At 20:29 08/03/1997 +0100, you wrote:
>>HOwever, I would point out that studies on adaptation
>>physiology concur in saying that  a small stature is an advantage when
>>living in the tropical/equatorial zone (the more skin surface the higher the
>>evapo-perspiration...).

>I have never read about those studies, but the fact that a small stature
>is an advantage does not seem obvious to me.

I will try to find out more on the subject of adaptation and body height and
will revert to the list with whatever I will find.

After all, the Homo Sapiens
>is much taller than the Australopithecus.
Yes, but the problem is : how tall should homo sapiens  be  in order to
maximize / minimize energy gain/loss during activity, and to safely
withstand "inter-season"  periods  of prolonged fasts.

>Concerning the evapo-perspiration topic, for a man in the shade, the
>heat is proportional to the cube of the height (because it comes from the
>body's metabolism), and the skin surface is only proportional to the square
>of the height, so you are right. But for a man staying in the sun, the
>heat probably comes mainly from the incident solar radiation, so it is
>proportional to the skin surface. Thus, the water necessary to cool the
>body's temperature is proportional to the square of the height, whereas
>the total weight of the body's fluids is proportional to the cube... so,
>in that case, the tall subject is advantaged.

I take your word for it, until further confirmation .

>And even if a high stature was a drawback in the tropical/equatorial zone,
>the Masai example seems to show that the arguments against raw milk may
>not be so serious.

I might be true that the case for raw milk isn't as bad as the case for
heated or otherwise transformed milk, but the absence of symptom is no proof
of innocuity. Cross-species "wet nursing" is almost non-existent amongst
animals, at least untamed animals. The case against non-human milk has been
put up very convincingly by dissident pediatricians  since the beginning of
this century. I, for one, very much admire how Dr Spock has publicly
repudiated his formerly favorable position on the milk question, in favor of
a no-milk, no dairy diet. Of course one might argue that he is now, at such
an old age, under the influence of the vegetarian lobby. Still...

>I know some babies show intolerances to cow's milk

As you mention the subject, I would only recommend you to read
"Lactose malabsorption among Masai children of East Africa"  American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition;32;4 779-82; 1979. [ To be honest, I
discovered  my intolerance for milk product at the  very late age of 21. It
was my discovery of this intolerance which then resumed my quest for man's
"true-to-all" diet... ]
62 % of 21 Masai examined were malabsorbers of lactose as measured by the
lactose tolerance test, even though they did not show sign of this
intolerance. "This finding of lactose malabsorption in a nomadic cattle
rasing and milk drinking people is interesting and is contrary to the views
often expressedby anthropologists and others... "

>and there is the story about Burger's infection.
Personally, I consider this experiment  (although limited in scope)
telltale evidence. My own experience (I often cut/hurt myself when doing
repair work in the house ) confirms that dairy is  a serious  trouble maker.


> Maybe there are as many differences between cow's milk and woman's milk as
between a cow and a
>woman, but we instinctos eat animals that are very different from those
>in the original African biotope. Tomatoes, avocadoes and many other fruits
>originate from the New World, and are very different from the Old World's
>fruits.
I don't think you can compare milks from different species and naturally
grown against artificially selected fruits. The scope of the "alienation
process" is simply not the same. Human milk and cattle milk are radically
different in the very nature of their protein and in the relative proportion
of their nutrients. However you are right in pointing that we should pay
particular attention to  the protein denaturation resulting from artificial
selection of avocados and other high protein foods....


>Experience also shows that instinct does not always work. A friend of mine,
>although she likes pollen and used to absorb huge quantities of it, now has
>an acute stomach pain each time she eats even a tiny portion. Of course,
>one could object that pollen is not an "original" food

It remains to be seen whether the pollen has not been heated for drying
purposes. Even supposing that  this has not been the case, pollen is not to
be found isolated in a comb, therefore cannnot be considered as original
food...Therefore should be eaten parsimonously, if at all.
After having tasted pollen with and without the original honey, and having
realized how easy it was to swallow it without honey, I've decided to
exclude pollen as a stand-alone food.

but I also
>personally know cases of allergy to seafood and to strawberries.

Do you mean by longtime adherents of instincto ?
 I've had one impressive  allergical reaction with raw diet. That was on my
very first  day, or night rather, after my first  diner at Montramé.
I had decided to stay at the Chateau overnight . I went to bed with a nice
warm feeling in the stomach after having literally swallowed a pound of
deliciously smelling rotten cockles, a special order from the "cuisine".
Later at night, itchings on my face woke me up. First, I didn't take it too
seriously as they were  mild and diffuse, over the  chest  and on my  face.
I thought I was just being the target of a major flea attack. But I soon got
out of bed :the itchings were getting more and more intense. I went to the
loo where I knew I could find a mirror. Turned on the light. And gosh, I
thought I was gonna die.... My face was burgeoning  with red little
pustules.... I could not repress a  feeling of guilt "What Have I
done...What have I done"... And I thought about these cockles over which I
had pondered  for a few minutes before making up my mind ...
When I woke up again in the morning it was all gone . I've eaten many more
of these rotten cockles since then. A delicious taste of cheese... Without
the slightest hindrance. I will always remember with some emotion this
"initiation" to the mysteries of instinct and truthful living. It will
remain forever the night  "I went thru the looking glass" ... to another world.

Cheers
Denis