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| Birch Bark Tar - Image used under GNU Free Documentation License. Original photo by user Iorre on Wikimedia Commons/ |
The use of birch bark tar in the Stone Ages (note the plural!) is well documented from gluing arrow points and fletching, to use as a form of chewing gum. Some of its properties are shared with pine resin - in that it is known to have antimicrobial properties A new study has suggested that birch bark tar may have been used in medicine by Neanderthal societies. This story was bought to my attention via ArchaeoSoup's ArchaeoScoop.
Humans have used naturally occurring substances in medical treatment for millennia, to varying degrees of effectiveness. Some natural remedies have been refined by the extraction of the active chemical ingredients which have then been adapted for various routes of administration. An obvious example would be the latex produced by the Eastern Poppy - which becomes first opium, then the basis for morphine, codeine, and other naturally occurring opiates, and synthetically produced o pioids such as fentanyl and buprenorphine. Others such as peppermint oil are still used in more or less the same way they have been in the past - for example peppermint oil encased in gastro-resistant capsules is used as a muscle relaxant for stomach cramps and acid reflux. The usage of naturally occurring substances as medicine has also been shown to potentially not be unique to humans - a recent study of monkey populations on the island of Gibraltar has shown the may engage in geophagy (the eating of soil) to counter the negative effects of eating discarded or stolen human food which contains too much salt, sugar, or both for their digestive system. Some even seek specific types of soil for this purpose.
Birch Bark Tar can be produced by a number of processes, and it has long been known that it shares some of the properties of pine resin. Pine resin is known to have both antimicrobial, antiseptic, and antifungal properties and is frequently referenced in survival and bushcraft guides. Past studies of birch bark tar refer to it by various names, including birch tar or birch resin. The tar can be produced in a number of ways - and different methods have been associated with different communities in a number of geographic and cultural contexts. Most revolve around heating the bar in an enclosed vessel or a covered pit. This study utilised three methods based on those which have survived in a range of cultures including the Mi'kmaq people in Nova Scotia, Canada, and the Saami people in Scandinavia. The study then tested the resulting 'gloop' against a number of bacteria - specifically S. Aureus and E. Coli. The birch tar proved effective against samples of S. Aureus, but ineffective against E. Coli. The authors of the study posit that the thin consistency birch tar which could have been used as a skin application to treat wounds would likely have been a biproduct of producing the tar for the hafting process - affixing heads to spears and fletching to arrows, etc.
As both authors are keen to note - Neanderthal communities practices what we would recognise as medicine in a variety of ways - quoting directly:
This study on birch tar’s affordances for wound care sits in the context of a surge in interest in Neanderthal life beyond stone tools. Structures of care are increasingly recognised as an essential part of Pleistocene life, and numerous scholars have now published on neglected aspects of Neanderthal care.
What is significant from a scientific perspective is that the tar shows varying degrees of antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus - a bacterial infection often associated with wound infections. This is important because S. aureus is rapidly developing antibiotic resistance - potentially becoming resistant to all classes currently used. As such any potential antibacterial is a useful development. This is not the first case of an ancient substance being found to have antibiotic properties - with the most well known being the case of the eye salve recipe from Bald's Leechbook which was researched as part of the AncientBiotics project at the University of Nottingham.
This finding provides great insight into neanderthal life, and also adds weight to the argument that we should perhaps consider antibiotics from historical contexts in more details.
The research behind the findings concerning the Neanderthal 'gloop' can be found here.
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