Gerhard HANEVELD (Baarn, Netherlands)
D 1 4
THE SCYTHIAN LAMB
To stop the b leeding of a w o u n d t h e su rgeons of t h e pas t could rely on a va r i e ty of h e m o s t y p i c s . These inc luded Greek a n d R o m a n r e m e d i e s — gall apples (Antyllos) , a shes of h o r s e d u n g a n d p o w d e r e d eggshel ls (Pl iny) — proven folk-med ic ines — spider webs , puff bal ls , aga r i c (fungi) , sponges, pea t a n d m o s s , p o w d e r e d m u m m y , h a i r s of h a r e s (Lanf ranc) , pulver ized bovis ts — a n d even m o r e cu r ious s typt ics l ike b r a i n m o s s , fungi f rom t h e skul l . Cot ton wool w a s a lso u s e d (4 ,6 ,9 ,19) .
I n t he y e a r 1837 t h e A m s t e r d a m phys ic ian , Doc to r J a n Adr i aan Kool (1794-1880) rece ived a sample of a pecul ia r i ndones i an he rb , w h i c h had , acco rd ing t o t h e abor ig ines , ex t r emely h e m o s t y p t i c p rope r t i e s . The n a m e of th i s h e r b w a s , p e n g h a w a r d j ambi (8,13, 21).
After p a i n s t a k i n g r e s e a r c h Doctor Kool found a n exac t depic t ion of h is h e r b in t h e i l l u s t r a t ed Herbarium of Elisabeth Blackwell in t h e edi t ion of 1760 (3).
The descr ip t ion r u n s as follows : « Th is is a l ight -brown co loured m o s s g rowing on t h e roo t s of a fe rn t r ee . I t is cons ide red to be very effective in all k inds of h a e m o r r h a g e s a n d o t h e r f luxes. I t s t a u n c h e s b leeding w o u n d s . » Accord ing to t h e Herbarium t h e p lan t w a s k n o w n u n d e r a va r i e ty of n a m e s : The S c y t h i a n L a m b , l 'Agneau scy th ique , Agnus Scy th icus Boramez , F r u t e x t a r t a r i c u s , P l a n t a a n i m a l .
F o r a long t i m e t h e S c y t h i a n L a m b w a s looked upon a s a l egendary k i n d of « vegetable a n i m a l » ( 2 0 , 2 1 ) . One of t h e f i rs t desc r ip t ions w a s provided by t h e Engl i sh phi losopher a n d s t a t e s m a n F r a n c i s Bacon (1561-1626) in h i s Sylva Sylvarum or A natural History (London) pub l i shed af ter h is d e a t h in 1627(1).
H e says : « T h e r e is a fabulous n a r r a t i o n t h a t in t h e n o r t h e r n coun t r i e s t h e r e should be
an he rb t h a t g r o w e t h in t h e l ikeness of a l a m b , a n d feede th upon t h e g rass , in such s o r t as it will ba re t he g r a s s r o u n d about . »
Accord ing to t h e i t a l i an m a t h e m a t i c i a n a n d phys ic ian Geron imo G a r d a n o (1501-1576) t h e n a m e of t h e h e r b is B o r a m e t z . B o r a m e t z is t h e old r u s s i a n n a m e for l a m b . M o d e r n B a r a n m e a n s sheep, b a r a n e k is t h e d iminu t ive (21). The prefix Scy th ian , however , is w r o n g because t h e p lan t is no t a na t i ve i n h a b i t a n t in reg ions n o r t h of t h e B lack Sea .
Accord ing to Bacon , as wel l a s t o h i s p r edeces so r s Scal iger (1484-1558) a n d t h e f rench soldier poet Gu i l l aume de Sa lus t e du B a r t a s (1544-1590) (18), t h e S c y t h i a n L a m b s w e r e rea l , t h o u g h pecu l ia r a n i m a l s . They look l ike l ambs , « save t h a t for foote, w i t h i n t h e g r o u n d they fixe a l iving r o o t e ».
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The Swiss professor in a n a t o m y a n d bo tany Caspar B a u h i n (1550-1624) a l so desc r ibed t h e Scy th i an L a m b a n d m e n t i o n e d i t s h e m o s t y p t i c qual i t ies (2). A p i c tu r e of t h e p lan t is found, par t ia l ly h idden , on t h e t i t le page of J o h n P a r k i n s o n ' s (1567-1650) Paradisi in Sole Paradisus terrestris (1629). One perce ives t h a t t he l i t t le l a m b is a t t a c h e d to t h e g r o u n d .
