Axungia

Last updated
Apothecary vessel with inscription Axung. taxi., 'badger fat'
dating from the 19th century Apothecary vessel Axung Daxis 19 century.jpg
Apothecary vessel with inscription Axung. taxi., 'badger fat' dating from the 19th century
Two apothecary vessels with inscription AXUNG. HOMINIS, 'human fat'
dating approximately from 17th or 18th century. Albarelli Axung Hominis.jpg
Two apothecary vessels with inscription AXUNG. HOMINIS, 'human fat' dating approximately from 17th or 18th century.

Axungia is a kind of soft animal fat, usually from around the kidneys of geese or pigs, used in pre-modern western medicine. It differs from lard, which is firm, and suet or adeps, which is dry.

Contents

The ancient Romans distinguished fat into pinguedo or axungia, and adeps or sebum; but writers often interchange the terms.

In pre-modern medicine, physicians made use of the axungia of the goose, the dog, the viper, and some others, especially that of humans, considered of "extraordinary service in the drawing and ripening of tumors, etc." (see attrahent)

Etymology

From French axunge, adapted from Latin axungia 'axle grease' = axis 'axle' + ungere 'to grease'. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bogie</span> Chassis for wheels and suspension under railroad cars or large trucks

A bogie is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transport. A bogie may remain normally attached or be quickly detachable ; it may contain a suspension within it, or be solid and in turn be suspended ; it may be mounted on a swivel, as traditionally on a railway carriage or locomotive, additionally jointed and sprung, or held in place by other means.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheel</span> Circular component rotating on an axle

A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be moved easily facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Wheels are also used for other purposes, such as a ship's wheel, steering wheel, potter's wheel, and flywheel.

Grease may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soap</span> Substance used for cleaning

Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are used as thickeners, components of some lubricants, and precursors to catalysts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bacon</span> Type of salt-cured pork

Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish, used as a central ingredient, or as a flavouring or accent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanolin</span> Yellow waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals

Lanolin, also called wool fat, wool yolk, wool wax, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically for their wool. Historically, many pharmacopoeias have referred to lanolin as wool fat ; however, as lanolin lacks glycerides, it is not a true fat. Lanolin primarily consists of sterol esters instead. Lanolin's waterproofing property aids sheep in shedding water from their coats. Certain breeds of sheep produce large amounts of lanolin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball bearing</span> Type of rolling-element bearing

A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pemmican</span> Food mix with long shelf life, sometimes used as survival food

Pemmican is a mixture of tallow, dried meat, and sometimes dried berries. A calorie-rich food, it can be used as a key component in prepared meals or eaten raw. Historically, it was an important part of indigenous cuisine in certain parts of North America and it is still prepared today. The word comes from the Cree word ᐱᒦᐦᑳᓐ, which is derived from the word ᐱᒥᕀ, "fat, grease". The Lakota word is wasná, originally meaning "grease derived from marrow bones", with the wa- creating a noun, and sná referring to small pieces that adhere to something. It was invented by the Indigenous peoples of North America.

Saponification is a process of converting esters into soaps and alcohols by the action of aqueous alkali. Soaps are salts of fatty acids, which in turn are carboxylic acids with long carbon chains. Sodium stearate is a typical soap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stearic acid</span> Eighteen-carbon straight-chain fatty acid

Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid with an 18-carbon chain. The IUPAC name is octadecanoic acid. It is a soft waxy solid with the formula CH3(CH2)16CO2H. The triglyceride derived from three molecules of stearic acid is called stearin. Stearic acid is a prevalent fatty-acid in nature, found in many animal and vegetable fats, but is usually higher in animal fat than vegetable fat. It has a melting point of 69.4 °C and a pKa of 4.50.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shortening</span> Food ingredient

Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry and other food products.

Rendering is a process that converts waste animal tissue into stable, usable materials. Rendering can refer to any processing of animal products into more useful materials, or, more narrowly, to the rendering of whole animal fatty tissue into purified fats like lard or tallow. Rendering can be carried out on an industrial, farm, or kitchen scale. It can also be applied to non-animal products that are rendered down to pulp. The rendering process simultaneously dries the material and separates the fat from the bone and protein, yielding a fat commodity and a protein meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trunnion</span> Protrusion for mount or pivot point

A trunnion is a cylindrical protrusion used as a mounting or pivoting point. First associated with cannons, they are an important military development.

Grease is a solid or semisolid lubricant formed as a dispersion of thickening agents in a liquid lubricant. Grease generally consists of a soap emulsified with mineral or vegetable oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confit</span> Type of food preservation

Confit is any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period as a method of preservation.

Degreasing, often called defatting or fat trimming, is the removal of fatty acids from an object. In culinary science, degreasing is done with the intention of reducing the fat content of a meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human fat</span> Historic pharmaceutical substance of human origin

Human fat was mentioned in European pharmacopoeias since the 16th century as an important fatty component of quality deemed ointments and other pharmaceuticals in Europe. In old recipes human adipose tissue was mentioned as Pinguedo hominis, or Axungia hominis, besides other animal fats from bears, vipers, beavers, cats and many others. The German medicinal Johann Agricola (1496–1570) described the recovery of human fat and its applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bear's grease</span> Treatment for hair loss

Bear's grease was a popular treatment for men with hair loss from at least as early as 1653 until about the First World War. The myth of its effectiveness is based on a belief that as bears are very hairy, their fat would assist hair growth in others. Nicholas Culpeper, the English botanist and herbalist wrote in 1653, in his The Physician's Library, "Bears Grease staies [stops] the falling off of the hair." Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179), Benedictine mystic, composer and woman of letters, also recommended the use of the substance in her Physica. A number of cosmetics companies sold bear's grease, and it was a trademark of Atkinsons of London, who sold "Bears Grease Pomade". In the early 1880s in Arkansas, an ell of bear grease, formed from the hide from the head and neck of a deer, was a standard medium of exchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooking oil</span> Oil consumed by humans, of vegetable or animal origin

Cooking oil is a plant or animal liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. Oil allows higher cooking temperatures than water, making cooking faster and more flavorful, while likewise distributing heat, reducing burning and uneven cooking. It sometimes imparts its own flavor. Cooking oil is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Class B fire</span> Class of fire

In fire classes, a Class B fire is a fire in flammable liquids or flammable gases, petroleum greases, tars, oils, oil-based paints, solvents, lacquers, or alcohols. For example, propane, natural gas, gasoline and kerosene fires are types of Class B fires. The use of lighter fluid on a charcoal grill, for example, creates a Class B fire. Some plastics are also Class B fire materials.

References

  1. PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Axungia". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.

Notes

  1. Oxford English Dictionary