"The Scallop Shells Carried by Pilgrims" - Medicinal Use by Peter of Spain
Keywords:
Saint James Way, Scallop shells, Peter of Spain, Coral, Calcium carbonate
Abstract
Petrus Hispanus, also known as Peter of Spain (c. 1210-1277 CE), was a Portuguese physician who later became Pope John XXI. In his work Thesaurus Pauperum (Treasure of the Poor), which was one of the most popular books during the Middle Ages, he mentioned that "scallop shells carried by the pilgrims" could be used to manage menstrual overflow. He adapted this recipe from the Arabic physician Avicenna (c. 980–1037 CE). Interestingly, this leads us to consider the medicinal use of coral as well. Current scientific knowledge indicates that scallop shells are primarily composed of calcium carbonate, which can influence blood clotting. Additionally, the concave shape of scallop shells, which helped pilgrims drink during their journeys, evolved into a powerful symbol of their spiritual quest. Beyond their chemical properties, scallop shells represented aspects of spiritual well-being and beneficial healing forces, adding significant cultural meaning to their practical use.
References
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2. Rätsch C & Guhr A. Lexicon der Zaubersteine aus ethnologischer Sicht. Wiesbaden: VMA-Verlag; 1989.
3. Müller-Ebeling C & Rätsch C. Tiere der Schamanen. Aarau und Münschen: AT Verlag; 2011.
4. Gasquoine HC. The Story of Santiago de Compostela. Illustrated by. Frank H. Mason. London: M. Dent & Sons, Ltd. Aldine House;1912.
5. Purkis WJ. Crusading Spirituality in the Holy Land and Iberia, c.1095-c.1187. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press; 2008.
6. Liber Santi Jacobi. Codex Calistinus. Traducción al castellano de A. Moralejo, C. Torres y J. Feo. Bueva edición actualizada por María José García Blanco. Galicia: Xunta de Galicia; 2014.
7. Prioresco P. A History of Medicine. Volume V Medieval Medicine, Horatius Press: Omaha; 2003.
8. Hispanus P. Thesaurus Pauperum, Tesouro dos Pobres, Treasury of the Poor, Baptista, A.M. (coord.), Tradução Latim/Português Pereira, M.H.R., Tradução Português/Inglês Isabel Reis. Lisboa: I./Robson, F.O., Hearbrain Consultores em Comunicação; 2011.
9. On Peter of Spain’s life and works, see Barroso M DS. Coral in Petrus Hispanus’ ‘Treasury of the Poor’ in Duffin CJ, Thorpe GC, Moody RT J (eds) Geology and Medicine: Historical Connections, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2017: 452, pp. 267-282.
10. Theophrastus. Theophrastos on Stones. Caley EC./John FC, Richards JFC (intr. trans. commentary) Ohio: Columbia University; 1956.
11. On this subject, see Barroso MDS. A litoterapia nas afecções femininas na obra “Thesaurus Pauperum” de Pedro Hispano. Medicina na Beira Interior – Cadernos de Cultura Medicina na Beira Interior, da Pré-História ao Século XXI n. XXVIX, 2014: 125-130.
12. Hispanus P.ǀ 1598, Libro de Medicina, llamado Thesoro de los pobres, con vn regimiento de sanidad. Ahora nuevamente corregido y enmendado, Alcala de Hennares; 1598.
13. Avicenna. The Canon of Medicine. Natural Pharmaceuticals. Volume2. Compiled by Lalech Bakthiar,Kestine 10 Chicago: Great Books of the Islamic World; 2012.
14. Da Cunha R. Primeira segunda parte, da historia ecclesiastica dos arcebispos de Braga, e dos Santos, e Varoes illustres, que florecerão neste arcebispado, Manoel Cardozo, mercador de livros; Braga, 1643, II vol. p. 152.
15. Hanslick G. Arzneilich verwendete Mineralien. Stuttgart: Deutscher Apotheker – Verlag; 1960.
16. Le Jardin de santé. Trad. de Hortus sanitatis. Attribué à Johannes de Cuba. Suit l'édition incunable [circa 1499-1502] d'Antoine Vérard (1450?-1514?),
17. Reliquary Cross. Italian. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464462, accessed June 6, 2025.
18. Gaston R. Poème moralisé sur les propriétés des choses. In: Romania, tome 14 n°55-56, 1885, pp. 442-484.
doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/roma.1885.6377; https://www.persee.fr/doc/roma_0035-8029_1885_num_14_55_6377
19. 19. Relicário de Coral Vermelho da Rainha Santa Isabel por Ricardo Braz Frade | 24 mar, 2020. Beira litoral: https://www.portugalnummapa.com/relicario-de-coral-vermelho-da-rainha-santa-isabel/, accessed June 14, 2025
20. Blackwell E. Herbarium Blackwellianum emendatum et auctum; id est E. Blackwell collectio stirpium quae in pharmacopoliis ad medicum usum asservantur, quarum descriptio et vires ex Anglico idiomate in Latinum conversae sistuntur ... Norimbergae: Typis Christiani de Launoy Heredis; 1737.
21. Healthline. Sumac: Benefits, Uses, and Forms. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sumac-benefits-uses-and-forms accessed May 18, 2025.
22. On this subject, see Barroso MDS. The Bezoar Stone: a princely antidote, The Távora Sequeira Pinto Collection – Oporto, Acta Medico-Historica Adriatica, 2014, 12 (1) 77-98; Barroso MDS. The Goa Stone- Myth, Empiricism and Insights of Chemistry. In Van Hee, R, Barroso, MDS, Galassi, FM, (eds). Asclepius in Lisbon. Selected papers from Lisbon 46th ISHM Congress 3-7 September 2018 Vesalius XXVI June 2020 e-supplement, pp. 36-60.
23. Schipperges H. Artz im Purpur. Grundzüge einer Krankheitslehre bei Petrus Hispanus (ca. 1210 bis 1277), Berlin: Springer Verlag; 1994.
24. Köhler, JT. Vollständige Nachrichtvon Papst Johann XXI. Göttingen; 1760.
Published
2025/12/29
Section
Članci