drmcdougall.com
Enjoy my provocative interview with Dr. Burkitt during his visit to Loma Linda University in Southern California on May 23, 1990.
Dr. Denis Burkitt's (1911 - 1993) major contribution to medical science came when he noticed that diseases widespread in Western countries are absent in the Third World. On the basis of his convictions, he launched a worldwide crusade to change the diet in developed countries by recommending Westerners mimic the foods habits of his African patients. He reported, "In Africa, treating people who live largely off the land on vegetables they grow, I hardly ever saw cases of many of the most common diseases in the United States and England -- including coronary heart disease, adult-onset diabetes, varicose veins, obesity, diverticulitis, appendicitis, gallstones, dental cavities, hemorrhoids, hiatus hernias, and constipation. In 20 years of surgery in Africa, I had to remove exactly one gallstone." While serving as head of the governmental health services he saw more than 10 million people flourish on grains and tubers; eating almost no meats, dairy products or processed foods.