Christopher Duffin - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Christopher Duffin

Proceedings of the Geologists' Association

There is renewed interest in a series of Carnian-aged sandstone units across the UK because they ... more There is renewed interest in a series of Carnian-aged sandstone units across the UK because they represent a unique event in the Late Triassic, the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE), from 233 to 232 Ma. The North Curry Sandstone Member of the Mercia Mudstone Group in Somerset is of particular importance because it yielded a rich fauna of shark, bony fish and amphibian remains in coarse-grained sandstones to Charles Moore in the 1860s. However, the exact location and age of his important collection had not been identified. Here, we demonstrate that the Moore collection comes from the North Curry Sandstone Member in a location in the village of Ruishton, just east of Taunton, where a new road cutting reveals both the bone-rich units and a complete succession through the CPE, a time of major climatic and biotic upheaval. The 16 m section comprises several sandstones interbedded with red-green mudstones, representing a terrestrial environment with lacustrine, evaporitic mud flat and fluvial deposits.

Pharmaceutical historian, 2015

AMHA - Acta Medico-Historica Adriatica

The organic mineraloid gemstone, amber, a fossilized resin collected from Eocene deposits laid do... more The organic mineraloid gemstone, amber, a fossilized resin collected from Eocene deposits laid down around 44 million years old on the Baltic coast, has been an important geopharmaceutical in the western materia medica since classical times. Once rendered into powdered form, it could be delivered into the body using a wide range of vehicles including lozenges, pills, tablets, troches, electuaries, solutions and lohochs (lick-pots), and with toast and poached eggs. Acting either alone or in combination with a wide range of botanical, zoological and other geological ingredients, it was employed in the treatment of a huge range of diseases. Most prominent among these were various vascular disorders (e.g. haemoptysis, haemorrhage, excessive menstrual bleeding), problems with the urogenital system (e.g. tendency towards miscarriage, impotence, venereal diseases, strangury, dysuria and bladder stones) and alimentary conditions, particularly dysentery. A variety of infectious diseases, including plague, gonorrhoea, measles and fevers could be targeted with amber-containing preparations, as could epilepsy, melancholy and the ravages of old age. Rather more unusual applications included its use in the treatment of impotence, halitosis, drunkenness and a weak back.

Pharmaceutical historian, 2012

Atti della Società italiana di scienze naturali e del Museo civico di storia naturale di Milano, 1991

Geological Curator

This document is a copy of the following article published by the Geological Curators' Group. It ... more This document is a copy of the following article published by the Geological Curators' Group. It is provided for non-commercial research and educational use. Copyright of this article remains with the author(s). Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited unless agreed in advance. This cover page must be included as an integral part of any copies of this document. Geological collections are an irreplaceable part of our scientific and cultural heritage. The Geological Curators' Group is dedicated to their better care, maintenance and use.

Toxicology in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, 2017

Abstract The teeth of fossil sharks (Glossopetrae), especially those of the Miocene giant Otodus ... more Abstract The teeth of fossil sharks (Glossopetrae), especially those of the Miocene giant Otodus megalodon, have a long pedigree of use as supposed prophylactics, detectors, and neutralizers of poisons. Medieval lapidaries stated that silver-mounted teeth indicated poisons by sweating or changing color. Shark tooth pendants were also used to dress natternzungenbaum or languiers—high status items of table plate, usually in the form of gold, silver, or coral trees from whose branches the “serpent’s tongues” were hung. Individual teeth were dipped in wine to detect and neutralize any toxins present. Such items of tableware were recorded in royal, papal, and noblemen’s inventories from the mid-13th century onward. Malta was the main center of glossopetra production, advertising their qualities by means of handbills. Shark’s teeth were also a component in the alexipharmic Goa Stones produced by Jesuit missionaries to India from the mid-16th century onward.

Gregorová, R., Bohatý, M., Stehlíková, D., Duffin, Ch., 2020: “Crapaudine” (Scheenstia teeth) – t... more Gregorová, R., Bohatý, M., Stehlíková, D., Duffin, Ch., 2020: “Crapaudine” (Scheenstia teeth) – the jewel of Kings. – Acta Musei Moraviae, Scientiae geologicae, 105, 2, 277–294 (with Czech summary). “Crapaudine”1 (Scheenstia teeth) – the jewel of Kings Two inconspicuous brown stones in the crown on the reliquary bust of Charlemagne held in the Treasury of Aachen Cathedral are set next to cameos, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones. Rather unusually, they are the button-shaped teeth of a Mesozoic fish called Scheenstia (Lepidotes) maximus (WAGNER, 1863). In the Middle Ages, the prevailing belief was that these stones came from the heads of ancient toads and they were attributed magical, protective and healing powers on the basis of sympathetic medicine. The most important of these fabulous properties was the ability to detect and neutralize poisons. This paper presents a short chronological overview of the historical records of toad stones from Antiquity to the emergence of sci...

The historical links between geology and medicine are surprisingly numerous and diverse. This, th... more The historical links between geology and medicine are surprisingly numerous and diverse. This, the first ever volume dedicated to the subject, contains contributions from an international authorship of geologists, historians and medical professionals. Rocks, minerals, fossils and earths have been used therapeutically since earliest times and details recorded on ancient papyri, clay tablets, medieval manuscripts and early published sources. Pumice was used to clean teeth, antimony to heal wounds, clays as antidotes to poison, gold to cure haemorrhoids and warts, and gem pastes to treat syphilis and the plague, while mineral springs preserved health. Geology was crucial in the development of public health. Medical men who made important contributions to geology include Steno, Worm, Parkinson, Bigsby, William Hunter, Jenner, John Hulke, Conan Doyle, Gorini and various Antarctic explorers. A History of Geology and Medicine will be of particular interest to Earth scientists, medical pers...

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2021

ABSTRACT Phoebodont-like teeth originally described as Phoebodus brodiei and Phoebodus keuperinus... more ABSTRACT Phoebodont-like teeth originally described as Phoebodus brodiei and Phoebodus keuperinus from the Upper Triassic of England and Germany, respectively, are attributed to a new genus Keuperodus of the family Jalodontidae. The characteristic features of all jalodontid genera are re-examined leading to the conclusion that this group formed a separate, distinct chondrichthyan evolutionary line for which a new order, the Jalodontiformes is established. The jalodontid dentition evolved from a homodont-like type to one which was markedly heterodont.

Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte, 1982