What good is genealogy?

A good way to keep seniors occupied so they don't riot on the streets in protest against Blair/Bush/Howard/Harper? A way to recycle senior's excess savings when they no longer have a mortgage? A good way to link generations? A job? A useful complement to local and public history?

Maybe all of the above!

How about as a useful contribution to your health care?

At least three members of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa have been treated for prostate cancer in the past year. Fortunately the prognosis is good for prostate cancers detected in the local and regional stages, nearly 100 per cent of men diagnosed in these early stages will be disease-free after five years. Amongst the risk factors are age, more than 65 per cent of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65. The chances of being diagnosed are doubled when a relative has been diagnosed with the disease, and the risk is highest for men who have had relatives diagnosed before the age of 65. Do you have Irish ancestry? A study by the Irish Cancer Society found that the incidence and death rates from prostate cancer are higher in Ireland than in England, Scotland and Wales.

Men, make sure you are checked regularly and tell your family doctor if there is a family history of the disease.