Relics and Historical Uses of Human Zootherapeutic Products in Contemporary Spanish Ethnoveterinary Medicine

Background: this review documents the wide repertoire of practices and remedies based on the use of human-derived products in Spanish ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) from the early 20th century to the present. These practices are compared with historical data and those of other countries; (2) Methods: a search using advanced functions in the most important databases in the fields of ethnobiology, EVM, folklore, and ethnography was performed. Information was obtained from 29 documentary sources; (3) Results: from the search of the literature, 46 use-reports related to the veterinary use of human urine, menstrual fluid, saliva, breast milk, and faeces were recorded. These zootherapeutic resources are/were used to treat 20 animal diseases, in particular dermatological ailments. In addition, many practices of the magical-religious type are documented; (4) Conclusions: the veterinary uses described and analysed here are fundamental to the development of therapeutic tools and creating teaching and learning processes in new popular veterinary practices adapted to the users and those who demand them. The information collected could form a scientific foundation for future inventories of local veterinary knowledge (LVK) and research addressing the discovery of new drugs for livestock. This work contributes to the inventory of some uses, traditional practices, and rituals seriously threatened by the progressive loss of LVK in Europ

Fish-based remedies in Spanish ethnomedicine: a review from a historical perspective

Antecedentes: Una base de pescado terapéutico está basada principalmente en un uso dietético, pero estos vertebrados también se han empleado en el tratamiento de las enfermedades infecciosas y parasitarias, durante el embarazo, parto, puerperio y para tratar enfermedades de los diferentes sistemas. Métodos: Se ha hecho una revisión de la literatura española y de la historia etnomédica. Se han realizado búsquedas automatizadas en las más importantes bases de datos nacionales e internacionales. Todas las obras han sido examinadas minuciosamente. Resultados: Examinamos el uso histórico de 54 medicamentos, de 48 especies de peces marinos y seis de las aguas continentales. Como interesante, destacar que en la Antigüedad se registraron 39 especies (de las cuales sólo 21 han sido recopiladas en los períodos subsiguientes), 7 en la Edad Media, 18 en la época Moderna y 17 en la época Contemporánea. Anguilla anguilla, Engraulis encrasicolus o Scyliorhinus canicula son especies que han sobrevivido a través del tiempo como un ingrediente en remedios populares españoles. La mayoría de los recursos utilizados en el siglo pasado y en la actualidad son remedios empíricos basados en la teoría de los humores y en el principio contrariis curantur (74%); el resto (26%) hasta completar el arsenal terapéutico son remedios populares de tipo mágico. Conclusiones: En el siglo pasado nos encontramos con una progresiva disminución en el número de especies de peces utilizados en la etnomedicina. Sólo siete taxones han sido documentados como recursos terapéuticos usados desde hace siglos. La existencia de una etnomedicina española dinámica también ha generado nuevos recursos terapéuticos en los últimos tiempos. Es importante validar los recursos por etno-farmacología y medicina basada en la evidencia. Con el fin de recuperar la mayor cantidad de datos posible, será necesario elaborar un inventario etno-ictiológico.Background: Fish-based therapeutics is fundamentally based on a dietary use, but these vertebrates have also been employed in the treatment of infectious and parasitic diseases, during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum and to deal with diseases of the different systems. Methods: An overview of the ethnomedical and historical Spanish literature has been carried out. Automated searches in the most important national and international databases have been performed. All related works have been thorough examined Results: We examine the historical use of 54 medicinal fish species, 48 marine and six from inland waters. As useful, in Ancient times 39 species have been recorded (of which only 21 have been collected in subsequent periods), seven in the Middle Ages, 18 in Modern times and 17 in the contemporary period. Anguilla anguilla, Engraulis encrasicolus or Scyliorhinus canicula are species that have survived over time as an ingredient in Spanish folk remedies. Most remedies used in the last century and currently are empirical remedies based on the humorism theory and the principle of contraria contrariis curantur (74%), and the rest (26%) are magical type remedies that complete the popular therapeutic arsenal. Conclusions: In the last century we find a progressive decrease in the number of fish species used in ethnomedicine. Only seven taxa have been documented as surviving therapeutic resources since centuries ago. The existence of a dynamic Spanish ethnomedicine has also been detected which has managed to generate new therapeutic resources in recent times. It is important to validate the remedies by ethnopharmacology and evidence-based medicine. In order to recover as much data as possible, it will be necessary to draw up an inventory of ethnoichthyological uses.peerReviewe

