"They blew sugar on it to alleviate the pain..." Details on the role of sugar in folk eye treatment in the 18th-20th centuries

Vámos, Gabriella (2025) "They blew sugar on it to alleviate the pain..." Details on the role of sugar in folk eye treatment in the 18th-20th centuries. In: Aegyptus et Pannonia IX. Magyar-Egyiptomi Baráti Társaság, Ókori Egyiptomi Bizottság, Budapest, pp. 267-286. ISBN 9786156571045; 9786156571052

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Abstract

The consumption of sugar was introduced in the broader society during the late 18th century with the spread of beet sugar. However, it remained a luxury item among the peasantry until the early 1900s. After World War I, the use of sugar by peasants increased, and the number of sugary festive dishes also rose. The 1920s marked the beginning of the sugar jam and jelly-making era. For the poorer sections of peasant society, consuming sugar outside of high holidays was rare. Therefore, it is no coincidence that sugar has become a little-used ingredient in folk medicine. While researching the collections of the Semmelweis Museum, Library, and Archive of the History of Medicine, as well as the Folk Medicine Archive, it became apparent that sugar was also used as an element in treating eye diseases, such as cataracts and trachoma, in addition to aiding wound healing and treating the common cold. My study focuses on the role of sugar in the treatment of eye diseases. By putting the use of sugar in a new perspective, it seeks to answer questions about the effects of the healing images and practices associated with this sweet ingredient.

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