Posted on 09/02/2010 8:10:50 AM PDT by decimon
A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer. The finding is the strongest evidence yet that the art of making antibiotics, which officially dates to the discovery of penicillin in 1928, was common practice nearly 2,000 years ago.
The research, led by Emory anthropologist George Armelagos and medicinal chemist Mark Nelson of Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
“We tend to associate drugs that cure diseases with modern medicine,” Armelagos says. “But it’s becoming increasingly clear that this prehistoric population was using empirical evidence to develop therapeutic agents. I have no doubt that they knew what they were doing.”
Armelagos is a bioarcheologist and an expert on prehistoric and ancient diets. In 1980, he discovered what appeared to be traces of tetracycline in human bones from Nubia dated between A.D. 350 and 550, populations that left no written record. The ancient Nubian kingdom was located in present-day Sudan, south of ancient Egypt.
Armelagos and his fellow researchers later tied the source of the antibiotic to the Nubian beer. The grain used to make the fermented gruel contained the soil bacteria streptomyces, which produces tetracycline. A key question was whether only occasional batches of the ancient beer contained tetracycline, which would indicate accidental contamination with the bacteria.
Nelson, a leading expert in tetracycline and other antibiotics, became interested in the project after hearing Armelagos speak at a conference. “I told him to send me some mummy bones, because I had the tools and the expertise to extract the tetracycline,” Nelson says. “It’s a nasty and dangerous process. I had to dissolve the bones in hydrogen fluoride, the most dangerous acid on the planet.”
The results stunned Nelson. “The bones of these ancient people were saturated with tetracycline, showing that they had been taking it for a long time,” he says. “I’m convinced that they had the science of fermentation under control and were purposely producing the drug.”
Even the tibia and skull belonging to a 4-year-old were full of tetracycline, suggesting that they were giving high doses to the child to try and cure him of illness, Nelson says.
The first of the modern day tetracyclines was discovered in 1948. It was given the name auereomycin, after the Latin word “aerous,” which means containing gold. “Streptomyces produce a golden colony of bacteria, and if it was floating on a batch of beer, it must have look pretty impressive to ancient people who revered gold,” Nelson theorizes.
The ancient Egyptians and Jordanians used beer to treat gum disease and other ailments, Armelagos says, adding that the complex art of fermenting antibiotics was probably widespread in ancient times, and handed down through generations.
The chemical confirmation of tetracycline in ancient bones is not the end of the story for Armelagos. He remains enthused after more than three decades on the project. “This opens up a whole new area of research,” he says. “Now we’re going to compare the amount of tetracycline in the bones, and bone formation over time, to determine the dosage that the ancient Nubians were getting.”
Head up ping.
Beer ping.
Beer is good for you ping.
“So, have we any antibiotic beer today?”
Not on purpose. Bacteria in beer = bad beer.
I don’t know what the common types of yeast produce.
I was perscribed Tetracycline by my dermatologist for acne treatment. It worked very well except now there are commercials on TV asking if I would like to participate in a class action lawsuit against the drug maker. I don’t care what the side effects are/were, it greatly improved my life.
It would have been nice to administer through beer instead of pill form.
This is no secret. Dilluted beer (just enough to still be hydrating) was the drink of choice in 17th-18th century England, to prevent disease.
alcohol is an antiseptic..
OTOH, our forebears (five, I raise you one) were subject to a host of mysterious plagues and epidemics on a regular basis. Maybe some of their brewing accidents had less than these happy results.
I'd be more impressed if our ancestors had figured out Malaria, or Typhus on a shorter schedule.
My wife spent her early years in Communist China, where tetracycline was passed around like candy for any illness. I don't know of other side-effects, but it tends to make bones ie) teeth, gray and discolored. You can clearly identify someone in their 30's and 40's from the generation having what they call "tetracycline teeth."
Further proof that beer is good for you.
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Gods |
Thanks decimon and Kenny Bunk. |
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· Discover · Bronze Age Forum · Science Daily · Science News · Eurekalert · PhysOrg · · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google · · Archaeology · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · · History topic · history keyword · archaeology keyword · paleontology keyword · · Science topic · science keyword · Books/Literature topic · pages keyword · · |
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Gods |
Thanks decimon and Kenny Bunk. |
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· Discover · Bronze Age Forum · Science Daily · Science News · Eurekalert · PhysOrg · · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google · · Archaeology · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · · History topic · history keyword · archaeology keyword · paleontology keyword · · Science topic · science keyword · Books/Literature topic · pages keyword · · |
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I wonder if this might convince my wife that beer is really medicine and good for us?
Could be an interesting thread.
Beer and health related ping !
Beer is good for you and it makes you smart.
After all, it made Budweiser ;>)
Cheers,
knewshound
Just be careful what you say to these drunkards. ;-)
Ah, but they’re healthy drunkards.
And, of course for even more reasons to drink beer, there’s this one from last week:
Study: Moderate Drinking Helps Middle-Aged and Older People Live Longer
Updated: Friday, 27 Aug 2010, 3:48 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 27 Aug 2010, 3:48 PM CDT
AUSTIN, Texas — Moderate drinking, about one to two drinks per day, reduces mortality among older and middle-aged adults, according to new research from The University of Texas at Austin.
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