Tapices flamencos en Badajoz. Humanismo, naturaleza y simbología

Book review: LÓPEZ GUILLAMÓN, Ignacio; VÁZQUEZ PARDO, Franciso María; MARZAL REYNOLDS, Alfonso et. al. Tapices flamencos en Badajoz. Humanismo, Naturaleza y Simbologías, Badajoz: Fundación Ortega Muñoz, 2020, 230 pp.Reseña de la obra: LÓPEZ GUILLAMÓN, Ignacio; VÁZQUEZ PARDO, Franciso María; MARZAL REYNOLDS, Alfonso et. al. Tapices flamencos en Badajoz. Humanismo, Naturaleza y Simbologías, Badajoz: Fundación Ortega Muñoz, 2020, 230 página

The Smallpox Vaccine in Latin America: A New Approach (1801–1804)

The Royal Philanthropic Vaccine Expedition is considered in the history of medicine as the first international health expedition aimed at the global elimination of a contagious disease: smallpox. However, the initiatives carried out in this way before the arrival of the Balmis Expedition, by surgeons from the Spanish Navy, are less well known. Thus, the main objective of this research work is to offer an overview of the different anti-variolic vaccination initiatives prior to the campaign financed by the Spanish crown from these health facilities. Using the heuristic and hermeneutic method, our article is based on primary sources contrasted with specialised literature. The results obtained are presented in a narrative style from each of the surgeons identified as decisive in the implementation of the vaccine, thus providing a divergent and unpublished historiographic approach. As the facts described show, before the arrival of Balmis the vaccine substance was introduced in those countries thanks to the initiative of various surgeons: in Puerto Rico by Francisco Oller; in Cartagena and Santa Marta in Colombia by Ángel Hidalgo; in Venezuela by Alonso Ruiz; in Cuba by Tomás Romay and Bernardo de Cózar; in the Viceroyalty of New Granada (Colombia) by Lorenzo Vergés; in Guatemala by Miguel José Monzón and José María Ledesma; in the Viceroyalty of New Spain by Alejandro García Arboleya and Antonio Serrano; in Peru by Pedro Belomo; in Río de la Plata by Cristóbal Martín de Montúfar; in the Chilean region of Coquimbo by José María Gómez; and in the Philippines by Cristóbal Regidor. Finally, it should be noted that these surgeons and the approach presented are part of a historiography based on the personal actions of professionals trained, for the most part, at the Medical–Surgical School of Cadiz

Amphibians in Spanish popular medicine and the pharmacopoeia of Pliny and Dioscorides

Se presenta una lista de remedios médicos basados en el uso de anfibios en la medicina popular española y en el Mundo Clásico. Se ha llevado a cabo una revisión de la bibliografía relativa a estudios de folklore, trabajos etnográficos e investigaciones en antropología social o médica. Se documenta un total de 113 remedios y el uso de nueve especies de anfibios, dos pertenecientes a la familia de los caudados (urodelos) y siete anuros. La mayoría de los remedios se basa en la “preconcepción” popular sobre la influencia de los mismos y la sanación mediante la transmisión del mal a un ser vivo. Se destaca el uso tradicional de algunas especies amenazadas, dato a tener en cuenta a la hora de tomar decisiones en el campo de la biología de la conservación y la educación ambiental.This article presents a list of medical remedies based on the use of amphibians in Spanish popular medicine and in the classical world. It provides an overview of bibliography relative to folklore studies, ethnographic work and research on social or medical anthropology. It documents a total of 113 remedies and the use of nine species of amphibians, two from the family of caudates (urodeles) and seven anurans. Most of these remedies are based on the popular “preconception” about the influence of amphibians and healing by transmitting an illness to a living creature. The traditional use of certain threatened species is emphasized, an issue to bear in mind in decision-making in the field of conservation biology and environmental education.peerReviewe

