Hmm, where to find stomach bile from a cow... (aka interesting MRSA find)

[creekland]

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/04/01/medieval-remedy-to-treat-eye-infections-found-to-kill-mrsa-superbug/

 

Yes, it's from Fox, but it's intriguing nonetheless (it's a test day at school, so I'm looking around on the net with the sound off on my computer).

 

Sometimes those folks in the "old days" knew what they were doing!  Now I find myself super curious as to how it works...

 

A Short History of Medicine: "Doctor, I have an ear ache."

2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."
1000 A.D. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."
1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."
1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."
1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."
2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root!"

[Plink]

Rennet?  (Enzymes from the stomach of young cows)

 

Cheese making is fun.  I have no idea if it contains what you need, but it wouldn't hurt.

[hjffkj]

Well when I was in school I was an animal science major. A good number of the cows on the farm had windows in their sides to you could test the contents of their stomachs. Sticking your hand into a cows stomach isn't terrible. It's worrying about getting the contents on you because that smell did not wash off easily! I threw a shirt away because I couldn't get the smell out of it

[JumpyTheFrog]

I wonder if oxbile acid is the same thing? I've taken that before.

[creekland]

Rennet?  (Enzymes from the stomach of young cows)

 

Cheese making is fun.  I have no idea if it contains what you need, but it wouldn't hurt.

 

I'm not actually going to make it... just musing how folks in those times thought to put all of this stuff together.  I can see the leeks, garlic, onion, and wine, but who comes up with the idea of "let's add some oxgall and see what happens?"  Not to mention the brewing it all for 9 days... and then thinking about applying it to styes on the eye.

 

I guess I'm just not all that creative.

 

Well when I was in school I was an animal science major. A good number of the cows on the farm had windows in their sides to you could test the contents of their stomachs. Sticking your hand into a cows stomach isn't terrible. It's worrying about getting the contents on you because that smell did not wash off easily! I threw a shirt away because I couldn't get the smell out of it

 

These were around in my animal science days too.  I wasn't a major.  I was a farm kid learning how to do basic farm vet procedures - Cornell had the cows.

 

But I doubt they had any windows into cows back then.  Of course, I could be mistaken...

[creekland]

I wonder if oxbile acid is the same thing? I've taken that before.

 

For what?

[JumpyTheFrog]

People take it to improve their digestion, especially if they are missing their gall bladder and have a hard time with fats.

[creekland]

People take it to improve their digestion, especially if they are missing their gall bladder and have a hard time with fats.

 

Ah, makes sense.  Thanks!  I think I learn more from the Hive than any other single source.

[momacacia]

Yup. Ox bile for fat digestion.

[fairfarmhand]

Well when I was in school I was an animal science major. A good number of the cows on the farm had windows in their sides to you could test the contents of their stomachs. Sticking your hand into a cows stomach isn't terrible. It's worrying about getting the contents on you because that smell did not wash off easily! I threw a shirt away because I couldn't get the smell out of it

 

Cow rumen is indeed the NASTIEST odor. I had a sick cow and had to puncture her rumen to help her breath a few times. My hands reeked for days.

[Ravin]

The part I found interesting is that no individual component has much effect, only the finished concoction. I'm sure it was developed through trial and error, and experimentation (not necessarily as formally systematic as science works now) like most traditional foods and medicines. 

 

Just think about the first leavened bread. That was probably what? A beer-making gone horribly wrong? Or soap. Who'd think to combine lime and ashes and come up with something that CLEANS things?

 

 

[creekland]

The part I found interesting is that no individual component has much effect, only the finished concoction. I'm sure it was developed through trial and error, and experimentation (not necessarily as formally systematic as science works now) like most traditional foods and medicines. 

 

I'm sure there were folks just as curious and experimental back then.  Humans haven't really changed over time IMO.

 

But I have to wonder if this was trial or error... Let's see, nothing with this happened in the first 8 days.  On the 9th (or later), did they purposely put it on a new sty or did someone cleaning up a failure get some on their hands and rub their eye before cleaning?  ;)

 

And one has to wonder where they got all their test subjects from in figuring these more lengthy things out.  How many folks HAD styes around them at the time of testing?

 

Leavened bread does amaze me.  Cleaning things not so much.  If they were using lime/water (even via rocks and a river) to try to clean ashes - that's an "accident" that is more easily figured out.

[Cricket]

Here's a better article I think: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27263-anglo-saxon-remedy-kills-hospital-superbug-mrsa.html. I wondered too how anyone would first come up with the idea to put these ingredients together.

[creekland]

Here's a better article I think: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27263-anglo-saxon-remedy-kills-hospital-superbug-mrsa.html. I wondered too how anyone would first come up with the idea to put these ingredients together.

 

That is a much better article!  Thanks for posting.

 

It also makes me think I might be more correct with the "error" part if it ended up being a slimy mess, but who knows?  Maybe they wanted to put slime on their eyes.  It's possible.

 

Regardless, I'm glad there are folks scouring these old remedy books and putting ancient solutions to the test.  I'm betting there are more that work.  How they figured them out we'll never know (sigh), but they kept being used enough to be written down, so one would think there's a decent chance it's more than placebo effect at play.

[Southern Ivy]

I wonder if oxbile acid is the same thing? I've taken that before.

 

 

For what?

 

Creekland, it helps to break down fat. Often times, it is suggested for those who have had their gallbladder removed.