THE GUAIAC TREE:
From syphilis to blood
detection
In 1496 a new disease
broke out in Italy, producing large, disfiguring, sores over the body. It
emerged after an invasion by Charles VIII of France followed by a severe winter
of heavy snowstorms and floods, destroyed crops, and a malnourished population.
But the French troops got the blame, hence the name “the French disease”,
though some called it the Spanish or the Neapolitan disease. It surged through
Europe when the troops went home.
Treatments varied, but
were oriented toward removing morbific material by means of bleeding, purging
and, quite prevalent, “sweating” in enclosed hot fixtures. Soon mercury, both
topical and ingested, came into practice, with its attendant symptoms of
mercury poisoning.
Eventually the idea surfaced that the disease
originated in America and reports came of a concoction used by the natives of
Hispaniola – an extract of the guaiacum tree – that produced miraculous cures.
News of the remarkable remedy soon reached the emperor Maximilian I who ordered
his chancellor, Cardinal Matthew Lang, to send a commission to Spain to
investigate. The members of this commission are not known for certain, but
almost certainly one was Dr. Nicolaus Pol. Pol was court physician to the
emperor, a theologian, and a bibliophile.
guaiac tree |
Nicolaus Pol published a
tract on the use of the guaiac wood that appeared between 1517 and 1519. In it
he clearly stipulates, bowing to Galenic theory, that before taking the guaiac
potion the body must be “purged of offending humors”, the exact methods left up
to the physician. This to be followed by 3 days of reduced dietary intake. Then
comes a 30-day course of twice daily ingestions of a liquid made from the wood.
After the morning dose the patient should be in bed, covered with blankets, to
sweat. Dietary intake is gradually increased and sexual intercourse forbidden.
The wood went under many names, common ones being lignum vitae or lignum
sanctum.
To make the concoction a
pound of guaiac wood was cut into small pieces and boiled in 12 pounds of water
until half was boiled off. A dose of ½ pound of the liquid was administered
twice daily, altogether requiring 5 pounds of the wood for a 30-day course. The
foam accumulating on the top was skimmed off, dried, and used as a powder on
the sores.
Another, and more
well-known treatise on the treatment was published by the German poet-laureate
and humanist Ulrich von Hutten, appearing in 1519. (David Starr Jordan, first president of
Stanford, was so
Ulrich von Hütten (Wikipedia) |
Jacob Fugger by Albrecht Dürer (Wikipedia) |
Finally, Fracastorio, in
his treatise on syphilis, also praised the benefits of the wood. The treatment
was expensive, though, and over time fell out of favor, yielding once again to
Mercury.
There are 3 varieties of
guaiacum tree, 2 of which were probably used. The wood is hard and heavy,
sinking in water, and has been used for mallets, bowling balls, ball bearings,
and for propeller shaft bearings in steamships (they outlast steel). It grows
in the Caribbean and adjacent shores and is a good shade tree. An extract of
the resin of the tree is the basis of the “Guaiac Test” for occult blood,
something else that is fading into medical history.
Sources:
Muinger, R S. Guaiacum: The holy
wood from the New World. J
Hist Med All Sci 1949, 4: 196-249.
von Hutten, U. De Morbo
Gallico (English Translation), 1730.
Fisch, M H. 1946. Nicolaus
Pol Doctor 1494.
Arrizabalaga, J, et al. The
Great Pox: The French Disease in
Renaissance Europe.1997.
Record, S J. Lignum-Vitae: A
study of the woods…., 1921.
Jordan, D S. 1910. Ulrich
von Hutten: "Knight of the order of
poets".
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