King's evil

Coffee was first imported into London from the Middle East in 1657. An advertisement from the time said:

"A very wholesome and physical drink that helpeth indigestion, quickeneth the spirits, maketh the heart lightsom,is good against eye sores, coughs, head-ach gout and the King's evil"

Dude, what is "King's evil"? It is scrofula (WHAT?), a tuberculous swelling of the lymph glands. OK, I think we're safe. In the meantime studies show:

• That older women drinking one to three cups a day are 24% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
• One study shows that after 13 years of drinking there was a 14% greater risk of hypertension, while another study (from Hahvahd, no less) could not find a shred of evidence that coffee contributed to hypertension.
• Twenty studied proved that coffee helps ward off diabetes-2 disease.
• 400 studies demonstrated that coffee was protective against colon, rectal and liver cancer.

• Finns who drank 10 or more cups daily were 84% less likely to to develop Parkinson's disease.

But I bet they were more likely to engage in Saint Vitus dancing. Well, that's all right, it's perfectly acceptable as it's now called hip hop!