David Castleton (Author) on Nostr: In medieval and early modern Europe, one of the most effective medicines for a range ...

In medieval and early modern Europe, one of the most effective medicines for a range of ailments was thought to be mummia. Found in almost every apothecary's shop across the continent, this substance was - quite simply - made from grinding up Ancient Egyptian mummies. People rubbed it on wounds and gulped it down in drinks. Mummia was believed to heal sicknesses as diverse as coughs, hysteria and epilepsy and to help in childbirth. Some of Europe's greatest minds praised the substance. Francis Bacon declared "mummy has great force in staunching the blood" while Robert Boyle believed it "one of the most useful medicines ... for falls and bruises." The French king Francois I took a pouch everywhere with him and maintained it could deal with headaches, stomach upsets and fractured bones. My article: https://www.davidcastleton.net/mummia-ancient-egyptian-mummies-medicine-mummy-brown-paint/ #history #medicine #weird #folklore #mythology #AncientEgypt #gothic #chemistry