Abstract

In Part I we understood that the modern human being with all his races appeared nearly 40000 years ago after multiple interbreeding between 3 human subspecies: Homo Sapiens, Homo Neanderthalensis, and Denisovans, last one of which does not have a scientific classification name yet. The main point, for which scientists classify all these three species as humans, is that they interbreed successfully, and their offspring has survived in the recent human races. It means their chromosomes are compatible which automatically leads to conclusion that they belong to one species.

Further will be cited laws from Babylon empire, written by the famous king of Babylon Hammurabi (1792 – 1750 BCE), from Hittite empire, and from the Hebrew Bible called Tanakh, exposed in the Five books of Moses called Torah. Sources about the ancient purity is very hard to be discovered because obviously ancient cultures have not considered discussions on purity to be important or appropriate to be written and that is why purity has been an object of the oral law, as it has been in the Hebrew tradition. Most of rules for purity in the Hebrew tradition have been written in the first compilation of oral law called Mishna by Rabbi Yehudah haNasi in 200 CE, followed by the Babylonian Talmud that is finished in the 5-th century. From all sources of laws and rules in the history, the Hebrew script is the richest source. Along with that, here will be reviewed descriptions for purity in the modern living standards implemented by the real modern science and medicine. This review is structured according to 5 kinds of purity: purity of body; purity of food; purity of emotions and mind (psychological); purity of relations in the family and community; spiritual purity. We must accept that the purity of body is deeply connected to the purity of food. That is why in Part II are exposed purity of body and purity of food.

Review

In the second part of our research, we will become familiar with the purity of body and food, walking the way of human history from thousands of years ago.

The parts and zones of our body, that can develop bacteriosis and we should always keep cleaned, are: hands, lips and mouth, face, nostrils, scalp and its hair, armpits, genitals and feet.

Human Body

With our hands we work with tools, we touch all kinds of objects, sometimes chemicals and sometimes the soil, and we bring food to our mouth.

Can we touch food before we wash our hands? Never. The food must be free of any dangerous microbes and chemicals. By default, our hands are always dirty unless we wash them as long, as we wash our teeth – more than 1 to 3 minutes. We cannot touch our lips, our face or any part of our head and body, unless we wash our hands. The microbes found on our hands are divided in two groups – resident and transient microbiota. Resident microbiota are microorganisms that reside under the superficial surface of the skin, and also can be found on the surface of the skin [1]. Transient microbiota are microorganisms that colonize the superficial layers of skin and could be removed by routine hygiene [1]. Our hands are a critical vector for transmitting microorganisms between people, pets, inanimate objects, and our environments [2]. The last study from year 2015 has the precise data about this microbiome, classified by order and family [2, table 2]. The skin on our hands is colonized by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and mites [3]. There are symbiotic microorganisms that protect us from more pathogenic microbiota, educating the T-cells in our skin to produce antibodies against similarly marked pathogenic cousins.

The resident microbiota is represented by Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Propionibacteria, Corynebacteria [1], the fungi from the species of Pityrosporum spp. (Malassezia) [1][2] and Aspergillus spp. [2].

Bacteria on hands has been represented from four phyla across all studies: Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes [2]. According to Table 2 from the second cited research here, the most common bacteria found on human hands, cited from eleven studies, are bacteria from the next families: Actinomycetaceae, Coryne-bacteriaceae, Micrococcaceae, Propionibacteriacea, Bacillaceae, Staphylococcaceae, Streptococcaceae, Clostridiaceae, Neisseriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Moraxellaceae, Pasteurellaceae, Fusobacteriaceae, Chloroplasts, Cyanobacteria.

More than 50% of transient bacteria is represented by phylum Proteobacteria [3, figure 3] that consists of families Enterobacteriaceae (Escherihia spp., Salmonella spp., Helicobacter spp., Yersinia spp., Legionella spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae), Pseudomonadaceae (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and others.

In Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care [1] are exposed concrete data from studies of samples from gloves of healthcare workers. Bacteria that have been represented after the work with patients: Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella spp., Acinetobacter spp.

