About the "4,000 years" thing in relation to "no new animals...
domesticated"; obviously this is wrong since a large number have been,
but the person said she thought the list came perhaps from encyclopedia
perusing.  An encyclopedia is only as good as those who research and write
it.  Many years ago (a good many so it is a fond hope that this doesn't
happen anymore) while I was taking an introductory class in physical
geology I had an encyclopedia writer who happened to share a common friend
call.  She wanted ME to tell her all I knew about volcanos and that would
be the volcano section of the major encyclopedia she worked for.  I refused
on the grounds that I knew barely squat and suggested that she call some
volcanologists.  She countered that "only children" would be using it
anyway so it didn't matter.  I stayed stubborn.  Information is only as
good as its source, but that seems to be a basic which too many people
haven't grasped.  Have to pity people who too easily believe whatever they
read/hear on radio, tv, or by rumor/see on tv.  That sounds cold but it's
real.
 
Oh, speaking of such things recently people wanted some leads on
information on alternative meds, testing, infections, etc.  The February
edition of "Natural History" (from AMNH) has some very interesting articles
on disease, and Tuesday's Science Tomes Section of the New York Times has
some marvelous articles on alternative meds which include such basics as
where to find what has been studied and what types of studies were done:
 
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/020999sci-herbs.html
 
The Personal Health Column is also on the topic as are several other
related columns and charts.  Do with them as you will.  Personally, I think
I'm going to buy some of the books mentioned down the line.  Heck, I had
tried substituting borage for cucumber since I'm allergic to cucumbers and
borage had been suggested as having a similar taste (It doesn't, at least
not to me -- I HATED it.) without knowing of the natural liver toxins and
carcinogens in it.  Since I let the ferrets play with our culinary herbs at
times it's going to be useful to have a possibly better idea when I have to
be careful or just plain ban something from the household, also useful to
know about the other side of the coin like that there are studies on a milk
thistle compound which has been demonstrated to help protect the liver form
toxins and to help regenerate liver cells.  (Do not assume that these were
tested on ferrets -- it's likely that no one has any idea how they will
behave in ferrets, but it may be possible to get some rough directions to
think about.)
 
Be careful with those rawhide chews.  Back ages ago we stopped using them
after a rash of reports on blockages and a choking incident.  Can't recall
if those were on the early FML or if they were in one of the lists which
led to it back then (which may or may not be any ones with the same or
similar names now -- heck, not sure I recall the names right after all this
time): rec.pet, rec.alt.pets, rec.alt.pets.ferrets.  Oh, and, Ed, you don't
need to pretty well quote a character in the book/movie farce (story type,
not an assessment since it's WONDERFUL) "Wellville" and make the Freudians
jump up and down to be noticed.  <G>
 
[A later PS]
Better clarify something from my other post I just sent.  As far as I know
the milk thistle and borage tests are NOT on ferrets and I have NO idea if
they would have the same results in ferrets, be safe, be unsafe, etc. in
ferrets and doubt anyone else does, either.  (Refer back to the post a few
weeks back on assessing information, studies, sources, observations, etc.)
[Posted in FML issue 2584]