RESUMO
Transylvania, part of Romania, has a long-standing culture of Hungarian ethnomedicinal practices. The aim of this study was to review the unexplored ethnopharmacological use of plants, animals and other materials, focusing mainly on the beliefs surrounding them; and compare them with traditional uses from other countries and with scientific literature. An ethnobotanical inventory was conducted among Csángó and Székely Hungarians in three areas of the country between 2007 and 2012. Questionnaires included medical and non-medical uses of plants, animals, and other substances with rational and irrational elements. Altogether 22 plants, twelve animals, and ten other substances had documented uses for various beliefs. The treatments utilize magical numbers, like 3 and 9, to define peculiar order, tools, and like-minded aspects. Plants were used for prediction (e.g. Phaseolus vulgaris L.), protection (e.g. Corylus avellana L.), and as symbols (e.g. Arctium lappa L.). In addition to the use of animals (e.g. Salamandra salamandra L.) or no longer used elements (use of Lytta vesicatoria L.), the employment of other substances (e.g. ash, milk) was also documented. The frequency of the documented uses is in continuous decline due to environmental and social changes, and the increased prevalence of conventional healthcare. Hence, the priority of their conservation is of pivotal importance nowadays. .
RESUMO
O personagem Manuel Ferreira da Câmara foi um dos expoentes da Ilustração luso-americana. A historiografia deu destaque às suas atividades como administrador, funcionário e político, deixando de incorporar a dimensão de naturalista. Ao recuperar essa faceta de estudioso do mundo natural, encontramos em arquivos e bibliotecas diversos textos do autor que permanecem inéditos. Um deles tem como título "Nota sobre a extração das minas do Principado da Transilvânia escrita em Zalathna aos 5 de março de 1796", produzido no âmbito da viagem realizada por diversos países da Europa central e setentrional, a pedido do governo português. Dada a reflexão elaborada por Câmara sobre a região da Transilvânia e a política de administração das minas ali implementada, é de grande relevância a sua publicação.
Manuel Ferreira da Câmara was one of the exponents of Luso-american Enlightenment. The historiography has highlighted his activities as an administrator, employee and politician, neglecting to incorporate his dimension as a naturalist. By resurrecting this facet of a student of the natural world, we find in the archives and libraries various texts by the author that remain unpublished. One of these manuscripts is entitled "A note on extraction from the mines of the Principality of Transylvania written in Zalathna on March 5, 1796", produced during a trip through several countries of Central and Northern Europe at the request of the Portuguese government. Given the reflection elaborated by Câmara on the Transylvania region and the policy of administering the mines implemented there, its publication is highly relevant.