The human skin microbiome is represented by bacteria, fungi, viruses and mites. Let we generalize the possible resident and transient species that inhabit the human hands and feet, and their impact on our health:

-         Staphylococcus epidermidis – facultative anaerobic, the most common inhabitant, commonly maintains relationship with the host and not evolved to cause disease [4], does not produce aggressive virulence, nowadays seen as an important opportunistic pathogen, the most frequent cause of nosocomial infections at a rate as high as its more virulent cousin Staphylococcus aureus;

-         Staphylococcus hominis – both aerobic and anaerobic, produce acid from trehalose (kind of sugar consisting of two molecules of glucose), isolated from the blood of immunocompromised patients, antibiotic resistance, can cause sepsis and urinary tract infection;

-         Actinobacteria – transitional forms of bacteria and fungi, mainly found in soil, aquatic area and caves, and can be found in very hot or very cold environments, saprophytic organisms that decompose the organic matter, found in lungs together with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, growing mycelium with filaments called hyphae, divided into 6 classes which are divided into 16 orders: Actinopolysporales, Actinomycetales, Bifidobacteriales, Catenulisporales, Coryne-bacteriales, Frankiales, Glycomycetales, Jiangellales, Kineosporiales, Micrococcales, Micromonosporales, Propionibacteriales, Pseudonocardiales, Streptomycetales, Streptosporangiales, Incerta cedis [19].

-         Propionibacterium – anaerobic, synthesize propionic (carboxylic) acid with unpleasant smell, living in and around sebaceous and sweat glands, implicating in acne condition, active pathogen in bone and joint infections like arthritis with long incubation period [5], detected in connection to intervertebral disc degeneration [5], reported in cases of infective endocarditis [5], usually found in a row milk, using lactate as a carbon substrate, reaching high levels in cheese with low salt concentration and low pH (5.2) [6];

-         Corynebacterium – most of them aerobic, participate in the microbiome of animals and humans, can cause diphtheria to humans (Corynebacterium diphtheriae) by a very potent exotoxin but most of them live in symbiosis with their hosts unless the host’s condition turns to weak, isolated from patients with otitis, urinary tract infections, feet infections, breast abscess [7], skin infections are connected to C. kutschery  derived from infected rodents (mice and rats) [8], lymphadenitis that has been reported mostly in Australia is connected to C. pseudotuberculosis (ovis) [9];

-         Pityrosporum spp. (Malassezia) – fungi, participate in the skin microbiome of animals and humans, lipophilic, they grow in areas with sebaceous glands on the scalp and face, mostly on the upper part of body, seborrheic dermatitis caused by M. furfur [10], dandruff caused by Malassezia globose [11], acne [12] and pityriasis (tinea) versicolor with hyper- or hypopigmentation [11];

-         Aspergillus spp. – a genus of fungi consisted of few hundred species of mold, some species can cause fungal infections but can be used like many others commercially and medically, they produce several very potent mycotoxins with large epidemiological, agricultural and economic impact, some of them are thermophilic and can grow with temperatures above 40 deg. C, A. niger (causes the decay of fresh fruit), A. fumigatus and A. flavus  are the most common species, the genus is plenty of numbers in the pillows, in wet and warm places, and grows mainly on carbon sources, causes otitis, lung infection, ulcer, skin lesion, allergy;

-         Escherichia spp. – facultatively anaerobic bacteria species, some of them are commensal members of the guts microbiota, main pathogen is E. coli that causes urinary tract infections especially in women, gastrointestinal infections like diarrhea, blood infection and CNS (brain) infection (sepsis, meningitis) [13], E. coli is classified into 10 pathogenic types, 80% of E. coli  species are involved in neonatal meningitis by K1 antigen [18];

-         Salmonella spp. – facultative anaerobic bacteria, gastrointestinal pathogen, intracellular, divided into two main groups – thyfoidal and nonthyfoidal, thyfoidal species invade the intestine and secrete endotoxin which leads to septic shock, the inflammatory response of the human body causes diarrhea and may lead to ulceration, symptoms begin from 6 to 48 hours after ingestion – nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain/cramps and diarrhea, fever with 38 – 39 deg. C [14];

