Folklore in Antiquity

Folklore, Folklorism, and Synchronization: Preserved-Created Folklore in Israel

Hubble-bubble in Iranian Folklore

Hubble-bubble has been the most common device for smoking tobacco in Iran and its neighboring. It has a folkloric name in every region. Hubble-bubble consists of a glass pitcher or pottery at the bottom, a wooden body in the middle, a wooden or plastic tube attached to the body for puffing, and a censer at the top to put tobacco and charcoal. Puffing causes the charcoal to catch fire and the to...

Synovial fluid in antiquity.

7 Hall N D, Gillan A H. Effects of antirheumatic drugs on protein sulphydryl reactivity of human serum. J Pharm Pharmacol 1979; 31: 676-80. 8 Jellum E, Munthe E, Guldal G, Aaseth J. Fate of the gold and the thiomalate part after intramuscular administration of aurothiomalate to mice. Ann Rheum Dis 1980; 39: 155-8. 9 Munthe E, Guldal G, Jellum E. Increased intracellular glutathione during penici...

Breast cancer in antiquity.

Cancer of the breast, seen by Galen as the commonest cancer of his time, was probably first mentioned by Hippocrates in the 5th century BC. A single case history was described but no specific treatment mentioned. For centuries no further cases were described, until Cato, 2nd century BC, advocated cabbage poultices for all tumours and breast cancer in particular. Aëtius of Amida probably first d...

The Scorpion in Muslim Folklore

In the dry zone between North Africa and South Asia scorpions have caught the imagination of nomads and sedentary people in various ways. First of all, venomous scorpions have long been considered as embodiments of evil, but also as protectors to counter the powers of other evil forces. This is reμected in beliefs, in pictorial representations of oriental art from early historic periods, and in...