The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7338 p250
26 February 2005

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A remarkable man: erudite, eclectic and idiosyncratic more
Keep fidgeting to watch your weight more
Using the clotting effect of cobwebs to heal cut fingers more

A remarkable man: erudite, eclectic and idiosyncratic

One century ago, on 2 March 1905, Geoffrey Grigson was born in the vicarage of the parish of Pelynt in east Cornwall. He was one of seven children of the incumbent, all of them born in the vicarage, christened in the church and brought up in the midst of farms and cottages, as Grigson recounts in his autobiographical ‘Freedom of the parish’ (1954).

One of his contemporaries described him as “erudite, eclectic and idiosyncratic” — a fair description of a versatile man who published poems of his own and anthologies as well as minute details of his father’s parish, its surroundings, its inhabitants and its history. The lords of the manor whose accomplishments Grigson noted included the ancient families of Achym, Buller and Trelawny, who from time to time indulged in remarkable rivalry after the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.

The young Geoffrey, by his own account, spent most of his time in exploring the archaeology, topography and natural history of his native parish, together with the habits and customs of his local contemporaries and recent neighbours. He climbed into the treetops in search of birds’ eggs, fished the rivers, ventured into every corner of the landscape and in particular studied the flora of his territory.

Indeed, his book ‘The Englishman’s flora’ (1955) is a treasure trove of Cornish plants, their uses in folk medicine and crafts, and the many superstitions regarding them. Moreover, He lists traditional and dialect names of his plants, not only those of the West Country but hundreds of others used throughout Britain, from the Channel to Scotland.

Grigson quotes liberally from ancient authorities, such as Dioscorides, Pliny, Coles, Parkinson, Evelyn, Turner, Pomet and Culpepper and presents references to writers on plant lore.

When he died in 1985 he left a heritage which is much valued by all those interested in the uses of plant products within the human economy.

One characteristic of Grigson’s book is the simplicity of the language and the variety of attitudes towards terms used by children and promoters of slang. He writes of the pennywort: “In the south-west every child has picked off the walls the fat, dimpled, shining penny leaves and played with them.” And he remarks that “cowslip is not the most elegant of names” because it was so called since it appears “in the meadow wherever a cow had lifted its tail”.

And among his many recipes making use of wild plants he comments: “Dried leaves of blackcurrant transform a pot of Indian tea, and give it the taste of a green tea from China.” But he remains careful not to tempt his readers into making rash experiments with their native plants.

Grigson’s culinary interest was something he shared with his wife and daughter — the well-known food writers Jane and Sophie Grigson.

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Keep fidgeting to watch your weight

It is obvious, and acknowledged as common sense, that anyone’s body-weight is determined in the long run by the balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. If you persistently choose to eat as much as possible and exercise as little as possible you will put on weight, and ultimately rank as obese.

It is not quite as simple as that, however. A report from endocrinologists at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, points out that differences in postural habits play an important role in determining energy balance. Even so minimal an activity as fidgeting is capable of playing a part in a healthy energy balance, at least in people who are only mildly obese.

There is a concept known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This represents the energy expended by physical activities other than planned exercise, such as sitting, standing, walking, talking and fidgeting. Its features are discussed in Science for 28 January. They account for the fact that different individuals subjected to the same degree of overfeeding gain different amounts of weight. A study showed that obese individuals remained seated for about 2.5 hours a day longer than others who claimed to be “couch potatoes” and were either mildly obese or lean. Energy expenditure by those who sat for longer was reduced by some 350kcal daily. Since this energy saving was not matched by a similar decrease in energy intake, it would be sufficient to cause weight gain in the mildly obese.

It is not clear whether increased food intake or decreased physical activity is the major culprit inducing obesity, but population data from the UK suggest that, in spite of the doubling of the obesity rate in the 1980s, the average energy intake actually fell over the same period. This is accounted for by the adoption of an inactive life style. Yet a sustained small change in either the intake or output of energy could prevent obesity in most of us. A neuropeptide called orexin may be involved, and by promoting even mild activities such as fidgeting during resting periods may counteract the tendency to obesity.

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Using the clotting effect of cobwebs to heal cut fingers

Spiders’ webs have enjoyed a reputation as therapeutic materials since ancient times. Dioscorides was among writers who recommended their application to wounds to arrest bleeding.

Centuries later, in ‘A midsummer night’s dream’, Shakespeare had Bottom jest: “I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good master Cobweb. If I cut my finger I shall make bold of you.” And a character of Ben Johnson’s claims that “he sweeps no cobwebs here, but sells ’em for cut fingers”.

The use of cobwebs as a remedy has persisted in Europe for years and is apparently still resorted to in some country districts, and it is not unknown in North America. The clotting effect of spider web derives from its physical nature and not its chemical characteristics.

Robert James, in his Pharmacopoeia Universalis of 1747, remarks that the spider’s web is astringent, vulnerary and consolidant. Placed on wounds it arrests bleeding and prevents inflammation, and it is not merely an external medicament. ‘‘The Country People have a Tradition”, he writes, ”that a small Quantity of Spider’s Web, given about a Hour before the Fit of an Ague and repeated immediately, is effectual in curing that troublesome and sometimes obstinate Distemper.”

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