Biblical laws on food quite outdated
Dear Dr. Gott: Based on the dietary laws found in the Bible, my wife believes that it is unhealthy to eat pork and shellfish. Can you tell us whether pork is less healthful than any other meat and whether shellfish is less healthful than any other seafood? Are pork and shellfish in some way bad for our bodies?
Dear Reader: In interpreting biblical laws, it is important to put them into perspective. You have to remember that they were the products of a nonscientific age, long before infectious agents were even dreamed about. There was a piteous lack of knowledge about our universe, the causes of diseases and anything resembling public health.
The Bible prohibited pork because pigs had a tendency to be infected with trichinosis, parasitic roundworms that could make people who ate undercooked pork susceptible to severe infections. Modern pork is largely free of such risks; therefore, its consumption is safe. Eating raw pork is a rarity, even though the meat is free of trichinosis.
The same holds true for shellfish, which centuries ago was a common cause of food poisoning. (Even today, oysters that come from an environment rich with human waste can carry hepatitis viruses, which can lead to liver inflammation if oysters are eaten raw.) By and large, however, commercial oyster and clam beds are regulated carefully by appropriate public health authorities, so these shellfish do not ordinarily carry anywhere near the risks posed by their ancient brethren.
Dear Dr. Gott: Please be so kind as to settle an argument between my friend and me. I believe that I have read in medical literature that herpes of the mouth and herpes of the genitals are caused by the same virus, the only difference being the location of the lesion. My friend insists this is not true.
Dear Reader: In most instances, herpes can manifest itself in many ways: cold sores and ulcers in the mouth, skin lesions, genital herpes and so forth.
Other viruses can infect various areas of the body. Although this is a rare occurrence, it is the reason that most responsible physicians will obtain a viral culture from an acute lesion. This testing will determine whether the mouth or genital infections are, indeed, caused by herpes. Because your question suggests concern about the spread of mouth herpes through oral sex, I unequivocally urge patients with oral lesions to avoid participating in oral sex. People with genital herpes should remain abstinent until the lesions clear and always use condoms. In this instance, a urological or gynecological consultation is appropriate.