-       Helicobacter spp. – microaerobic/aerobic bacteria, gastrointestinal pathogen, associated with chronic superficial gastritis, infected almost half of the human population, causing stomach ulcer, gastric carcinoma and lymphoma, chronic infection is asymptomatic, the acute infection causes vomiting and upper gastrointestinal pain, does not invade tissue but secretes cytotoxin urease and cagA-encoded protein which leads to injury of the gastric epithelium (ulcer) [15];

-         Legionella spp. – aerobic bacteria, known since July, 1976 from epidemic disease, causing 34 lethal cases from 221 sickened people, reside on surface and in water, widespread in nature, usually transmitted to humans by aerosols, multiply intracellularly in lungs, activated once the immune system restricts bacteria growth, cause disease in people with compromised immune defense – acute pneumonia with permanent fever and dry cough [16];

-         Staphylococcus aureus – facultative anaerobic, colonizes nasal passage and axillae (armpit), coagulase positive (for a lab test), salt tolerant and hemolytic (causes destruction of red blood cells), releases enterotoxins into food, causes septic shock by releasing superantigens into the blood stream, can cause coagulation of blood plasma, major cause of nosocomial and community infections – boils, furuncles, styes, impetigo and other superficial skin infections in humans, pneumonia, deep abscesses, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, phlebitis, meningitis and others, phagocytosis is impeded by a polysaccharide microcapsule [17];

-         Klebsiella spp. – the genus consists of aerobic and facultative anaerobic, these species live in soil, water, occasionally in food and form intestinal flora in humans and animals, produce urease which plays a major role in forming urinary stones, their urease activity produces ammonia which may damage the urinary tract epithelium, widespread nosocomial pathogen, cause pneumonia, respiratory tract infections, rhinoscleroma, urinary tract infections, acute gastroenteritis, fatality rate – up to 90% in untreated patients [18].

-         Cryptococcus gattii – pathogenic fungus, basidiomycetous yeast, emerged in humans and animals, cause deadly infections in lungs and brain (cryptococcus meningitis), had been previously restricted to tropical and subtropical regions but moves northward, colonizes tree barks and soil [20]

-         Candida – genus of yeasts, mostly represented by Candida albicans, causes the fungal infection candidiasis in bloodstream and internal organs (kidney, heart and brain), normally found in the gut flora in healthy mammals, colonizes also mouth and genitals; antibiotics, sugar, fermented foods and poor nutrition promote fungal infections because of Candida overgrowth, ferments the sugar (without lactose) to acid, connected to Crohn’s disease and colitis.

We can find a requirement for washing the hands and feet in the Five books of Moses. The cited act of purity is deeply connected to the holiness regarding the requirement for holiness cited in Part I to be holy before God:

“You shall also make a laver of copper and its base of copper for washing, and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall bring there water. And Aharon and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet” (Exodus, 30:18-19).

“And they shall wash their hands and their feet, and they will not die, and it shall be a statute for ever to them for their generations” (Exodus, 30:21).

These verses describe a commandment of purity for the offspring of Levi for preparatory ceremony before the sacrifice or before entering the tent of meeting. If we continue to read, we will see another requirement – to wash the parts of animals in preparation for the sacrifice.

For those who cannot understand the meaning of animal sacrifice in ancient times, I will explain it with only a few words. The life of an animal has been taken in act of sacrifice as atonement for people’s crimes because otherwise people should be punished. People commit crime even when they neglect the crime of a person who lives among them, and such cases are described in the Bible further. If you don’t want innocent life to be taken because of your crime or sin, just try to live accordingly to the laws. Other cases in which the sacrifice has been practiced, are connected to the impurity of illness, or to the impurity during the female cycle.

Through entire text in Torah we can see that God’s requirements implement the spiritual and physical purity together, which means they are connected to each other. 