B o t h Bacon, Sca l iger a n d B a u h i n suppor t ed t h e idea t h a t th i s a n i m a l a ro se f rom a me lon seed. H e n c e they a lso cal led i t F r u t e x t a r t a r i c u s o r f ruc tus a n i m u s , a n i m a l f rui t .
Enge lber t Kaempfe r (1651-1716) t h e f a m o u s g e r m a n t rave l le r a n d phys ic ian w h o vis i ted J a p a n a n d w r o t e an ex tens ive r epor t on t h e J a p a n e s e w a y of life, gave a who le d i scourse on the l inguis t ic aspec t s of t h e cu r ious Scy th ian L a m b . H e c a m e h o w e v e r to the conclus ion t h a t w h a t is cal led a vegetable a n i m a l is in fact t h e sk in of an u n b o r n l a m b cut f rom i ts m o t h e r ' s w o m b (10). All these far fe tched ideas a r e no t so a m a z i n g if one sees the r e m a r k a b l e Scy th i an L a m b in rea l i ty .
The f irst E u r o p e a n w h o h a d the oppor tun i ty to e x a m i n e t h e Scy th i an L a m b in i t s h a b i t a t w a s the Por tuguese explorer J o a n n i s de Loure i ro (15). In t h e descr ipt ion in h is Flora cochinchinensis (1790) he explicit ly s t a t e d t h a t t h e S c y t h i a n L a m b w a s no t a n i m a l , a l t h o u g h i t r e s e m b l e d t h e sk in of a n n e w b o r n l a m b , bu t t h a t it w a s golden m o s s y h a i r sp rou t i ng f rom t h e root of a t ropical fern. De Loure i ro a lso m e n t i o n e d i ts m e d i c a l p roper t i es as an a d s t r i n g e n t a n d h a e m o s t y p t i c w h i c h Avas a l so supposed to be effective in t h e t r e a t m e n t of gono r rhea .
When t h e A m s t e r d a m Dr. Kool, rece ived h is spec imen of t h e Scy th ian L a m b , h e s t a r t e d a ser ies of inves t iga t ions .
F i r s t he m a d e a microscopica l e x a m i n a t i o n of t he h a i r s a n d t r i ed to m a k e w a t e r y a n d a lcohol ic ex t r ac t i ons , b u t w i t h o u t r e su l t s .
This w a s fol lowed up by e x p e r i m e n t s on t h e h e m o s t y p t i c p roper t i es . F i r s t h e e x a m i n e d t h e effect of b leeding caused by leeches . When the leeches w e r e r emoved , a c o m p r e s s of h a i r s of t h e P e n g a w a r d j amb i w a s applied on the b leeding w o u n d . W i t h i n a few m i n u t e s the b leed ing w a s s topped ; t h e r e w e r e no unp lea san t sensat ions or s igns of i r r i t a t ion . Even deep w o u n d s r e s p o n d e d wel l a s Dr. Kool exper i enced w i t h a six-year-old, h e a l t h y hor se . A neckve in w a s opened a n d abou t six ounces of blood freely f lowed a w a y ; t h e n a compres s of ha i r of t h e scy th ian l a m b w a s la id on t h e w o u n d a n d sl ightly p re s sed d o w n w i t h t h e f ingers . After t h r e e m i n u t e s the b leeding s topped.
Dr. Kool a l so t e s t ed t h e Scy th i an L a m b , in a 28 y ea r s old u n m a r r i e d female w h o h a d suffered f rom pro longed m e n s t r u a l f luxes — up to t w o or t h r e e w e e k s — for over t w o yea r s . F i r s t Doctor Kool o r d e r e d h e r to t a k e a tab le spoonful of P e n g h a w a r d j amb i e x t r a c t every h o u r for t w o days . This d idn ' t he lp m u c h . W h e n h e m a d e a m o r e c o n c e n t r a t e d ex t rac t ion , however , speedy recovery took place . T h e i n t e n s e f luxes d id n o t r e c u r .
After t he pub l i ca t ion of h i s r e s u l t s in a smal l bookle t Investigation on the Penghawar djambi (1834) (11), t h e fern h a i r s w e r e i m p o r t e d f rom t h e Du tch E a s t I nd i e s by t h e D u t c h T r a d i n g Company . I n 1856 Agnus Scy t i cus o r P e n g h a w a r d j a m b i w a s officially e n t e r e d in to t h e Netherlands Pharmacopaeia.
