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BSE and
CJD: A Link?
In 2001, British
public health consultant George Venters ignited a firestorm after
publishing an article in the British Medical Journal challenging the
conventional view that bovine spongiform encephalopathy, so-called mad
cow disease, is linked with a new variant form of Creutsfeldt-Jakob,
commonly known as nvCJD, disease in humans.
Following is a list of links dealing with this debate:
“New Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: The Epidemic That Never Was”
George A. Venters’
controversial article, which appeared in the Oct. 31, 2001, edition of
the British Medical Journal
Still No Beef to Mad Cow Mania
By
Steven Milloy, an adjunct scholoar at the
Cato Institute
"Notion of Mad Cow Disease Is Tenuous"
By
Steven Milloy, an adjunct scholoar at the
Cato Institute
“CJD and Eating Beef ‘Not Linked’”
The (British)
National CJD Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh concluded in 2000 that
there was no definite link between what is perceived as a new variant
form of CJD and eating beef.
“vCJD and BSE – The Link”
The reason why many
scientists speculate that there is a link between BSE and new variant
CJD is because of the strong similarity of both diseases.
“Don’t Have a Cow, Man”
Sandy Swarz, food
editor and writer, offers a very helpful guide to the controversy
surrounding the presumed link between BSE and nvCJD in humans. She
concludes that “media hysteria (about BSE) is inversely proportional
to the risks.”
"Don’t Be Cowed by This Disease"
Dr. Scott C. Ratzan,
director of the Emerson College/Tufts University School of Medicine
Program in Health Communication, Boston, offers arguments very similar
to Swarz’s, claiming that “mad cow disease now joins the Dalkon
Shield, electromagnetic fields, Alar, breast implants and other
spurious health hazards.”
“The Queniborough CJD Cluster”
Dr. Michael
Fitzpatrick explores five cases of nvCJD in the North Leicestershire
village of Queniborough (England), which many scientists believe
provides tantalizing evidence of a BSE/CJD link.
The BSE Inquiry
An inquiry,
sponsored by the Government of the United Kingdom, into BSE and the
nvCJD.
“Mad Cow Variant That Hits Humans Is a Puzzle”
Washington Post
article about Charlene, the only person in the United States confirmed
to have the human version of BSE.
A Bacterial Link?
George Venters isn’t the only medical investigator harboring doubts
about BSE’s link with humans. Prof. Alan Ebringer, an expert in
auto-immune diseases at King’s College, London, challenges the current
scientific orthodoxy that BSE and CJD are caused by rogue prion
proteins. He believes the cause stems from a acinetobacter, a common
microbe in sewage, water and soil.
“Senior Scientists Dismiss Fears of CJD Epidemic”
"BSE Never a Threat to Humans, Say Scientists"
"CJD: No Link to Eating Beef Is Found"
Will Ockham's Razor Cut Mad-Cow Disease Down to Size?
A Manganese Link?
Dr. David R. Brown, a senior research fellow at Cambridge
University and lecturer and researcher at the University of Bath, is
another dissident scientist who believes the entire BSE/CJD link must
be completely reconsidered. He believes excessive exposure to
manganese, a heavy metal that is, ironically, crucial to life and part
of the daily diet, is the culprit behind both BSE and CJD.
"Could the Environment Trigger Mad Cow Disease"
After years of inquiry no-one knows how many lives vCJD will claim
Dr. Brown's Statement to the BSE Inquiry
Dr. Brown's Article in Veterinary Times, Jan 27, 2003 |
