Many papers talk about how iron oxide is used as antiseptic in some tribes, and also has the property of preserving collagen on dead bodies. What I need to know is the chemical reason why this happens, particularely if it has anything to do with the amount of oxigen that the different kinds of iron oxides present. I'd appreciate some bibliography about it. Thank you very much for your attention in advance,
Alfredo Cortell
Thank you very much for your answer. Sure! I did a quick search amongst my bibliography and on the net, and found some references:
CONTIN, F.: "La medicina nell' antico Egitto". Antrocom, Vol. 1 (2), (2005), p. 119.
FORSHAW, R.J.: "The practice of dentistry in ancient Egypt", British Dental Journal, 206, no. 9, (2009), p. 484.
MONCEL, M.H. et alii.: "Émergence de la notion de précieux: objets insolites et extra-ordinaires au Paléolithique", at MONCEL, M.H and FRÖHLICH, F. (eds.): L'Homme et le précieux. BAR International Series 1934, (2009), p. 19.
LÓPEZ PADILLA, J.A. et alii.: "Ocre y cinabrio en el registro funerario de El Algar", Trabajos de Prehistoria, 69, (2012), p. 287.
RIFKIN, R.F.: "Assessing the efficacy of red ochre as a Prehistoric hide tanning ingredient", Journal of African Archaeology, Vol. 9 (2), (2011), 131-158.
RIPOLL LÓPEZ, S. y MUÑOZ IBÁÑEZ, F.J.: Economía, sociedad e ideología de los cazadores-recolectores. Madrid. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, 2002, p. 368.
The problem is, they just mention it, but do not explain why, or how that happens, which is what I would need to know. Thank you very much for your help.
Maybe I did not express myself clearly. What I meant is that there are many works that mention the fact, such as 'recent investigations have demonstrated that ochre has the property of preserving collagen' at Ripoll y Muñoz, 2002, 368. The other references I wrote are of this same kind, but none of them gives further information about it, so I don't know of publications that show how preservation with iron oxides works. That is precisely what I'd need to know :-)
Well, since chemistry is not my speciality, and I had seen quite a bit of times these kind of citations, I thought there would be an answer in the chemistry field that would give a reason for archaeologists to keep repeating these arguments over time, but now you make me think perhaps I was wrong... :-) The closest thing to an answer that I found is an article that talks about how iron (and even more HB + O2) helps to preserve soft tissues, although it is not applied iron (like natural minerals such as ochre, which is what I was looking for) but the natural one released by HB when degraded (Schweitzer et alii, 2013). I do not know if these reactions can be applied in shorter time escales than the ones cited in this article (Mesozoic), neither if they act in the same way when we talk about applications of concrete mineral, such as Fe2O3, but I'll keep looking for the answer. When that many researchers 'talk' about it, I guess there should be an explanation somewhere, and it is not just another assumed mistake although, you are right, it would not be the first time that this happens...
Iron oxide preserves tattoos by preventing the cellular tissue from being sloughed off due to its toxicity. Also, its interaction with ink may provide a clue.
My wife is an ophthalmologist and I was discussing your question with her. In turn, I forwarded her remarks onto you for your consideration. May I suggest that you follow this up by contacting a toxicologist?
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