Animal recipes that reach parts no others can
REGULAR readers will recall that last week I tried in vain to find some real ‘unnatural history’ about the mackerel, and hopefully they will be pleased to know that I found no such trouble digging up the uncommon about the weasel.
I watched a weasel this morning running in and out of a stone wall on Redgate; an absolute beauty in the sunlight with not a care in the world - quite unlike some of its ancestors who had more than the occasional owl to worry about.
Take this from a medical treatise on contraception in the 14th century.
“If one takes the two testicles of a weasel and wraps them up, binding them to the thigh of a woman who wears also a weasel bone on her person, she will no longer conceive’.”
From the same era, with a slight difference and to be worn around the neck, a special amulet made from the testicles of a weasel (you’d need both), and/or bone removed from the right side of a completely black cat. It had to be black as a hint of another colour would render the method useless. For added efficacy it was recommended that earwax from a mule was also applied.
Curiosity got the better of me and I continued my research into the subject, purely in the interest of my readers you understand, and believe me, it made interesting reading.
Alarmingly, it seems that in ancient days crocodile droppings were used as a diaphragm, after first rolling them into a ball and combining them with a spoon of honey.
The theory behind it was that the alkaline properties of the faeces would prevent the pregnancy. As for the honey, that’s anybody’s guess.
Sixteenth century Canadians produced a very interesting, if unpalatable, cocktail of dried beaver testicles and alcohol. They ground the male beavers’ private parts to fine powder and then added very strong moonshine to the mixture. People would then drink this; maybe the alcohol helped them to forget what they were drinking. Unfortunately it was not recorded whether the man or woman should take the concoction.
Animal intestines were once used as an early version of the condom.
For example, in the 1400s the original Chinese and Japanese version used lamb intestines that were sometimes soaked with milk.
There are also early records of pig intestines being used in the same way, and you could also find Japanese condoms made from animal horn and tortoise shell.
The flower Pennyroyal, from the mint family, served many purposes to the Ancient Romans and Greeks, including birth control.
An early record from Dioscorides, a firstcentury physician, on herbal medicine includes this method.
A naturally-occurring plant compound called pulegone found in Pennyroyal is now known to be toxic, and can cause seizures, induce a coma, cause liver and cardiovascular failure, and can injure multiple organs (and quickly, too). It may also stimulate the uterus to terminate a pregnancy, but it may also kill you in the process.
Without a doubt, it would appear that some things should definitely be left in the past.
Next week, I discover a more palatable side to weasel natural history.