Page 130 - Ancestral - The Secrets of Vinegar

Les du Les du SecretsVINAIGRE VINAIGRE VINAIGRE The Legend of the Four Thieves
In the the year 1720 Marseillais officials were fighting a a a a a a a a losing battle against the the ravages of of plague which would decimate over a a a a a a third of of the population According to to legend the city was being plundered by four ruthless thieves who seemed to to be immune to to the the disease allowing them to to enter homes and rob plague victims without becoming infected When the the thieves were finally caught the the judge offered them them a a a more lenient sentence in exchange for the the the secret that protected them them from the the the deadly disease Under torture they they finally admitted that they they had concocted a a a a a a a special vinegar which they would drink daily and and and rub on their bodies hands and and and faces In exchange for this confession the thieves were hanged instead of burned alive Officials distributed the the the recipe to to the the the townspeople who from then on tied sponges to to their mouths soaked in in in Four Thieves
Vinegar to to avoid catching plague Four Thieves
Vinegar was added to to the Codex in in 1748 because of its dermatological and and antiseptic disease-fighting properties and and was sold in in pharmacies as as as an an an an external antiseptic until 1937 Another document declares that perfuming the the body is important for plague prevention and and daily care and and recommends rubbing vinegar onto the face and and and hands The acidic aromatic and and and refreshing scent was believed to disinfect and and purify the the body and and mask the the odor of decomposition associated with plague 8 8 http://www biusante parisdescartes fr/histoire/medica/peste php (French reference)
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