Maltese medical folklore : man and the herpetofauna in Malta : a review

Abstract

Man throughout his evolutionary history has attempted to treat and control disease processes which have affected him, often turning to chemical substances extracted from animals and plants for medicinal purposes. Although experimenting unscientifically, a useful therapeutic measure was occasionally discovered. Man on the Maltese Islands until relatively recent times set great value on natural chemical substances for use in natural remedies, very often in association with religious beliefs and folklore. In spite of the limitations of species number, reptiles and amphibians have been regarded as having powers of healing or alternatively as bringing on disease.