I n a n d ou t s i de t h e N e t h e r l a n d s , phys ic ians s t a r t e d us ing t h e P e n g h a w a r D j a m b i as a s typt ic . The r e s u l t s w e r e genera l ly sa t i s fac tory .
One doc to r V inke f rom Len ingrad , for i n s t ance , c o m p a r e d t h e h e m o s t y p t i c r e s u l t s of P e n g h a w a r d jambi , of aga r i c a n d sponge. S p o n t a n e o u s c lot t ing t ook 20 m i n u t e s , c lo t t ing w i t h aga r i c 10 1/2 m i n u t e s , w i t h sponge 9 m i n u t e s , bu t w i t h t h e golden h a i r s only t w o m i n u t e s (22).
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In t he clinic of professor Mikul icz (1850-1905) P e n g h a w a r d j a m b i w a s generally-used as a po ten t hemos typ t i c . The g e r m a n f i rm of H a r t m a n n in H e i d e n h e i m , m a n u f a c t u r e r s of surg ica l d ress ings , m a r k e t e d a m i x t u r e of cot ton-wool a n d t h e golden fe rn u n d e r t he b r a n d n a m e of « P e n g h a w a r w a t t e ». Especia l ly in t h e Ear -Nose a n d T h r o a t D e p a r t m e n t s P e n g h a w a r co t tonwool p roved a we l l come addi t ion (12, 15).
The m e c h a n i s m on w h i c h t h e rap id c lo t t ing m i g h t b e based , w a s sti l l u n k n o w n . S o m e inves t iga to r s t h o u g h t it t o be due to capi l lary act iv i ty ; o t h e r s to swel l ing of the f ibres. A n o t h e r s t r e s sed t h e i m p o r t a n c e of t he res i l i ance of t h e h a i r s , w h i c h c a u s e d a f i rm compres s ion on t h e b leed ing vessels (12,15,16,21) .
Accord ing to the h e m o s t a t i c r e s e a r c h l abora to ry in Ut rech t , w h e r e I h a d a s ample t e s t ed a few days ago, t h e h a i r s exer t a s t rong agg lu t ina t ing inf luence on t h e t h r o m b o c y t e s . They do p r o m o t e t he c lo t t ing of t h e blood. T h e n w h y — it wil l be a sked — did th is vegetable h e m o s t y p t i c d i sappea r f rom t h e m e d i c a l scene ? One of t h e exp lana t ions m a y b e t h a t a t t h e end of t h e n i n e t e e n t h cen t u ry spores of t e t anusbac i l l i w e r e d i scovered in r a w ha i r s . However , no a c t u a l cases of infect ion h a v e been r epor t ed . T h e m a i n r e a s o n for i t s d i s appea rance is supposed to be its sca rc i ty in the w e s t e r n wor ld . In 1890 for in s t ance , an Indones i an C o m p a n y did no t succeed in filling an o r d e r of only 50 k i l o g r a m s . And so, t he d e m a n d g radua l ly decl ined.
In the F a r Eas t , in China a n d Indoch ina , the S c y t h i a n L a m b is stil l a favour i t e med ic ine (7,17). S o m e t i m e s t h e pa r t of t h e p lan t w i t h t h e golden h a i r s is sold in t he m a r k e t s of B a n g k o k a s The Golden Chicken »(5) . The buye r is p r e s e n t e d w i t h a p a m p h l e t in Tha i a n d Chinese , w h i c h in t r a n s l a t i o n r e a d s :
« This p lan t is sac red . I t shou ld be kep t in h o u s eh o l d s for good o m e n . Bes ides g rea t beau ty it a lso b r i n g s good luck...
T h e h a i r s of th i s p l an t c a n be u s e d a s a r e m e d y for va r ious in jur ies — s u c h as w o u n d s c a u s e d by a knife, axe a n d na i l s a n d even dog bi tes a n d scui~vy — ; by plac ing t h e h a i r s on t h e bleeding spot. »
But t h e n t h e leaflet u rges the buyer to m a k e a w i s h every t i m e before u s ing it as a r e m e d y .
Even to-day t h e golden h a i r s st i l l speak to t h e imag ina t ion .
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