whatever new factor might raise the risk. So, if you have 1 in 1,000 chance of getting cancer ‘X’ and something raises you chances by 10%, you now have 1.1 in 1,000 chance. Relative risk is just the 10% increase.
Journalist, activist and politicians always tell you the relative risk. It just sells better.
Nah, don’t worry about it. The point of the comic is that everything causes cancer, so you may as well just kick back and smoke in your plutoniumacuzzi.
In the early 1950s, they had “Uranium Parlors” where people would go to sit on piles of uranium ore for their health. In the 20s and 30s, various radium containing products where all the rage.
Some people died of radiation poisoning but there was never an identified uptick in cancers. Probably because radiation has a threshold effect i.e. you have to get above a certain level of exposure before you get any significant risk.
Your on the mark more than you now. It is living that causes cancer.
Cancer isn’t like an injury or infection, its the result of the innate pressure of natural selection causing cells to, in William Gibson’s memorable phrasing, “follow the quixotic path of individual careers.” Our cellular biochemistry spends a great deal of time and effort preventing cells from going rouge but eventually they always fail.
We seldom appreciate it but dying of cancer is an historical luxury. In the past,statistically, you had to survive a lot of other lethal diseases and injuries to live long enough to get cancer.
Someone came to my high school once to talk about this. “Cancer rates have dramatically increased in recent years,” they said, of course ignoring the fact that they had no cancer in the Middle Ages because they didn’t know what it was.
And hardly anyone survived the typhoid, cholera, and plague long enough to get it.
Actually ninelen, cancer has been known about since the ancient Greeks. It was first described by Hippocrates, who thought the tumours resembled a crab in some ways, hence the name (like the constellation). Rhea’s got the idea though: cancer is caused by living longer.
is it? how come kids and youngsters make out a considerable part of cancer patients then?
Corrected for age and cigarette smoking cancer rates have remained about the same over the course of the 20th century. There has been some shifts in cancers e.g. stomach cancer was once very common but is now rare thanks to antibiotics and antioxidant food preservatives. Most the hysteria about rising cancer rates is sold by focusing on very rare cancers, like childhood leukemia, in which a spike of a few dozen cases in a year or two makes a 10% increase in cancer rates.
There a lot of money and power to be made in convincing people they are constantly under attack and that they need to buy special products and vote for special politicians to protect them. That’s why I own stock in Whole Foods and wish I could’ve bought it in Bill Clinton (he really cleaned up after he left office.)
I love how Rhea and Alex’s profile pics are roughly in the same position. It’s like they’re both face palmming.
Wasn’t it already known by the Egyptians as this incurable disease?
It’s like autism- the are more cases because more are diagnosed correctly, which is good for women on the spectrum, like me.
What about galumphing? What’ll that give you?
Progeria
Probably Jabberwocky.
My theory is only oxygen causes cancer. All those who suspect other things are simply wrong; they’re just unlucky.
My fiance has been saying that for a while…
what about helium? does THAT cause cancer? is the squeaking voice just an indicator that the cancer has spread?
Just for fun: Try googling ‘DHMO’.
Top search result should do the trick.
haha, But I’ve heard this before!
I hope reading bug doesnt give me cancer o_O if so at least im lmao’ing my way there
We’ve known water to be deadly for a long time now. Everybody who has ever come in contact with it died, or will die.
I’ve always been puzzled about statements such as, “tumpty tump increases your chance of yunglyish cancer by 14 percent.”
Is it a 50 percent chance raised to 57 percent or is it one chance in a million raised to one chance in 930,000?
Bad math. Sorry. One in 860,000?
I’m sure the scientists actually have a very clear explanation, but the journalists most of us hear this through don’t want to take up the column space to spell everything out.
That’s called absolute versus relative risk. The absolute risk is your current chance of getting the cancer plus whatever new factor might raise the risk. So, if you have 1 in 1,000 chance of getting cancer ‘X’ and something raises you chances by 10%, you now have 1.1 in 1,000 chance. Relative risk is just the 10% increase.
Journalist, activist and politicians always tell you the relative risk. It just sells better.
Hmmm, what do gadding about and loafing cause?
Blue Skin disorder and Shrinking Penis Syndrome
Loafing = SPS?
Crap! No more loafing again ever! E. Normous Johnson likes the size he is.
HEY ADAM!! you forgot to add linkage in the last comic. The “next”/”latest” buttons dont do anything…
You are kidding, right? This is the last/latest comic.
Wait…plutoniumacuzzi’s are DANGEROUS???
Nah, don’t worry about it. The point of the comic is that everything causes cancer, so you may as well just kick back and smoke in your plutoniumacuzzi.
Shoot, so what kind of cancer will cancer give you?
This is my favorite Bug comic ever. Not on chuckle count, but on shear “My GOD man, you freakin SAID IT!”
Awesome cartoon today! It even reads well as a stand-up comedy routine.
Plutoniumacuzzi is one of the greatest inventions ever!
Life. It’ll kill ya.
And then you’ll be dead.
Does the title of the comic have anything to do with the ‘tropic of cancer’? ._.
I have always suspected this!!!!!! (good to know the knowledge is spreading…)
Fun fact: there was a time when people would swim in irradiated water for their health. That time was the twenties.
In the early 1950s, they had “Uranium Parlors” where people would go to sit on piles of uranium ore for their health. In the 20s and 30s, various radium containing products where all the rage.
Some people died of radiation poisoning but there was never an identified uptick in cancers. Probably because radiation has a threshold effect i.e. you have to get above a certain level of exposure before you get any significant risk.
the colouring in cola has been found to cause cancer a wile ago i believe.
I’m surprised nobody caught this…
In the 4th panel, it’s spelled “gallivanting.”
It can be spelled both ways.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/galavant
no… wait… you mean…
EEEEEEEEEE-YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! ‘door slam’
…so begins the widespread panic…
The next link isn’t working, and this is no longer the most recent comic.
Okay, so now it is – I swear it wasn’t a minute ago…
Everything causes cancer, yes. Don’t worry, though, because everything cures cancer as well.
Your on the mark more than you now. It is living that causes cancer.
Cancer isn’t like an injury or infection, its the result of the innate pressure of natural selection causing cells to, in William Gibson’s memorable phrasing, “follow the quixotic path of individual careers.” Our cellular biochemistry spends a great deal of time and effort preventing cells from going rouge but eventually they always fail.
We seldom appreciate it but dying of cancer is an historical luxury. In the past,statistically, you had to survive a lot of other lethal diseases and injuries to live long enough to get cancer.
Why not power the planet with all that panic?