Salamander Experiments in Rome December 3, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
A short note today from a curious book entitled Salamandrologia published in 1683 in Nuremberg, about, of course, Salamanders, p. 116, the mythical fire dwelling lizard: it is a surprisingly long work and worth browsing through. Here is one fragment. It would be good to trace the original down in Italian, German or Latin. It would also be good to get a date for these experiments.
Nicol. Stenon. Idem illud experimentum Roma ad Doctorem Croonen assertum sisbi esse perscripsit a Corvino equite, Salamandrum ex India sibi apportatum in ignem se coniecisse, qui uero illico inflatus maximam materiae copiam salivae simile euomuit, quo uicinos carbones, in quos se receipt, extinxit; quos accensos denuo eadem ratione extinguere repetiit. Postquam ita uel 2 horar. spatio ab ignis uiolentia se servarat Salamander, Eques ipsum extraxit iterum, cut diutius eum in periculo uversari nollet, a quo etiam tempore ix menses uixit.
Essentially, and, be warned, this is a summary not a translation, a signore Corvino brought a Salamander from India to Rome where he threw it in a fire. The animal vomited some kind of substance which put out the coals around it. The salamander survived two hours in the fire and then Corvino dragged the poor thing out. After that it managed to live for another nine months in the company of the good Corvino. Perhaps it shuffled off its mortal coals when he next decided to throw it in the fire?
Beach has no doubt that this is all essentially untrue: but he wonders if somewhere in the background we do not have a memory of some horrific if sincere experiments carried out by a Signore Corvino on a red lizard from the Punjab. Let’s hope, for the sake of this putative animal, that the whole thing was made up. Anything more on Corvino and his salamander: drbeachcombing At yahoo DOT com Or for that matter other salamander experiments.
