Omega-3 and palm fat have been relevant for centuries
University College London investigates the use of animal and vegetable fats in medicine from 1500 to 1750 in collaboration with the Huygens Institute
The five-year project, ‘The Fats of Life’, is based at University College London and involves collaboration with the Huygens Institute. It looks at the use of animal and vegetable fats in medicine from 1500 to 1750 from multiple perspectives. The Wellcome Trust is funding the project with £ 400,000 (€ 458,688).
Image: plastic bottles of palm oil (2019). Palm oil is extracted from ripe palm fruits that are cooked, crushed, puréed and heated to extract the oil. Photo: Amuzujoe, Wiki Commons.
This research analyses how ‘new’ fats, such as whale oil and palm oil, enabled the development of new medical remedies for treating humans and animals.
Researcher Holly Fletcher delves into multiple historical sources, including those digitally accessible via GLOBALISE from the IISG and the Huygens Institute. Her aim is to compile an international ‘pharmacopoeia’: an overview of historical fats and their properties, such as smell and melting point, which determined their application.
She is also examining the global trade in fats and its influence on medicine and healthcare practices.
Multispecies approach
The project considers not only medical care for humans, but also for animals. During the early modern period, health was considered a universal concern, with a clear awareness of the interdependence between species.
Hunters and hunting dogs together on a ship. This image is taken from the manuscript ‘Von der Hirsch Schweins, Hasen, Fuchs vnd Dachs Jagt’ (On the Hunting of Deer, Boar, Hares, Foxes and Badgers), c. 1550–1580, preserved in the Sächsische Landesbibliothek, Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden.
Experimental research
In addition to theoretical analysis, dozens of historical recipes are being reconstructed and tested experimentally. Some fats, such as whale oil, are no longer in use today. Although omega-3, an important component of whale oil, is still used in the wellness industry. Palm oil remains relevant today in food, medicines, and skin care ointments and creams.
