在现代社会，癌症已经成为了一种常见的疾病，几乎每个人身边都有亲友曾经或正在与癌症作斗争，当我们翻开历史书籍，却发现古人对癌症的描述寥寥无几，这不禁让人产生疑问：为什么古人没有得癌症？难道癌症是现代社会的“特产”吗？我们就来探讨一下这个有趣的问题。

为什么古人没有得癌症？

我们需要明确一点：古人并非完全没有得癌症，癌症是一种非常古老的疾病，早在古埃及和古希腊的医学文献中就有关于肿瘤的描述，古埃及的《埃伯斯纸草书》中就提到了肿瘤的治疗方法，而古希腊的希波克拉底也曾经描述过一种类似于癌症的疾病，这些描述与现代医学对癌症的定义并不完全相同，因此我们可以说,古人对癌症的认识是有限的。

为什么古人对癌症的描述如此稀少呢？这主要有以下几个原因：

  1. 寿命短：在古代，人类的平均寿命远远低于现代，根据历史数据，古人的平均寿命大约在30岁左右，而现代人的平均寿命已经超过了70岁，癌症是一种与年龄密切相关的疾病，随着年龄的增长，患癌的风险也会显著增加，古人由于寿命较短,患癌的机会自然也就少了很多。

  2. 诊断技术落后：古代医学的诊断技术非常有限，没有现代的X光、CT、MRI等先进的影像学检查手段，也没有病理学检查，即使古人患上了癌症，也很难被准确地诊断出来，很多癌症患者可能被误诊为其他疾病,或者根本未被发现。

  3. 记录不完整：古代的医学文献保存下来的并不多，而且很多文献在流传过程中已经遗失或损坏，即使有一些关于肿瘤的描述，也可能因为语言的变迁和理解的偏差,导致我们无法准确识别出这些描述是否真的与癌症有关。

  4. 环境因素：古代的生活环境与现代有很大的不同，古人接触到的致癌物质相对较少，例如空气污染、化学物质、辐射等，古人的饮食习惯和生活方式也与现代人不同,这些因素都可能影响癌症的发病率。

  5. 遗传因素：癌症的发生与遗传因素也有一定的关系，古代人口流动性较低，遗传多样性相对较小,这可能也在一定程度上降低了癌症的发病率。

尽管古人患癌的机会较少，但这并不意味着他们完全不受癌症的困扰，随着考古学的发展，科学家们在古代人类的遗骸中发现了一些癌症的痕迹，在古埃及的木乃伊中发现了骨癌的迹象，而在古罗马的遗址中也发现了乳腺癌的证据，这些发现表明，癌症并非现代社会的“特产”,而是一种古老的疾病。

为什么现代社会的癌症发病率如此之高呢？这主要与以下几个因素有关：

  1. 寿命延长：随着医疗技术的进步和生活水平的提高，人类的平均寿命显著延长，寿命的延长意味着细胞分裂的次数增加,从而增加了基因突变和癌症发生的风险。

  2. 环境污染：现代工业化和城市化带来了严重的环境污染，空气、水和土壤中的致癌物质显著增加，这些致癌物质通过呼吸、饮食等途径进入人体,增加了患癌的风险。

  3. 生活方式改变：现代人的生活方式与古人相比发生了巨大的变化，高脂肪、高糖、高盐的饮食习惯，缺乏运动，吸烟、酗酒等不良生活习惯,都增加了癌症的发病率。

  4. 诊断技术进步：现代医学的诊断技术非常先进，能够早期发现和诊断癌症，这使得更多的癌症患者被及时发现和治疗,从而提高了癌症的检出率。

  5. 遗传因素：现代社会的遗传多样性增加，遗传因素在癌症发生中的作用也更加明显,一些遗传性癌症综合征在现代社会中更为常见。

古人并非完全没有得癌症，但由于寿命短、诊断技术落后、记录不完整、环境因素和遗传因素等原因，古人对癌症的认识和描述非常有限，而现代社会的癌症发病率之所以如此之高，主要是由于寿命延长、环境污染、生活方式改变、诊断技术进步和遗传因素等多方面原因共同作用的结果。

我想用一句幽默的话来结束这篇文章：如果古人知道现代人为了长寿而不得不面对癌症的威胁，他们可能会说：“长寿是福，但癌症是祸，福祸相依，真是让人哭笑不得啊！”

英文翻译

Why Didn't Ancient People Get Cancer?

