Samples were taken from different areas of the volcanic
strata of Mount Etna, whose typology may be broadly summarised as follows
Base sub-alkaline lava rock 700,000 - 500,000 BC
Basic-alkaline lava rock 200,000 - 80,000 BC
Definite alkaline rock features 80,000 - 30,000
BC
Still definite alkaline features 30,000 BC - 2000
AD
Location of samples collected
Sample n° 1 Below “Grande Albergo Etna” - lava flow
of 1780
Sample n° 2 South-east of Paternò, village of Astrel
Sample n° 3 South of Belpasso
Sample n° 4 Between Misterbianco and Belpasso, lava
flow of 1669
The samples were collected with the collaboration
of Dr Diego Puglisi, Department of Geological Science, University of Catania
Each sample underwent the following treatment:
Crushing by manual press - less than 2mm in size.
Reduction in granulometry using Herzog disc grinder
- dimension of fine clay.
After removal of an equal portion of each sample,
the resulting powders were mixed.
The objective in the final mixing of the blend from
the four samples was to obtain a homogenous powder that would contain all the chemical
properties of the four source samples.
The resulting powder was subjected to chemical analysis
using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry, provided by ACT LABS Activation
Laboratories Ltd., Toronto, Canada.
Substances traced in research samples
SiO2 49%
Zr
Sr
Al2O2 17%
Hf
Au**
Fe2O3 * 10%
Ta
As
CaO 9%
La
Ba
MgO 5%
Ce
Be
Na2O 4%
Nd
Br
K2O 2%
Sm
Rb
TiO2
1%
Eu
Cs
P2O5 0.6%
Tb
Sb
MnO 0.2%
Yb
Sc
L.O.I 0.1%
Lu
V
Total 98%
Mind:
Between the 1st and tenth day of the
experiment, tester n° 11 (Me.-Ca.) and tester n° 14 (Me.-Ni.) presented symptoms
of euphoria and nervousness as though they felt especially excited
(during the 1st days); on the 4th
and 5th days, they experienced feelings of sadness (NS).
For the 1st 6 days, tester n° 23 presented
signs of irritability coupled with rage particularly noticeable in the morning (OS).This
was followed until the tenth day by a state of serenity
coupled with tiredness and difficulty in concentration
(the subject had trouble recalling and organising the things to be done during
the day).
Tester n° 29 experienced feelings of anxiety
coupled with solitude and sadness, immediately upon taking the preparation and
for the following twenty-four hours, as though she felt alone
and abandoned; feelings of anxiety for the whole
day. The feeling of sadness grew stronger from the 2nd - 3rd
day, coupled with feelings of anger and outbursts of rage with no apparent
reason.The tester wrote: “I flared up angrily against
my mother in such an impulsive way that I couldn’t control myself, raising my voice
and using very unseemly language.” (NS)
From the second day of the experiment, tester n°
30 felt intense feelings of apathy, sadness, mental and physical fatigue, coupled
with a desire to do nothing and crying fits with no apparent reason (NS). During
the fifth day, the tester interrupted the experiment, to begin again after 16
days, with a return of the same symptoms. The tester wrote: “I didn’t want to
leave the house, I felt isolated, a prisoner
of my own sadness, I felt listless and wanted
to cry all the time for no real reason, I felt indifferent to my loved ones.”
Tester n° 33 (Ar. Ol.) reported having felt, between
the 3rd and 6th day, strong sensations of restlessness, agitation,
easy loss of self control and intolerance of being contradicted. From the 7th
– 10th day,
he experienced total mental and physical fatigue.
“It was really difficult for me to organise work and day to day things. Everything
that I was used to doing was somehow heavy, difficult,
I couldn’t handle anything either mentally or physically,
and I felt like I was on drugs. ”Tester stopped taking the preparation and the symptoms
continued for a further 5 days before disappearing (NS).
Tester n° 34 reported feeling, from the 3rd
- 5th day, less anger than usual and a certain feeling of serenity and
peace mind which led her to deal with daily problems in a calm and relaxed
manner (NS).
Tester n° 36 wrote that from the 1st
- 5th day of the experiment (when she stopped taking the preparation),
she felt a great sense of security and trust in herself, that she felt stronger
and more
able to deal with work and every day life (NS).
