/oss/taxonomy/term/1136/all en /oss/article/medical-student-contributors-did-you-know/seawater-really-antidote-cuts-and-scrapes <p>Recently, a carpet burn removed the epidermis, the top layer of my skin, of my upper middle finger. It left a large open wound on my hand. Fortunately, I was close to the ocean so I could swim in the seawater to speed up the healing process, or so I thought.</p> Fri, 19 Jul 2024 12:29:17 +0000 Daniela Padres 10005 at /oss /oss/article/health-history/symbol-healing <p>A snake coiled around a staff is a widely recognized symbol of healing.  The staff belongs to Asklepios, the mythical Greek god of medicine.  In ancient Greece the sick would go to be healed at shrines called “asklepieia” where priests often used sacred serpents in their ceremonies.  Whether the snakes just scared people into feeling better, or were actually used in treatment, is not clear, but Italian researchers have now examined the healing potential of the "four-lined snake" commonly found in the area.  The research was prompted by an ancient relief showing contact between a boy’s wound</p> Fri, 03 Jan 2014 20:05:44 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2057 at /oss /oss/article/health-history-news/joe-schwarcz-great-scientific-advance-started-deodorizing-gut-factories <p>To put it bluntly, Louis XVIII stank. It wasn’t from improper hygiene, although French kings weren’t particularly noted for their love of baths. The culprit was the gangrene oozing from his legs. When poor Louis finally passed away, the odour was so foul that something had to be done before the body could be properly prepared for burial.</p> Sun, 14 Jul 2013 16:53:04 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1984 at /oss