Was cancer really less likely in a pre-industrial world?
Before tobacco and factories, the cancer rate in Britain was estimated at 1%. Now, archaeology is revealing a different picture.
A 15th-century Italian fresco by an anonymous painter depicting "The Triumph of Death." Medieval disease is generally considered a trifecta of infection, malnutrition, and injuries sustained in warfare or accidents.
Art via Werner Forman Archive, Bridgeman Images
ByErin Blakemore
Published May 14, 2021
• 6 min read
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