Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Some years ago-perhaps four or five- I was contacted by a medical research group from Bristol University who wished to research the medical records of CH Boys. Apparently the records are unique and complete,very useful data for the medics. I am certain those who took part were promised information on the findings. I never heard anymore. Has anyone further information. John Saunders ThB 1948-1955.

John Saunders wrote:Some years ago-perhaps four or five- I was contacted by a medical research group from Bristol University who wished to research the medical records of CH Boys. Apparently the records are unique and complete,very useful data for the medics. I am certain those who took part were promised information on the findings. I never heard anymore. Has anyone further information. John Saunders ThB 1948-1955.

John; I think you are referring to a study about which I knew nothing but see the final paragraph below

I suggest you cut and paste to Google:
bristol medical research christ's hospital

The earliest references to this seem to be in the Sunday Telgraph, June 2000 and in Housey Autumn 2000. which seems much later than the correspondence I had with them as a subject in the study
Of the two articles the more legible one is
http://www.epi.bris.ac.uk/chs/pressrel/suntel.htm
and says that the study was backed by Cancer Research.
The other, http://www.epi.bris.ac.uk/chs/pressrel/housey.htm from Housey is small but repeated use of Ctrl and + will increase the print size. (Don't forget Ctrl and - afterwards).

There is info about this particular study on:
http://www.epi.bris.ac.uk/chs/index.htm look at the index on the right.
Unfortunately the results link doesn't always work but I had a letter stating that on average CH pupils should have longer life expectancy than the norm. One page suggests a connection between early growth or health and the birthweight of the first and second offspring. They also mention later life diabetes but seem to decide that this is based on denetic makeup but another report suggests a connection between childhood growth/size and later insulin resistance.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/83/4/767.full
An American article in 2007 about obesity, heart disease and stroke which also uses CH info but I don't know if it is a second sweep or using the same data.


HTH

I think somewhere on here Neill lifted a piece from the research which seemed to imply that men who had gone to CH were immortal!!!

Many thanks most helpful. I wonder if Bristol have any further deductions? John Saunders Th.B 48-55.

Yes !
I remember that the research stated that 40% of CH boys "Exceeded the average death rate"

Since the average death rate is 100% ----- some of us are immortal !!!
Stand up that boy who was at CH in London !!!


Seriously -- Dr French kept meticulous records of all of us under his care, for many many years, and I believe the research was based on this.

I'm sure there is mention of this subject, way back in time, somewhere else on this site.

I received numerous requests to complete pages and pages, and declined. There were so many questions relating to health statistics of parents as well as one-self. Pointless in my view, as far as I was concerned, being adopted.

Wasn't the main theme to prove that nutrition at CH in post/pre WW11 days better than the average kid in the average school ?

englishangel wrote:I think somewhere on here Neill lifted a piece from the research which seemed to imply that men who had gone to CH were immortal!!!

Slightly but if the Buddhist religion is right and we re-incarnate into another body doesn't that make us all immortal???



(apologies if I have misunderstood the teachings of Buddhism)

J.R. wrote:I'm sure there is mention of this subject, way back in time, somewhere else on this site.

I received numerous requests to complete pages and pages, and declined. There were so many questions relating to health statistics of parents as well as one-self. Pointless in my view, as far as I was concerned, being adopted.

Wasn't the main theme to prove that nutrition at CH in post/pre WW11 days better than the average kid in the average school ?

Certainly there was previous discuission because it was JR who claimed that my father could not have been gassed during an airraid in WWII. Even now some elements are hidden - I suppose there is a 100 years rule: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/1269206.stm

As for the survey questions I was perhaps lucky in that I stated that both biological parents died from extraordinary situations - gas and post operative DVT is what I answered. However I found out just last week that I was also adopted in 1945 (also 1952 and 1960 which I knew about) so it was a biological father and an adoptive mother whom I answered about Complicated!!!!!!!!!