The therapeutic use of the dog in Spain: a review from a historical and cross-cultural perspective of a change in the human-dog relationship

En España, los estudios sobre los conocimientos tradicionales relacionados con la biodiversidad se han centrado en las plantas vasculares. Por este motivo, nuestra revisión se concentra en la identificación e inventario de recursos zooterapéuticos, en particular los que involucran al perro (Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758) a lo largo del siglo XX hasta el presente. Se realizó una revisión sistemática cualitativa en los campos de etnomedicina, etnozoología y folklore. Se realizaron búsquedas automatizadas en las bases de datos y bibliotecas digitales más importantes. Todos los trabajos relacionados fueron examinados a fondo y se obtuvo información de 55 fuentes documentales. Hemos enumerado un total de 63 remedios para tratar y / o prevenir 49 enfermedades y afecciones humanas. En 20 de los informes documentados se utilizó el animal completo y se recomendó el uso de crías en 12 casos. La saliva fue el elemento de curación en 10 remedios, y las heces fueron la base terapéutica para nueve, mientras que la leche de perra fue para siete de ellos. Piel, piel y carne fueron los siguientes en importancia. Actualmente, los remedios curativos basados en el uso del perro no forman parte de la etnomedicina española y considerarlos así sería ahistórico. De hecho, la costumbre de permitir que un perro lama las heridas para ayudar en su curación y cicatrización ha sobrevivido en solo unos pocos grupos de personas. Sin embargo, podemos afirmar que el uso etnomédico del perro existe y se ha transferido a la "terapia asistida por animales".In Spain, studies about traditional knowledge related to biodiversity have focused on vascular plants. For this reason, our review concentrates on the identification and inventory of zootherapeutic resources, particularly those involving the dog (Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758) throughout the twentieth century to the present. A qualitative systematic review in the fields of ethnomedicine, ethnozoology and folklore was made. Automated searches in the most important databases and digital libraries were performed. All related works were examined thoroughly and information was obtained from 55 documentary sources. We have listed a total of 63 remedies to treat and/or prevent 49 human illnesses and conditions. In 20 of the documented reports the whole animal was used and the use of pups was recommended in 12 cases. Saliva was the healing element in 10 remedies, and faeces were the therapeutic basis for nine, while bitch’s milk was for seven of them. Skin, fur and meat were next in significance. Currently, healing remedies based on the use of the dog are not part of Spanish ethnomedicine and considering them so would be ahistorical. Indeed, the custom of allowing a dog to lick one’s wounds to assist in their healing and cicatrisation has survived in only a few groups of people. However, we can state that the ethnomedical use of the dog exists and has been transferred to “animal-assisted therapy”.peerReviewe

From medical Botany to Pharmacy in Spain: the work of Pedro Benedicto Mateo

Durante el Renacimiento existieron importantes y numerosas aportaciones en el campo de la Botánica médica. En este trabajo deseamos realzar la primera obra profesional escrita por un farmacéutico español, el Libro para examen de boticarios y también para enseñanza de muchos adolescentes, que Mateo escribe en 1497, aunque no sería publicado hasta 1521. Si bien presenta rasgos primordialmente escolásticos, su estructura y parte del contenido invita a la modernidad y a la ruptura con el pensamiento medieval.Many significant contributions in the field of medical botany were made during the Renaissance. In this paper we seek to highlight the first professional work written by a Spanish pharmacist, the Libro para examen de boticarios y también para enseñanza de muchos adolescentes (Book for the examination of apothecaries and for the instruction of many young people), which Mateo wrote in 1497, although it was not published until 1521. While it is primarily scholastic in nature, its structure and part of its content suggest modernity and a break with mediaeval thought.peerReviewe

