Sir,

As far as the real and popular etymology,Antimony or Stibium (from Arab al-ithmid •at the beginning of XIV century),it comes from ἀντίμοναχός: anti-monachos or French antimoine, that means “monk-killer”, which is explained by the fact that many early alchemists were monks, and some antimony compounds were poisonous [1].

Moreover many benedectines or cloistered nuns during past centuries used to cultivate vegetables in their gardens in monastries and convents, and it is notorious the chance of severe intoxication through inhalation of some volatile salts of Stibium (Stibium sulphide) or ingestion of the same vegetables even cooked at 439°F (in wood-fired- oven), because these could contain 1% of Sb2O4 (cervantite) Sb4O6 (valentinite and senarmontite).Effectively Earth’s crust present a fixed percentage of antimony in its clods, and even the custom of serving food in pewter or Britannia alloy (so-called Sheffield from the town where this alloy was produced, and contains pond, lead ant antimony).

Symptoms of an indiscussed intoxication is represented by dermal rashes with severe itching (especially interdigital rednesses) and flu (runny nose) and problems with memory similarly to Alzheimer’s manifestations indeed.

The authors had supposed that interdigital irritation was due especially to the fact that nuns too often look strenuously for self pleasure, in the night.

The authors of this short report in occasion of a visit of a cloistered convent in Mugello (close to Florence, Tuscany) to inspect a tryptich attributed to a Catalan old master living and teaching in Florence in XV century, investigating deeply on the pigments that were used only in Cataluňa in that epoch, were invited to have a frugal lunch in the common refectory and a sort of soup made with carrots, garlic and cabbages coming from their private garden, was served by the nuns at the table.

When the nuns filled gently with a tasty and delicious soup made with cabbages and carrots (like the Russian Bortsch) the pewter plates of the authors, the commensales noticed that nuns looked like drunk, their fingers were so reddish, quasi purple, and even nose was running and red exaggeratedly.

The authors supposed a mysterious intoxication could be evident but could not affirm that it was evoked by the sure intoxication caused by the abuse of antimony contained in the vegetables themselves, so they asked kindly to their hosts if it were possible to have some vegetable coming from their “hortus” to bring home to prepare the same recipe of the minestra (soup); (the authors examined the percetage of stibnite, idest stibium sulphide, present inn the same vegetables, and it was really exaggerated.

So the authors decided to prepare this “minestra” for three days (for lunch and dinner) and serve that soup in plates made of Sheffield alloy, in order to let the dermal rashes to appear evidently.

After a blood detection of Antimony, the authors stated that after three days of ingestion of this chemical compound (it is to be stressed that Sb is an amphoteric substance) levels of antimony was extremely high (90μg instead of 3-5μg) and their fingers were itching and purple and they used to feel chills creeping during the night and their nose was always runny.

They did not notice interdigital irritation in the middle fingers.

No fever or other manifestation, though were appreciable.

One of the authors had already previously published a paper about the usage of calamine to combat itching and reddish maculae in COVID-19 μ variant [2].

Since the severity of the skin disorder is higher in this special case, the authors made up their mind to call at a trivial blacksmith to gather black oxide,to use as cosmetical remedy thanks to its affinity to calamine (and its medicative force superior than that of calamine).

Black oxide isn’t but a conversion coating for ferrous materials, stainless steel, copper and copper based alloys, zinc, powdered metals, and silver solder [3].

It is used to add mild corrosion resistance, for appearance, and to minimize light reflection [4].

Black oxide is not banned from Index of Cosmetic Ingredients, since it is not commonly used even though it is devoid of whichever toxic effect, and presents the apaisant and lenitive capacity in all types of injured cutis in elder and young people.

Black oxide is melted with Palm kernel oil 85:15, to give a fluid emulsion to be spread upon and hands and eventually in the interdigital areas of hands and feet.

Palm kernel oil is preferable to Palm oil since the percentage of palmitic acid is lower: idest 8.5% instead of 44%.

Effectively in the last few decades, controversial studies have reported potential unhealthy effects of palm oil due to the high palmitic acid content [5].

Beverages containing ACE vitamins are suggested during the dermal cosmeticological tratment.

The special fluid emulsion was spread and frictioned three times a day for 5 days by the AA especially in their hands.

After 5 days cutis underwent to a spectacular restitutio ad integrum and no redness or itching were present at all.

Flu and cold disappeared after tjhree days, obviously thank to the ACE beverage (1 lt pro day) and not surely owing to the black oxide.

The results are quite interesting: Antimoine or Antimony or Stibium is anyway present in the earth’s crust (0,1%) and pewter and Sheffield plates are extremely rich of this metal-not-metal [6].

It must be considered even that there are hidden and abandoned mines of antimony in the Old Continent (especially in Portugal, at Harz and Wolfsberg, in Germany; a Milesov and Kremnica, in Slovakia; at Baia Sprie, in Rumania; in many areas of ex-URSS; at Gebel Hamimat, in Algeria, and in Italy mines have been dismissed in 50es but were active in wartime to use the metal for making weapons.and firearms. But even in the US: effectively 7 U.S. resources of antimony are mainly in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada and are always active and all trhough the the entire world: Principal identified world resources are in Australia, Bolivia, Burma, China, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Tajikistan [7].

Even if mines are dismissed the rivers and the water rsources are rich of soluble salts of Stibium.

Sometimes atopic contact dermatities may derive from assumption (by ingestion or inhalation)of stibium salts, as the AA referred before.

It should be advisable to let a dermaologist to ask the individual who presents an odd dermatitis lives and know if 70 years ago there were some mines of this particular metal.

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