These statues of purity do not finish here but continue in the book Vaykra (Leviticus) where we find short ancient guidance of healthcare for severe autoimmune diagnoses and infections.

Here I will cite a few examples about the purity from the Law of Hitties [23](the proper word deciphered from the ancient original text is “Haati” for singular; in Tora is written “Hitti” for singular):

“25a. [If] a person is/becomes impure (i.e., brings impurity?) in a vessel or a vat, formally they used to pay 6 shekels of silver: s/he who is impure pays 3 shekels of silver and they used to take 3 shekels for the [king]s’ house. But now the king has [waived] the palace’s share. S/he who is impure only pays 3 shekels of silver. S/he shall look to his/her house for it

44b. If anyone performs a purification ritual on a person, he shall dispose of the remnants (from the ritual) in the incineration dumps. But if he disposes of them in someone’s house, it is sorcery and a case for the king … (44b late version) and he shall make it ritually pure again. And if in the house anything goes wrong, he shall make it ritually pure again, as before. And shall make compensation for whatever else is lost”.

Food

First criteria, according to which we choose our food, is the level of toxicity.  This includes the presence of microbiota. The food should not contain any microbiota. We need to know the healthy look of the food with the purpose of immediate separation of the healthy from poisonous or infected food.  Every difference in the color, or in the hardness of the food, is evidence of infection or decay. That is why after our visual check we put fruits and vegetables in a vessel full of clean water for 15 minutes and after that we wash them under pouring water.

This kind of purity is exposed in Torah in details. There is forbidden to eat blood or carrion. Obviously, we already know why. The blood can transport all kind of microbiota, microscopic worms (mites), and feeding substances from the animal digestive system. The carrion is in a process of decay under the attack of decomposing bacteria switched to their most aggressive level of existence. There is exposed also a list of animals that Hebrews should not eat or even touch. We must be totally ignorant if we cannot see the reason for that. The first reason is hidden in the genetic code of the animal for what it looks like, what its behavior is and what his food is. The second reason is the level of digestion of meat in our digestive system. More exactly, despite of our digestive process with the presence of a proteolytic enzyme called protease (peptidase), parts from the animal DNA penetrate our cells and replicate with our DNA through the endoplasmic reticulum. The enzyme protease assimilates proteins to the basic amino acids but cannot assimilate RNA and DNA nucleotides and structures. They are not proteins. They are nucleic acids consisted of sugar, phosphate and nitrogenous base. Pancreatic nucleases break down DNA and RNA but obviously they are not enough. The enzyme endonuclease is attracted only by DNA/RNA hybrids that form when gene transcription goes awry [21]. This enzyme usually is a transcription helper. The only hope for complete DNA degradation comes if we have read one of the latest research projects. A group of scientists in 2013 published an investigation about the thermal degradation of DNA. The reached outcome is that DNA can be degraded at temperatures between 100 and 110 deg C in water only if we use a pressure system that prevents evaporation of the water otherwise you need to put the DNA in environment (the meat medium) at 170 to 200 deg C [22].

If we choose to receive proteins (that we need a lot) from animal flesh, it should be carefully disinfected in relevant suitable solution for 1 hour, cleansed from blood, and prepared ultimately at high temperature. The smallest reliable temperature of cooking environment for disinfection is 100 deg C and the shortest time for reliable disinfection is 10 minutes after the inner medium of the meat reaches this temperature, but this time is still not enough to prepare it for food. To prepare beef sometimes we need couple of hours depending on your oven technology.

Conclusion

The body cleanness does not just prevent us from more illnesses and unwanted DNA replications but provides our mind and soul with calm comfort. Without it our life becomes stressful, confused and at last will be very complicated and incomplete.

We need to understand very soon that we are what we eat. We also need to know we need amino acids from proteins but not the DNA of some disgusting creature which produces them. We have our DNA that is precious. There is not constant spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical purity without food selection, there is not health without it. As we know, the health gives more quality of life for we are more capable to survive, to achieve goals and to complete our designation – the purpose of our lives.

Reference

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