Histological Study of Glandular Variability in the Skin of the Natterjack Toad-Epidalea calamita (Laurenti, 1768)-Used in Spanish Historical Ethnoveterinary Medicine and Ethnomedicine

Simple Summary Common toads, including the natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita), have been used since ancient times for remedies, and thus constitute excellent biological material for pharmacological and natural product research. After a previous analysis of the historical-folk therapeutic use of amphibians in Spain, a histological study was carried out to provide a complementary ethnopharmacological view through the analysis of the integumentary heterogeneity of the serous (venom) and mucous glands from two adult specimens. Plastic-embedded semi-thin sections showed that serous/venom glands are cytologically homogeneous in spite of their genetic and biochemical complexity, leading to a cocktail that remains stored until extrusion. On the contrary, mucous glands, working continuously, show a more complex cytological variation and regional heterogeneity, which suggests an adaptive variability, leading to an invisible topographic map of skin toxicity. Natterjack toad-based folk remedies are usually extracted from the whole animal as a therapeutic unit in ethnoveterinary practice. However, a new ethnopharmacological vision could emerge from the study of tegumentary regional variation. Common toads have been used since ancient times for remedies and thus constitute excellent biological material for pharmacological and natural product research. According to the results of a previous analysis of the therapeutic use of amphibians in Spain, we decided to carry out a histological study that provides a complementary view of their ethnopharmacology, through the natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita). This species possesses a characteristic integument, where the parotoid glands stand out, and it has been used in different ethnoveterinary and ethnomedical practices. This histological study of their glandular variability allow us to understand the stages through which the animal synthesises and stores a heterogeneous glandular content according to the areas of the body and the functional moment of the glands. To study tegumentary cytology, a high-resolution, plastic embedding, semi-thin (1 micron) section method was applied. Up to 20 skin patches sampled from the dorsal and ventral sides were processed from the two adult specimens collected, which were roadkill. Serous/venom glands display a genetic and biochemical complexity, leading to a cocktail that remains stored (and perhaps changes over time) until extrusion, but mucous glands, working continuously to produce a surface protection layer, also produce a set of active protein (and other) substances that dissolve into mucous material, making a biologically active covering. This study provides a better understanding of the use of traditional remedies in ethnoveterinary medicine

The magical practices in folk medicine in a colonization village of Extremadura, Spain

El conocimiento de las prácticas mágicas en la medicina popular de Guadiana del Caudillo (Badajoz) desde su entidad como pueblo de colonización extremeño aporta un rico saber sobre el mismo en Extremadura. De este modo nos encontramos que estas prácticas forman parte del acervo cultural del pueblo y que no han sido desplazadas, ni suprimidas hasta el momento. Esto puede dar una idea de la importancia que tienen estas creencias para poder comprender al sujeto con el que interaccionamos como médico, antropólogo, etc. Así encontramos el mal de ojo, el culebro, el empacho y otras prácticas más difíciles de clasificar y no por ello menos interesante (leche de mujer, saliva, sangre menstrual). Las prácticas mágicas podrán sufrir transformaciones, pero formaran siempre parte de la vida del hombre.The knowledge of magical practices in the folk medicine of Guadiana del Caudillo (Badajoz) from its organization as frontier town of colonization contributes a rich information about itself. In this way, we found that these practices comprise of the cultural heritage of the town and that they have not been moved, nor suppressed until now. This gives an idea of the importance of these beliefs in order to understand the subject with which we interacted as a doctor, anthropologist, etc.. Thus we found the evil eye, culebro, shyness, and other practices more difficult to classify and for that reason less of interest (milk of woman, saliva, menstrual blood). The magical practices may undergo transformations, but they will always comprise part of human life.Grupo de Investigación Antropología y Filosofía (SEJ-126). Universidad de Granad