Rapid Responses to:

VIEWS & REVIEWS: Theodore Dalrymple That's life—and death BMJ 2007; 335: 617 [Full text]

Rapid Responses: Submit a response to this article

Rapid Responses published:

What is life?

Hugh Mann   (26 September 2007)

What is life? 26 September 2007
Hugh Mann, Physician Eagle Rock, MO 65641 USA Send response to journal: Re: What is life?	Life is metabolism. This means that all living organisms must breathe, drink, eat, and expel waste. This includes us! These facts are so obvious, that we all tend to ignore them. That's what happened with me. In my quest for health, I looked into all sorts of esoteric sciences, but I never looked in my pantry or refrigerator. Have you ever noticed that the more educated you become, the less common sense you have? This is the problem with modern health-care. It's so focused on pathology, technology, jargon, medicine, money, and status, that it sometimes forgets about life. I think we need more common sense. Since life is metabolism, we must pay attention to the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. This is why I recommend clean air, pure water, and organic food. I also recommend the avoidance of toxins and addictions, because both interfere with metabolism. Since you can do all these things for yourself, your health and life depend on you. Competing interests: None declared