Herbal treatment of the urinary system diseases based on 16(th) and 17(th) century herbals in Poland.

The medicinal use of herbs is a principal achievement of human ingenuity. The most renowned doctors of antiquity: Hippocrates, Dioscorides, Theophrastus, Pliny the Elder and Galen mentioned herbs in their works. The first printed herbal was published in Mainz in 1485. Outstanding scientists e.g. Otto Brunfels, Hieronymus Bock, Leonard Fuchs and Andreo Mattiola published herbals in the 16th century. Polish doctors also contributed to the development of herbal treatment. The first work: Of Herbs and their Potency by Stefan Falimirz, published in 1534, triggered other publications in the 16th century, the age of herbals. In 1542, Hieronymus Spiczynski published a herbal: Of Local and Overseas Herbs and their Potency. Then, in 1568, Marcin Siennik published his: Herbal, which is the Description of Local and Overseas Herbs, their Potency and Application. In 1595, Marcin of Urzedow published: The Polish Herbal, the Books of Herbs. Completed in mid-16th century, it was only published 22 years after his death. The last work discussed is Herbal Known in Latin as published in 1613 by Simon Syrenius a graduate of Ingolstadt and Padua universities and lecturer at the Academy of Krakow. The work was Europes most complete elaboration on herbal treatment. The herbs described in the herbals worked as diuretics, demulcents, analgesics, relaxants and preventives of kidney stones. Published in Polish, they are still to be found in Poland. All the works presented herein are held by the Library of the Seminary of Wloclawek, and the Ossolinski National Institute in Wroclaw.

[Oswald Schwarz: a pioneer in psychosomatic urology and sexual medicine]. / Oswald Schwarz : Ein Pionier der psychosomatischen Urologie und Sexualmedizin.

Oswald Schwarz, a urologist from Vienna, was a scholar of Anton Ritter von Frisch and Hans Rubritius. As a physician during World War I, he was confronted with numerous bullet wounds to the spinal cord. In 1919, he completed his professorial thesis"Bladder dysfunction as a result of bullet wounds to the spinal cord". Oswald Schwarz was known as a committed surgeon. As an urologist he also treated patients with sexual dysfunction. Besides his practical and scientific urology-related work, he was also interested in psychology and philosophy. He held lectures on both subjects earning himself the nickname, the Urosoph. In the 1920s, Oswald Schwarz belonged to the inner circle of Alfred Adler, the founder of Individual Psychology, and was editor of the first psychosomatic textbook published in German, "Psychological origin and psychotherapy of physical symptoms" (1925). In addition, Schwarz wrote numerous articles and several books on sexual medicine. He also made many valuable contributions to the development of medical anthropology. Altogether, his work includes over 130 publications. Faced with the rise of fascism and National Socialism in Europe, Oswald Schwarz, who was of Jewish origin, emigrated to England in 1934. There he died in 1949. Unfortunately his scientific work has largely been forgotten. The aim of the following article is to remind us of his important contributions to the field.

Neem (Azadirachta indica): prehistory to contemporary medicinal uses to humankind.

The divine tree neem (Azadirachta indica) is mainly cultivated in the Indian subcontinent. Neem has been used extensively by humankind to treat various ailments before the availability of written records which recorded the beginning of history. The world health organization estimates that 80% of the population living in the developing countries relies exclusively on traditional medicine for their primary health care. More than half of the world's population still relies entirely on plants for medicines, and plants supply the active ingredients of most traditional medical products. The review shows the neem has been used by humankind to treat various ailments from prehistory to contemporary.

[Urology and Psychosomatics. A historical summary]. / Urologie und Psychosomatik. Ein geschichtlicher Abriss.

The investigation and description of psychosomatic interrelationships has a long tradition in the field of urology. At the beginning of last century, psychosomatic theories and therapies involving urologic questions were developed, some of which are still part of current therapeutic strategies. Numerous studies accentuated the need for a psychosomatic diagnostics and therapy of urologic diseases. The appreciation of psychosomatic urology is growing, a fact which is reflected in current urological teaching curricula.

Enrique IV de Castilla: el peso histórico de una disfunción eréctil / Enrique IV from Castilla: the historic importance of an erectile dysfunction

No disponible

[The concept of illness and kidney diseases in Nahuatl medicine. Synthesis of Mesoamerican pre-Columbian medicine]. / El concepto de enfermedad y de los padecimientos del riñón en la medicina náhuatl. Síntesis de la medicina precolombina mesoamericana.

Medicine in Mesoamerican cultures began in the year 1,500 BC and ended with the conquest and destruction of Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1521 by the Spanish conquerors. Mesoamerica began with the Olmec civilization followed by the Teotihuacans, Toltecs and Mayans, and perished during the Nahoa empire. The medicine used by the Aztecs (ticiotl) is undoubtedly the sum of all Mesoamerican medicine. The medical history of the ticiotl was recovered in the years that followed the conquest from the works of Bernardino de Sahagún, Francisco Hernández and the Cruz-Badiano codex. All these works described the use of plants and herbs in the treatment of diseases, including edema, urinary retention, kidney stones, and podagra. The Aztec doctors (Titici) were well acquainted with innumerable diseases and were excellent healers of wounds and fractures. The works of modern historians confirm the theory of the ticiotl medicine. The later used a complex and philosophically elaborated medical theory based on, religion, astronomy, divination and the polarity cold/warm; different from the four humor theory of galenic medicine. They demonstrated that every culture is capable of understanding and "inventing" the meaning of disease and its cure, even when it is different from our modern medical views.

Exorcisms used for treatment of urinary tract diseases in Greece during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Using an unpublished 16th century manuscript as a pilot case, we examined the role of the formal Christian rituals and of hybrid semi-Christian semi-pagan exorcistic writings in curing renal ailments. It was found that in spite of the changing religious and cultural orthodoxy in the lands around the Eastern Mediterranean Basin, people did adhere to their belief in divine intervention when they were suffering from renal and/or other afflictions. We traced the origin of these beliefs at least to the preclassical period, and its continuation well beyond the Renaissance. The same practice applied both to nephrological diseases of humans (clergy and laymen alike) and of animals. We also present several interesting works of art from the palaeo-Christian to the post-Byzantine era supporting our theses.

Pre-Columbian medicine and the kidney.

Medicine in Mesoamerican cultures began in the year 1500 BC and ended with the conquest and destruction of Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1521 by Spain. Mesoamerica started with the Olmec civilization followed by the Teoitihuacanes, Toltecs, and Mayas and perished with the Nahoa Empire. The medicine used by the Aztecs (ticiotl) is undoubtedly the sum of all Mesoamerican medicine. The medical history of the ticiotl was recovered in the years that followed the conquest from the works of Bernardino de Sahagún and Francisco Hernández and the Cruz-Badiano codex. All these works describe the use of plants and herbs in the treatment of diseases, including, edema, urinary retention, kidney stones, and podagra. The Aztec doctors (titicih) were also well acquainted with innumerable diseases and were excellent healers of wounds and fractures. The works of modern historians confirm the theory of the ticiotl medicine and its application by the titicih and define the differences between the hippocratic-galenic medicine and the ticiotl medicine. The latter used a complex and philosophically elaborated medical theory based on the polarity cold/warm, different from the four-humor theory. They demonstrate that every culture is capable to understand and 'invent' the meaning of disease and its cure, even when it is different from our modern medical views.