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https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/...-the-smell
EXCERPTS: Dark-brown flakes discovered inside a 1,900-year-old Roman glass vial are the first direct evidence for the use of human feces for medicinal purposes, a new chemical analysis reveals. The feces were mixed with thyme to mask the smell, and the concoction may have been used to treat inflammation or infection.
[...] In a study published Jan. 19 in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Atila and colleagues detailed their analysis of the contents of one particular unguentarium, a small glass bottle used to hold perfume, oil or medicine. The glass vial had been sealed with clay in antiquity and was found in a tomb in the ancient city of Pergamon in western Turkey.
[...] There were several popular feces-based remedies in Roman medicine that were meant to treat conditions ranging from inflammation and infection to reproductive disorders, the researchers wrote. In one example, Galen mentioned the therapeutic value of the feces of a child who had eaten legumes, bread and wine. But because ancient physicians knew their patients would reject foul-smelling medicines, they often advocated for masking them with aromatic herbs, wine or vinegar.
"This study provides the first direct chemical evidence for the medicinal use of fecal matter in Greco-Roman antiquity," the researchers wrote, as well as direct evidence that the stench of the excrement was masked with strong-smelling herbs. "These findings closely align with formulations described by Galen and other classical authors, suggesting that such remedies were materially enacted, not merely textually theorized." (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: Dark-brown flakes discovered inside a 1,900-year-old Roman glass vial are the first direct evidence for the use of human feces for medicinal purposes, a new chemical analysis reveals. The feces were mixed with thyme to mask the smell, and the concoction may have been used to treat inflammation or infection.
[...] In a study published Jan. 19 in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Atila and colleagues detailed their analysis of the contents of one particular unguentarium, a small glass bottle used to hold perfume, oil or medicine. The glass vial had been sealed with clay in antiquity and was found in a tomb in the ancient city of Pergamon in western Turkey.
[...] There were several popular feces-based remedies in Roman medicine that were meant to treat conditions ranging from inflammation and infection to reproductive disorders, the researchers wrote. In one example, Galen mentioned the therapeutic value of the feces of a child who had eaten legumes, bread and wine. But because ancient physicians knew their patients would reject foul-smelling medicines, they often advocated for masking them with aromatic herbs, wine or vinegar.
"This study provides the first direct chemical evidence for the medicinal use of fecal matter in Greco-Roman antiquity," the researchers wrote, as well as direct evidence that the stench of the excrement was masked with strong-smelling herbs. "These findings closely align with formulations described by Galen and other classical authors, suggesting that such remedies were materially enacted, not merely textually theorized." (MORE - missing details)
