Proteins from a 1531 medical text hint at Renaissance hair cures and odd remedies
A proteomics analysis of Bartholomäus Vogtherr’s 1531 medical manuals recovered 111 proteins from the pages, including traces that could match plants (beech, watercress, rosemary) and animals (lizard, tortoise shell, hippopotamus). Notably, protein near hair-growth recipes suggests readers experimented with lizard heads for hair loss and hippo-derived ingredients for dental/mouth issues, illustrating how Renaissance readers tested unconventional cures and shedding light on early modern household science, per a study in the American Historical Review.