Volume 5, Issue 2, April 2015, Pages 75–80
Open Access
Review article
Scorpion sting prevention and treatment in ancient Iran
- Open Access funded by Center for Food and Biomolecules, National Taiwan University
- Under a Creative Commons license
Abstract
Due
to the medical and therapeutic importance of scorpions in Iranian
traditional medicine, this review was conducted on the treatment of
scorpion sting as performed by traditional healers in order to realize
complications, clinical manifestations, diversities, and deficiencies in
the prevention, control, and treatment as mentioned in the pertained
literatures. This study tried to make known and investigate attitudes of
the Iranian national and traditional medicine towards controlling these
venomous animals. Keywords and articles were searched through relevant
sites on the Internet. We investigated different journals and references
for the Iranian traditional medicine. Based on the articles and books
found, we tried to find suitable solutions to problems from the
viewpoint of traditional medicine. Scorpion sting dates back to ancient
Iran and has been widely reflected in the resources of Iranian
traditional medicine. The traditional medicine offers various guidelines
that can be beneficial in this respect. New attitude towards scorpion
sting with regard to traditional medicine resources can enhance control
and prevention of scorpion stings. Consequently, this attitude leads
authorities and researchers to a decreased level of scorpion stings or
related consequences.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Iran;
- scorpion;
- sting;
- traditional medicine;
- treatment
1. Introduction
Scorpions are fascinating animals. Their venom with various potentialities has made them look both scary and fascinating.1
The venom of some species of scorpion has a remarkable impact on
religious attitudes, concepts, and views of different societies in the
east and west. These beliefs and conceptions were very common in old
societies. Also, they are believed by a few traditional groups in some
parts of the world.2 Ancient Egyptians believed that scorpions were created through decomposed corpses, crocodiles, and lizards.3
According to an Algerian legend, a king built a palace for his son.
Astrologists had foretold that the son would die one day by a scorpion
sting. Therefore, they built the palace using totally smooth and
flattened stones to be impenetrable by scorpions. One day, a basket of
grapes with a scorpion hidden in it was brought to the prince. The
prince was then stung by the scorpion while eating the grapes. Such
legends describe to some extent the story of how the human is stung by
scorpions.4
The same story has been repeated in the province of Khuzestan, Iran.
Relatives of an authority in Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical
Sciences (AJUMS) took some vegetables for him. His spouse was stung by a
scorpion while cleaning them, and lost her life some days later. This
story confirms that most of the legends originate from reality.5
Treatment
of those stung by venomous animals and their safety in ancient Iran has
contributed to the formation of various stories and legends.
Mithridates VI was a cautious man and because he was afraid of being
poisoned by his solders, he was accustomed to use some poison in his
food every day. The king was coincidentally defeated by the Romans;
then, he decided to commit suicide. However, whatever poison he ate he
did not succeed, so he ordered one of his soldiers to stab him. It seems
that getting accustomed to a little and then gradually more amounts of
poison has been common in ancient Iran. On this occasion, Mithridates VI
is known as the first immunologist in Iran. Mithradatism is the
practice of protecting oneself against a poison by gradually
self-administrating nonlethal amounts for the body to become accustomed
to the poison. Later, Galen made an antidote and named it Therikos
Mithridatus.6
In countries such as Sudan, scorpions are put in sesame oil to make
medicine for those stung by scorpions. This oil is rubbed on the site of
sting.1
Scorpion
sting is one of the main health problems in developing, tropical, and
subtropical countries causing immense clinical consequences and
sometimes death.7
The status of scorpion sting varies in different regions and countries
due to lifestyle, economic–social status, residential status, way of
providing health services, and species present in every geographical
area.
Scorpion sting is one of the main medical concerns of some African, Middle Eastern, Eastern, and Central American countries.8 Mexico has the highest rate of scorpion sting and mortalities.9 A total of 300,000 cases of scorpion sting are reported annually in Mexico.10 In 1995, 7000 cases of scorpion stings occurred in Brazil, and 1% were fatal despite receiving antivenom serum.11
Scorpion stings constitute 40,000 cases of medical problems in Tunisia
every year. No evidence has been found regarding efficacy of antivenom
serums in treating scorpion sting.12 Morocco is faced with 40,000 cases of scorpion stings annually.13 More than 20 species of scorpion exist in the Arabian Peninsula and their stings result in death in some cases,14 and 86 species of scorpions has been found in India. The mortality rate of scorpion stings has been 3–22% for children.15
Iran, due to its climate and weather, is very rich in arthropods especially scorpions.5
Iran is one of the countries with a vast variety of scorpions,
especially dangerous species. Reports of scorpion stings are obviously
notable in the old Iranian sources. To treat stings, different drugs
under the name of antidotes, applying medicines, and ointments have been
introduced. These varieties of medicines prove that scorpion sting has
always been a main medical concern in the previous historical eras.16
In a manuscript dated 1908 AD, cities such as Tehran, Ghazvin, Ghom,
Kashan, Tafresh, Khoramshahr, Ahvaz, Soleymanieh, Korestan, Kerman,
Bampour, Shoushtar, and Shahroud have been mentioned as the cities with
the most scorpion stings and related problems.4 This confirms the deep-rooted dominance of scorpions in Iran.5 Also, in recent decades, cases of scorpion stings and related mortalities are being reported annually in Iran.17 Thus, it can be said that arthropods are the most dangerous venomous animals in Iran.
Scorpions
have been long known in Iran due to their stings; therefore, there is
considerable need for the prevention or treatment of their stings. In
the traditional sources and texts, ways of treatment, and getting rid of
and destroying scorpions have been discussed in detail. At present, the
main way for treating scorpion sting (of any species) in the world and
Iran is the use of antivenom serum, which has been under question in the
treatment of some cases.18
Due to the significance of scorpion sting in the world and Iran in
particular, study of this matter along with the related therapeutic
methods especially in the light of ancient and traditional medicine of
Iran is of vital importance. Therefore, our aim is to find applied
methods proposed in the traditional medicine to manage and handle the
problem, at least in parts of the world.
2. Methods
This
descriptive review was done by searching keywords such as traditional
medicine, scorpion sting, and treatment of scorpion sting through
relevant websites, specialized journals, articles, and books. All the
articles and sources covering detailed and technical description of
scorpion sting and its treatment, traditional medicine, prevention and
control of dangerous species were studied; and the rest were excluded.
Articles not related directly to the study and those studying other
aspects of scorpions such as the biochemical aspect of venom, were
omitted. All articles and reference books published in the past 30 years
in the Persian scientific journals were studied and finally different
points of view of various authors about prevention, control, and
treatment of scorpion sting in the traditional medicine were offered.
Out of 85 sources, 47 were selected and analyzed based on their
potentiality and usefulness.
