“Desperate diseases require desperate cures”, wrote the immortal bard, William Shakespeare. For grossly obese patients this means putting part of the stomach and small intestine out of commission (bariatric surgery). But this is not minor surgery and patients should know the risks before making this desperate decision.

“What causes liver disease?” Ask anyone this question and 99 percent will answer, “It’s imbibing in too much Cabernet Sauvignon or other alcoholic drinks”. But today the liver can be injured by a host of less known, but equally hazardous habits. So how are you being unfriendly to your liver? And what can we learn from the “Mayflower”, the ship that carried Pilgrims to this continent in 1620?