Accidents caused by poisonous animals: an ethnozoological study with farmers from Tacaratu, Pernambuco

Authors

  • Kênio Erithon Cavalcante Lima Ensino das Ciências da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco; Laboratório de Ensino de Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas (CCB), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • Simão Dias Vasconcelos Lab. de Ensino de Zoologia, Depto. de Zoologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, UFPE Av. Professor Moraes Rego, s/n, 50.670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/scb8169

Abstract

Agriculture-related activities in low input areas expose humans to a variety of accidents caused by poisonous animals, such as snakes, scorpions and centipedes. This study was performed to investigate, from an ethnozoological perspective, the occurrence of accidents caused by poisonous animals in Tacaratu, sertao of Pernambuco State, Brazil. In December 2004, we interviewed 37 farmers in order to characterize the cases and also to assess the victims’ medicinal responses. We observed that accidents caused by bees and scorpions were the most frequent, and that the farmers used several popular medicinal products, primarily plant-derived. People frequently rely on religious rituals and ask for local healers’ help, especially to heal snake-inflicted bites. The use of popular medicine is stimulated by relatives and represents a combination of elements from European, indigenous and African cultures and religions.

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Published

2006-06-30

How to Cite

Lima, K. E. C., & Vasconcelos, S. D. (2006). Accidents caused by poisonous animals: an ethnozoological study with farmers from Tacaratu, Pernambuco. SITIENTIBUS série Ciências Biológicas, 6(2), 138–144. https://doi.org/10.13102/scb8169

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2006)

Section

Artigos

License

Sitientibus série Ciências Biológicas (SCB) is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.