Human fat was mentioned in Europeanpharmacopoeias since the 16th century as an importantfatty component of quality deemedointments and otherpharmaceuticals in Europe. In old recipes humanadipose tissue was mentioned asPinguedo hominis, orAxungia hominis.[2] The German medicinal Johann Agricola (1496–1570) described the recovery of human fat and its applications.
Intraditional medicine in Europe, human fat was believed to have a healing magic significance until the 19th century. Manyexecutioners recovered the fat from the bodies of their executants, called "Armsünderfett" or "Armsünderschmalz" (German:fat orgrease from poor sinners put to death), and sold it.[3] For some executioners the marketing of human fat was a major source of revenue.[4] The human fat was used to make ointments for treatment of various diseases such asbone pain,toothache andgout. It was also regarded as apanacea for particular diseases associated withcachexia (e.g.tuberculosis).[5] Also ananalgesic effect inrheumatoid arthritis was attributed to human fat.[6]
From the late 19th century, human fat was produced and offered under thetrade nameHumanol as a sterile, liquified preparation for injections in Germany. In 1909 it was introduced for surgical treatment of scars, wound disinfection, and wound revisions. In the 1920s it became out of fashion after low cure rates and the incidence offat embolisms caused by its application.[7]
Until the 1960s various manufacturers offered allegedwrinkle creams for external use (Hormocenta of Hormocenta Cosmetic Böttger GmbH, orPlacentubex C ofMerz Pharmaceuticals) containing human fat fromplacentas collected frommidwives andobstetric departments for industrial purposes. The use of human placentas was terminated in favour of animal products. In 2009,[8] a group of Peruvian gangsters, nicknamed "pishtacos" by the police, was accused of having manufactured and marketed human fat. However, the PeruvianMinistry of the Interior later described these allegations as a hoax.[9]
Both Spanish (sacamantecas) and Peruvian (pishtaco) folklore contain examples of monsters or criminals who murder human victims for their fat.Manuel Blanco Romasanta[10] (1809–1863), the first serial killer documented in Spain, was accused of extracting fat from his victims to sell in Portugal, exchanging an ounce of fat for an ounce of gold.
This folk belief survives to the modern day. In Latin American urban legends, it is claimed that human fat is used to grease bells for better sound, or applied to modern machinery such as railways or airplanes.