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In 1984, an enterprising Australian doctor named Barry Marshall decided to take a risk.
在1984年，一位雄心勃勃的澳大利亚医生巴里·马歇尔决定冒个险。
Too many of his patients were complaining of severe abdominal pain due to stomach ulcers,
他有许多病人抱怨因胃溃疡而产生腹痛，
which are sores in the lining of the upper intestinal tract.
胃溃疡就是上消化道黏膜的疮口。
At the time, few effective treatments for ulcers existed, and many sufferers required hospitalization or even surgery.
在当时，有效治疗溃疡的方法十分有限，许多溃疡患者需要住院甚至接受手术。
Desperate for answers, Dr. Marshall swallowed a cloudy broth of bacteria collected from the stomach of one of his patients.
因为渴望得到答案，马歇尔医生吞下了从他的一位病人的胃里收集来的浑浊的细菌液体。
Soon, Dr. Marshall was experiencing the same abdominal pain, bloating, and vomiting.
很快，马歇尔医生也经历了同样的腹痛、腹胀和呕吐。
Ten days later, a camera called an endoscope peered inside his insides.
十天后，一种叫内窥镜的相机被插入了他的食道。
Marshall's stomach was teeming with the same bacteria as his patient.
结果发现马歇尔的胃里充满着和他的病人体内相同的细菌。
He'd also developed gastritis, or severe inflammation of the stomach, the hallmark precursor of ulcers.
同时，他也并发了胃炎，即胃部的严重发炎，这是溃疡的典型前兆。
Dr. Marshall's idea challenged a misconception that still persists to this day:
马歇尔医生的想法挑战了一个至今仍然存在的误解：
that ulcers are caused by stress, food, or too much stomach acid.
那就是溃疡是由压力、食物或者胃酸过多引起的。
Marshall thought the culprit was bacterial infections.
马歇尔认为病因是细菌感染。
Initially, his idea was considered crazy by the brightest medical minds on the planet.
起初，全球最聪明的医疗学者们都认为他的这个想法十分疯狂。
But in 2005, he and Dr. Robin Warren received the ultimate validation when they were awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine.
但在2005年，他和罗宾·沃伦博士获得诺贝尔医学奖的时候，这一想法最终得到了证实。
Our stomachs are J-shaped organs with surprisingly intricate ecosystems awash in hormones and chemicals.
我们的胃是个J字形的器官，有着十分复杂生态系统，充满了激素和化学物质。
The stomach is under constant attack by digestive enzymes, bile, proteins, microbes, and the stomach's own acid.
胃一直处在消化酶、胆汁、蛋白质、微生物和胃酸的攻击之下。
In response, it produces bicarbonate, mucus,
反过来，胃会产生碳酸氢盐、粘液
and phospholipids called prostaglandins to maintain the integrity of its own lining.
和被称为前列腺素的磷脂来维持黏膜自身的完整。
This delicate balance is constantly regulated and referred to as mucosal defense.
这一持续性的巧妙平衡被称作黏膜防御。
Since the mid-1800s, doctors thought stress alone caused most stomach ulcers.
自19世纪中叶，医生一直认为压力是导致大多数胃溃疡的病因。
Patients were given antidepressants or tranquilizers and told to visit health spas.
他们会给病人服用抗抑郁症药或注射镇定剂，让病人去温泉疗养。
This belief eventually shifted to the related notion of spicy foods and stress as culprits.
这一信念最终转变为将食用辛辣食物和压力作为病因的相关概念。
Yet no convincing study has ever demonstrated that emotional upset,
然而没有任何令人信服的研究证明情绪不安，
psychological distress, or spicy food directly causes ulcer disease.
心理困扰和食用辛辣食物会直接导致溃疡的产生。
By the mid-20th century, it was widely accepted that excess hydrochloric acid prompted the stomach to eat itself.
到20世纪中叶，人们普遍相信过量的盐酸会刺激胃侵蚀自身。
Fervent proponents of this idea were referred to as the acid mafia.
这一观念的热情支持者被称作“胃酸黑手党”。
The biggest hole in this theory was that antiacids only provide temporary relief.
这一理论的最大破绽是抗酸剂只能暂时缓解症状。
We now know that some rare ulcers are indeed caused by too much hydrochloric acid.
我们现在知道一些罕见的溃疡确实是由过多的盐酸导致的。
But they make up less than 1% of all cases.
但这在所有病因中只占不到1%。
Dr.Marshall and Dr. Warren pinpointed a spiral-shaped bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori, as the real offender.
马歇尔医生和沃伦博士准确指出了一种叫做幽门螺旋杆菌的螺旋形的细菌，或简称H.Pylori，才是真正的罪魁祸首。
H. pylori is one of humanity's oldest and most frequent companions,
幽门螺旋杆菌是人类最古老、最常见的伙伴之一，
having joined us at least 50,000 years ago, and now found in 50% of people.
至少在五万年前就已经在我们身边存在了，现在在一半的人体内仍然能发现这种细菌。
Previously, we thought the stomach was sterile on account of it being such an acidic, hostile environment.
从前，我们认为胃里面是无菌的，因为胃的内部是一个如此高酸度的恶劣环境。
Yet H. pylori survives the acidic turmoil of the stomach with a variety of features that disrupt mucosal defense in its favor.
然而，幽门螺旋杆菌能在胃部的酸性涤荡中存活，具备各种对其自身有利的黏膜防御破坏性特征。
For example, it produces an enzyme called urease that helps protect it from the surrounding gastric acid.
比方说，它会产生一种叫脲酶的酶，来保护其免受周围胃酸的侵袭。
H. pylori can make over 1,500 proteins, many of which are dedicated to maximizing its virulence.
幽门螺旋杆菌会制造超过1500种蛋白质，大多数都致力于将毒力最大化。
We still have unanswered questions, like why specific people develop ulcers at particular times.
我们仍有未解答的疑问，比方说为什么特殊的人会在特定的时间患有溃疡。
However, we do know individual genetics, other medical problems, use of certain medications,
然而，我们也知道个人遗传学、其他医学问题、使用特定的药物、
smoking, and the genetic diversity of Helicobacter strains all play a role.
吸烟以及幽门螺杆菌菌株的遗传多样性都在其中发挥了作用。
In particular, certain pain medications used to reduce inflammation in joints
特别是一些用来缓解关节炎症的特定止痛药，
have been discovered to work with H. pylori to create more severe stomach ulcers.
被发现能协同幽门螺旋杆菌激发更加严重的胃溃疡。
Dr. Marshall ended up being fine after his famous, albeit dangerous, experiment.
这个著名的实验虽然十分危险，马歇尔医生最终却平安无事。
He ingested a course of antibiotics similar to the ones taken now for ulcers.
他摄入了一种抗生素，类似于现在用以治疗溃疡的药物。
To be treated by simple antibiotics is a modern triumph for a disease that previously needed surgery.
用简单的抗生素来治疗过去需要做手术才能治愈的疾病是现代的胜利。
Marshall's work also reminded us that scientific progress is not always smooth.
马歇尔的工作也提醒我们科学进步并不总是一帆风顺的。
But there's value in trusting your proverbial, and sometimes literal, gut.
但是，相信你自己的格言是有价值的，或者直白点，相信你自己的肠道。
