> Sunburn was probably a rarity until modern times, when we began spending most of our time indoors. Suddenly, pasty office workers were hitting the beach in su

> Sunburn was probably a rarity until modern times, when we began spending most of our time indoors. Suddenly, pasty office workers were hitting the beach in summer and getting zapped. That’s a recipe for melanoma. This speculation on the author's part, at least, makes no sense. People have been getting sunburns for a long time[1]. The word "sunburn" in English dates to 1650, but treatments for sunburn are at least as old as the ancient Egyptians, who wrote down numerous treatments for it, including breast milk. I'm picturing all those Bedouin office workers wearing their keffiyehs and robes in the desert. Looks cool, sure, but might it also serve another purpose? [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23888738/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23888738/