Such substances are formed in the bowel but, if absorbed, are detoxified by the liver and can only cause trouble in liver failure.

Traveller’s diarrhoea is usually regarded as being spread by contaminated water. It is unusual in the developed countries, where the standard of personal hygiene is high and proper government measures are taken to assure a clean water supply.

There is still considerable argument about the causative agents. E. coli is a normal inhabitant of the human and animal bowel and many cases of traveller’s diarrhoea are believed to be due to virulent strains of this organism to which the local inhabitants have become immune.

Viruses may be responsible for many cases of traveller’s diarrhoea or there may be more than one culprit.

Staphylococcus is a germ which causes boils and other skin infections. Someone with these conditions may infect food by handling it and the toxin could be absorbed and cause severe symptoms if the food is eaten.

Botulism is another disease caused by such a toxin. The offending germ grows only in conditions where there is virtually no oxygen.

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Women are particulary prone to dermatitis of the hands because they are frequently exposed to water, harsh detergents and a variety of chemicals.

Men may have the same trouble with some jobs or hobbies but women seem to suffer more.

Stress and tension can lower a woman’s resistance and so can hard work. Women who work have two jobs — the paid one and home — and are often under more stress and work harder than their husbands. Those who are prone to eczema or other skin problems are more at risk.

What can women do to lower the risk of dermatitis of the hands?

Prevention is more important than cure. If rubber gloves are worn when washing up, doing the laundry or scrubbing floors, consideration should be given to wearing inner cotton gloves.

Most rubber gloves, especially in hot water, make the hands perspire. Being wet, they are prone to other skin problems such as paronychia or infection at the edge of the nail.

The cotton inner gloves will absorb this perspiration and so further protect the hands. Any chemicals should be quickly wiped from the hands and frequent washing should be avoided.

Once the rash has developed, seeing the doctor and getting some form of cream, usually a cortisone derivative, will generally result in rapid clearing of the rash, but care is needed to prevent its recurrence.

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Remember that we can only know that a treatment is potentially curative if it has been in use for many years. If your practitioner says he or she can cure you with a treatment that has only been in use for a few months or years, don’t believe them. It’s that simple. It could be true that immediately after completing the treatment there are indeed some patients in whom no cancer can be detected by currently available tests. However, as you already know from earlier chapters in this book, this does not necessarily mean that no cancer cells at all are left. Remember, there are no tests currently available that can pick up very tiny seedlings. We can only say that patients have been completely cured in retrospect, that is, after enough time has gone by for any remaining tiny seedlings to activate and form obvious secondary growths. This time is different for different types of cancer, but is never less than two years. Usually it is from five to twenty or more years.

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