A Matter of Proper Cooking?

What about the common view that God forbade the Israelites from eating pork so they wouldn't catch diseases, such as trichinosis, from undercooked meat? Does this view hold up under scrutiny?

Notice the conclusions of Rex Russell, M.D.:

"Some people tell me that unlike people in Bible times, we cook meat much better today, and that this renders even unclean meats harmless. One Bible commentary claimed that pork was forbidden in the Old Testament because it was eaten without being cooked, thus passing trichinosis to humans. The author thought that because we now cook meat, we no longer need to follow that law.

"In my opinion this statement is incorrect. Sophisticated ovens and cooking devices have been found in the most ancient archaeological ruins, including most of the Israelites' ruins.

"They understood that cooking meat is certainly important. Can we safely assume that diseases caused by unclean animals have disappeared because we now cook things better? . . .

"Even the microwave oven heats meat unevenly, allowing bacteria and parasites (such as trichinosis) to survive in meat. Many outbreaks of vicious infections have developed in so-called cooked food. If the food is unclean, don't count on cooking it to protect you. Some of the most toxic poisons are not destroyed by heat.

"A sobering report from Scotland revealed that food poisoning by toxins, virus or bacteria occurred in spite of thorough inspection at every stage of food preparation, including handling and cooking" (What the Bible Says About Healthy Living, 1999, p. 80).