What have you learned today?

XsjadoBlayde

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Apr 29, 2020
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Colonoscopies don't end up in causing you to live any longer than not getting them so they are basically pointless.
Wut? Lol no-one's claiming they do. They're just used to check for abnormalities such as ass cancer. Of course they can't extend life on their own, but they can help avoid much earlier deaths. That doesn't make them pointless. What a weird take.
 

Phoenixmgs

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Gordon_4

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The fact that they are recommended to get is a claim that they do.

I’ve never heard any doctor claim the mere action of having a fibre optic camera shoved up your gravy trumpet extends your life. Just that it can help at certain points of life in detecting bowel cancer. Among many other preventative measures; but I’m guessing early cancer detection is what actually adds years to your life.
 

thestor

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2007
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My two Eurocents:
Colonoscopies will within some people detect early forms of cancer, resulting in early treatment, resulting in said cancer not killing the patient earlier. Now, if you average this out out on all patients, they will live on average longer.
 

Dalisclock

Making lemons combustible again
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Something I learned today.

The famous German Spiked Helmet, the Pickelhaube aka Pickaxe Helmet, was only in service in the German Army for less then a century and was phased out in WW1. It turns out the spike made it much easier to be spotted in the Trenches, and at first they just made the spike detachable and not to be worn on the front line. However, the Helmet itself was apparently not terribly useful at protect the old noggin from shrapnel and such and was relegated to ceremonial wear before being discontinued entirely. It was replaced with a steel helmet(the Stahlhelm or literally "Steel Helmet"), the one the German Army wore in WW2, which was replaced in the 1990's by the Gefechtshelm( Literally "Combat Helmet"). God Bless those Germans, just calling thing the literal thing it is instead of making up flashy names.

Also the US Marines breifly had their own version from the 1890s to 1904.
 

Thaluikhain

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The Spanish Inquisition is often thought of as e medieval thing, but was actually established in the early Renaissance. But that's not what I learned today.

It wasn't fully disbanded until 1834.
IIRC, it wasn't disbanded as such back then, it was officially renamed as something else.

Also, the last Jew who had to hide from the Inquisition was recent enough that he later had to hide from the Nazis.

Something I learned today.

The famous German Spiked Helmet, the Pickelhaube aka Pickaxe Helmet, was only in service in the German Army for less then a century and was phased out in WW1. It turns out the spike made it much easier to be spotted in the Trenches, and at first they just made the spike detachable and not to be worn on the front line. However, the Helmet itself was apparently not terribly useful at protect the old noggin from shrapnel and such and was relegated to ceremonial wear before being discontinued entirely. It was replaced with a steel helmet(the Stahlhelm or literally "Steel Helmet"), the one the German Army wore in WW2, which was replaced in the 1990's by the Gefechtshelm( Literally "Combat Helmet"). God Bless those Germans, just calling thing the literal thing it is instead of making up flashy names.

Also the US Marines breifly had their own version from the 1890s to 1904.
Yeah, it was a mostly decorative piece made from leather rather han what we think of as being a helmet. Interestingly, lots of modern helmets are quite similar to the Stahlhelm, the Germans got a good (if expensive for the time) design there.