Gas in WW2
I have made a considerable study of WW2, although it is such a vast subject that nobody can claim to know everything and that applies to me as much as to anybody.

I am 98 percent certain (nobody can ever be 100 percent certain) that gas was never used as a weapon of war between the Axis powers (Germany and Italy) and the Western Allies. Gas had been used in WW1 and in various campaigns 1919-1939, including, notably, by Italy in their colonial campaigns. There was, therefore, a great fear that gas would be used in WW2 and in the UK the entire civil population was issued with gas masks, as were all armed forces personnel. There were frequent gas 'scares' when bombs or artillery shells caused unusual and obnoxious smells to be released (e.g., burning insulation on electrical cables) and these were mistakenly (but very understandably) initially identified as a poisonous gas of some sort. Just one example. During the Battle of the River Plate the crew of the German ship, Graf Spee, became convinced that the British were using gas shells against them. However, after the battle they agreed that this was an error on their part.

This is not to say that both sides did not have gas weapons and that they continued to develop them during the war. Indeed, stocks were actually deployed to combat theatres - but were then held in the rear areas and never issued to combat troops. See, for example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bari#The_1 ... e_disaster (scroll down to 1943 disaster). Further, there were occasions on both sides where use was briefly considered, but was always firmly rejected.

I am certain that had the Germans or Italians actually used (or been reasonably suspected of using) gas against the Western allies this would have been the subject of well-publicised war crimes trials - but that never happened.

In effect, chemical/biological weapons became the first examples of deterrent warfare, where both sides were fully armed and prepared to use such weapons, but never initiated their use for fear of the retaliation that would occur.

This is not to say, of course, that the Germans did not use lethal gasses in their concentration camps, and the Japanese did not develop and test lethal gasses.

David

So does that mean that the Dalai Lama is not in a good place????? or is that part of his curse????
Sorry...I'm struggling a bit getting my head round the idea.......but thanks for helping!

Chris Blewett wrote:So does that mean that the Dalai Lama is not in a good place????? or is that part of his curse????
Sorry...I'm struggling a bit getting my head round the idea.......but thanks for helping!

You need to read Heinrich Harrer's record of when he lived in Tibet; he describes the search for and finding of HH the Dalai Lama. "Place" indicates geographical location and is not relevant (the previous Dalai Lama died in Tibet and the current one was, I think, found in China). "Curse" again is an inappropriate word. In very simplistic terms, if you are good in this life you will be reborn in a better condition. Do bad and you could come back even as an animal or worse. The aim is to continue to be "good" so that eventually you are not reborn in this world - a successor to Gautama Bhudda. Each Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of the previous one, discovered by specific tests and it would seem that HH the Dalai Lama is well on the way to becoming the (?) ninth Bhudda.

Foureyes wrote:Gas in WW2 (Edited )
I am 98 percent certain (nobody can ever be 100 percent certain) that gas was never used as a weapon of war between the Axis powers (Germany and Italy) and the Western Allies.
This is not to say, of course, that the Germans did not use lethal gasses in their concentration camps, and the Japanese did not develop and test lethal gasses.
David

Taken to PM as

sejintenej wrote:

Chris Blewett wrote:So does that mean that the Dalai Lama is not in a good place????? or is that part of his curse????
Sorry...I'm struggling a bit getting my head round the idea.......but thanks for helping!

You need to read Heinrich Harrer's record of when he lived in Tibet; he describes the search for and finding of HH the Dalai Lama. "Place" indicates geographical location and is not relevant (the previous Dalai Lama died in Tibet and the current one was, I think, found in China). "Curse" again is an inappropriate word. In very simplistic terms, if you are good in this life you will be reborn in a better condition. Do bad and you could come back even as an animal or worse. The aim is to continue to be "good" so that eventually you are not reborn in this world - a successor to Gautama Bhudda. Each Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of the previous one, discovered by specific tests and it would seem that HH the Dalai Lama is well on the way to becoming the (?) ninth Bhudda.

Thanks David - that helps my old brain get round the idea!