Melampus and the Cure of Proetus' Daughters

July 2017 in “ Hormones ”

Vasiliki Vasileiou, Georgios K Markantes, Anastasia Armeni, Konstantina Barouti, Angeliki Georgopoulou, Neoklis A. Georgopoulos

alopecia skin depigmentation ulceration Helleborus niger ergotism Cushing's syndrome Claviceps purpurea glucocorticoids androgens Glycyrrhiza glabra hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis hair loss skin discoloration black hellebore liquorice

TLDR Melampus might have cured Proetus' daughters, who possibly had ergotism or Cushing's syndrome, using the herb Helleborus niger, but a mix of factors could have caused their symptoms.

The document from 6 years ago analyzed the Greek myth of Melampus curing Proetus' daughters, who suffered from manic madness, alopecia, skin depigmentation, and ulceration, using the herb Helleborus niger. The authors proposed that the daughters' symptoms could be due to poisoning or an infectious disease, with ergotism and Cushing's syndrome as potential diagnoses. Ergotism, caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea, can result in psychiatric symptoms and skin problems, while Cushing's syndrome, due to high levels of glucocorticoids and/or androgens, could also explain the symptoms. The possibility of poisoning from Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice), which can impact the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, was also considered. However, the authors concluded that none of these explanations fully accounted for all the symptoms, suggesting a combination of factors may have been involved.

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