From dslibby@vishwa.win-uk.netThu Mar 28 10:02:11 1996 Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 21:26:20 GMT From: David Scott Libby To: sustag-public@amani.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Re: mad cow disease In article , Jelmer Buys (bas@bbsw.idn.nl) writes: >We people object massively when it concerns eating our own brains or other >parts of the body because of ethical and other reasons. I myself have always >found it horrifying that we feed pure vegetarians like sheep and cows part of >their own remains. When we speak of pigs and chickens this is a more >complicated matter. They are sometimes canibalistic. This is true it's absolutely beyond stupidity to feed herbivores animal matter. Surly it will manifest as some form of disease if it is not the cause of BSE (so far unproven). There is however another hypothesis concerning the cause of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy). Which looks to be highly probable. It is that Organophosphates are the cause of BSE. >Scientifically spoken my feelings are of course completely emotional >unscientific, but to my opinion we still consist of more than 'scientific' >biases. > >Who would like to respond on this? Perhaps somebody has more scientific >experiences on this. BSE is caused by a 'prion'. A 'prion' is a particular form of protein which replicates uncontrollably, cannot by rapidly broken down by the body and may be passed on to others by horizontal and vertical transmission. A 'prion' can be thought of as a "protein cancer". This is not currently in question. However what is in question is the source of this 'prion'. The Ministery of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) here in the UK state firmly that the 'prion' comes from the meat fed to cattle which contained sheep remains infected with "scrapie" (another 'prion' disease). This hypothesis does not explain the fact that we now have over 10,000 cattle with BSE that were born after the 1988 ban on meal and bonemeal. They were also not born from BSE infected dams. Also there have been no cases in other countries where animal protein is not used. There has not been a single case of BSE in fully converted organic farms. Mr. Mark Purdey (Organic Farmer) has presented the following hypothesis. ref. "Journal of Nutritional medicine" (1994),4,pp.43-82. BSE is caused by the action of organophosphate pesticides on the unborn calf. The chemicals turn normal proteins in the developing brain into prions. MAFF is ignoring even now the possiblity that new prion can be created by the action of chemicals although this is an established experimental procedure. For example, a transmissable spongiform encephalopathy can be induced in mice by the action of a chemical (cuprizone). This was used as an experimental model for scrapie. Indeed, the scientist Dr I.Patterson who did this work in the 70's was one of the first to disagree with MAFF's theory that BSE is caused by an "unconventional slow virus". The main arguement used by MAFF is that the BSE epidemic began after rendering regulations were relaxed and has slowed since the ban on meat and bonemeal in feeds. This period in time corresponds with the introduction of compulsory Organophosphate warblicides. Data was compared and it has been seen that the areas in which compulsory warblicide applications were made correspond clearly with the areas in which the majority of BSE cases have been. Evidence is not yet conclusive but the implications are serious and far reaching. Organo-phosphates are in the food-chain. This information was derived an abstract of the talk given by M. Purdey and S.Myhill at teh 9th National Conference of British Organic Farmers and the Organic Growers Association "Food, Health and the Environment the Vital Connections", January 1995. > >greetings, > >Jelmer Buys >-- >| Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own. > David Libby: 112 Kedleston Rd, Derby, DE22 1FW, England Tel: 01332 736775, Fax too but please ring first.