NO. 10 COCKROACHES—ROTH AND WILLIS 35 
Blatta (Grillon des fourniers) leurs entrailles broyees et 
cuites dans l’huile, sont bonnes aux douleurs doreille. 
MarTrTHIOLE, 16th-century Viennese 
physician, in Paillard (1942). 
XII. COCKROACHES IN MEDICINE AND MEDICAL 
FOLKLORE 
The folklore of medicine contains recipes for many strange concoc- 
tions that are reputed to cure divers ills. Hence, it is not surprising 
to find references in medical literature to the therapeutic uses of 
cockroaches. The effectiveness of most of these remedies is highly 
questionable and, as Caudell (1916) stated, their use may be based 
almost entirely on pristine beliefs and popular fallacies. Nevertheless, 
a summary of the relations of cockroaches to disease would be incom- 
plete without a résumé of this pertinent literature. 
Although not strictly a medical usage, it is interesting that in many 
European countries the cockroach was honored and respected and 
even considered to be a protector of life. It was therefore the custom 
to take some of these insects into new dwellings. In Finland cock- 
roaches were allowed to live and multiply freely in many prosperous 
homes and they were not supposed to be killed, particularly by burn- 
ing. (Rytkonen, 1945.) 
Takahashi (1924) reported that the Formosans removed the head 
and digestive organs of Periplaneta americana, placed salt in the body, 
and then fried and ate the insect. This, they said, aided the digestive 
process. They also cooked the hard, dark feces of this cockroach as a 
medicine for their children. Ealand (1915) reported that this same 
species was used in homeopathy in Europe. Pliny (cited by Blanchard, 
1837) advised mixing the entrails of ‘“Blatta” with oil as a cure for 
various ailments. There seems to be some doubt, however, whether 
Pliny’s “Blatta’’ was a cockroach; Blanchard (1837) cited the con- 
viction of Latreille that it was a species of Blaps, a beetle. This 
identification is moot. 
The diseases and disorders reputedly cured by cockroaches and the 
specific uses of these insects in medicine are listed below. We make 
no attempt to evaluate the medical worth of the recommended treat- 
ments. However, the use of cockroaches to treat certain diseases has 
received some clinical support. This usage will be discussed at the 
end of the following list. 
Albuminuria.—See discussion. 
Antihydropin.—The diuretic principle of the cockroach; see dis- 
cussion below. 