Article Content

In modern society, cancer has become a common disease, and almost everyone has friends or relatives who have or are currently battling cancer. However, when we open history books, we find that ancient people rarely described cancer. This raises the question: Why didn't ancient people get cancer? Is cancer a "specialty" of modern society? Today, we will explore this interesting question.

First, we need to clarify one point: ancient people did not completely avoid cancer. In fact, cancer is a very ancient disease, and descriptions of tumors can be found in medical texts from ancient Egypt and Greece. For example, the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus mentions treatments for tumors, and Hippocrates of ancient Greece described a disease similar to cancer. However, these descriptions are not entirely consistent with the modern medical definition of cancer, so we can say that ancient people had a limited understanding of cancer.

So, why are descriptions of cancer so rare in ancient times? There are several main reasons:

  1. Short Lifespan: In ancient times, the average human lifespan was much shorter than it is today. According to historical data, the average lifespan of ancient people was around 30 years, while the average lifespan of modern people has exceeded 70 years. Cancer is a disease closely related to age, and the risk of developing cancer increases significantly with age. Therefore, ancient people, with their shorter lifespans, had fewer opportunities to develop cancer.

  2. Limited Diagnostic Techniques: Ancient medical diagnostic techniques were very limited. There were no advanced imaging tools like X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs, nor were there pathological examinations. Therefore, even if ancient people developed cancer, it was difficult to accurately diagnose. Many cancer patients might have been misdiagnosed with other diseases or went entirely undetected.

  3. Incomplete Records: Few ancient medical texts have survived, and many have been lost or damaged over time. Even if there were descriptions of tumors, changes in language and interpretation over the centuries might make it difficult for us to accurately identify whether these descriptions truly referred to cancer.

  4. Environmental Factors: The living environment in ancient times was very different from today. Ancient people were exposed to fewer carcinogens, such as air pollution, chemicals, and radiation. Additionally, their dietary habits and lifestyles were different from those of modern people, which could also influence cancer rates.

  5. Genetic Factors: The occurrence of cancer is also related to genetic factors. Ancient populations had lower mobility and less genetic diversity, which might have contributed to lower cancer rates.

Although ancient people had fewer opportunities to develop cancer, this does not mean they were entirely free from it. In fact, with the development of archaeology, scientists have discovered traces of cancer in ancient human remains. For example, signs of bone cancer have been found in Egyptian mummies, and evidence of breast cancer has been discovered in ancient Roman sites. These findings suggest that cancer is not a "specialty" of modern society but an ancient disease.

So, why is the incidence of cancer so high in modern society? This is mainly due to the following factors:

  1. Increased Lifespan: Advances in medical technology and improvements in living standards have significantly extended the average human lifespan. A longer lifespan means more cell divisions, which increases the risk of genetic mutations and cancer.

  2. Environmental Pollution: Modern industrialization and urbanization have led to severe environmental pollution, with a significant increase in carcinogens in the air, water, and soil. These carcinogens enter the human body through breathing, diet, and other means, increasing the risk of cancer.

  3. Lifestyle Changes: Modern lifestyles have changed dramatically compared to ancient times. High-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt diets, lack of exercise, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption are all bad habits that increase the risk of cancer.

  4. Advances in Diagnostic Technology: Modern medical diagnostic techniques are highly advanced, allowing for early detection and diagnosis of cancer. This means more cancer patients are identified and treated early, increasing the detection rate of cancer.

  5. Genetic Factors: The genetic diversity of modern society has increased, and the role of genetic factors in cancer development has become more apparent. Some hereditary cancer syndromes are more common in modern society.

In summary, ancient people did not completely avoid cancer, but due to shorter lifespans, limited diagnostic techniques, incomplete records, environmental factors, and genetic factors, their understanding and descriptions of cancer were very limited. The high incidence of cancer in modern society is mainly due to a combination of factors, including increased lifespan, environmental pollution, lifestyle changes, advances in diagnostic technology, and genetic factors.

Finally, I would like to end this article with a humorous remark: If ancient people knew that modern people have to face the threat of cancer in order to live longer, they might say, "Long life is a blessing, but cancer is a curse. Blessings and curses go hand in hand, making it both laughable and cryable!"