When she ceased taking the preparation, her usual feelings of anxiety,
agitation and restlessness returned.
Tester n° 38 one of the two subjects taking the
200CH dilution, reported that for the 1st 12 days he felt relaxed, coupled
with feelings of calm and inner peace, with a decrease in his usual need for haste.
On the 14th and 15th days he felt tense and angry
“For the 1st 12 days I felt as if I
was under the influence of some mild sedative,” he wrote. Tester n° 39, the
other tester who used the 200CH preparation, reported feeling from the 6th
day onwards mental fatigue coupled with pain in his forehead region and all over
his head. On the 10th day, the fatigue gave way to a certain
confused state of mind and then to a feeling of depression, thereafter he felt
the need to cry in order to free himself from a sensation of oppression that caused
him to see everything in a negative light (NS). He ceased taking the preparation.
Head: Almost
all the testers reported suffering from throbbing headaches.
Tester n° 5 reported an all over headache that
seemed to be centred just above her eyes between her eyebrows (between the 1st
and 3rd days),
feelings of vertigo and giddiness as if she were
on a high sea. This sensation was present in the morning until 10 h.; it then
disappeared and returned in the afternoon (NS).
Many testers (n° 7, 23, 27, 30) reported
experiencing a headache centred at the front of the head, coupled with a
certain confused state of mind.
Tester n° 34 suffered from a headache which seemed
to spread out from her left eye.
The subjects who presented this symptom reported
it as occurring in the morning until 10 h., or in the afternoon at around 16 h.
Eyes: Only
four testers reported a burning sensation in the eyes (OS). Tester n° 5 experienced
it around twilight.
Nose: Tester n°
5 and tester n° 14 reported experiencing the sensation of a heavy cold, as if
mucus was draining into their trachea and chest. Tester n° 15 noted a sensation
of getting cold and a slight nasal
secretion. Tester n° 16 reported a feeling of getting
cold, with a blocked nose. Tester n° 22 noted the presence of mucus in his nose
and throat.
Throat: Some testers
experienced a burning sensation, catarrh, tightness of the throat and aphonia
to a slight degree, others to a greater extent.
Tester n° 14 reported that on the 4th
day he felt a burning sensation in his palate, coupled with an emission of
greenish mucus, a burning sensation along his trachea and a dry cough. He ceased
taking the
preparation. He began again ten days later and
the symptoms returned, this time accompanied by the sensation of suffocation, short-windedness,
and a fear of suffocation associated with a feeling of panic (NS). The symptoms
disappeared completely only 6 or 7 days after he stopped taking the preparation
for the 2nd time. Other testers presented these symptoms in a less dramatic
form.
Tester n° 20 complained of pain in her throat, with
the presence of mucus, a certain heaviness and burning sensation in her chest. Tester
n° 22 reported hoarseness, as if caused by mucus that was difficult to expel, coupled
with a burning sensation, lose of voice in the early part of the day (until 12 noon),
chills all over the body, especially in the lumbar region, and slight pains in
his chest (CS).
Tester n° 30 (Sp. Mi.) reported nasal congestion
as if caused by an allergy, a yellowish-green catarrh and from the third to the
7th day, a progressive lowering of his vocal pitch, as well as
shivers along his
spine (OS). Tester n° 40 reported a dense mucous
secretion, particularly acute in the morning, aconstant need to clear her throat,
coughing, hoarseness, a continuous burning sensation of the pharynx which disappeared
only 24-36 hours after she had stopped taking the Etna lava 30CH preparation.
From the 5th - the 9th day,
tester n° 24 complained of a sore throat in the evening, with the feeling that she
was becoming more and more hoarse and her throat more and more clogged. A few
days later
she developed a feeling of tightness in her throat,
with a cough that was sometimes dry and sometimes full of catarrh. ½ hour after
taking the preparation, tester n° 37 felt a nasal itch, congestion and
slight catarrh in the throat, which disappeared
after 3 days.
Tester n° 39 one of the two testers taking the
preparation in 200CH, wrote that from the 6th day he experienced a
progressive lowering of the voice and a slight sore throat. His nose was always
dry to
the point that he found it difficult to breath.
In general, many testers reported chills and
aches in their bones as if they were suffering from the a flu.
Stomach: Three testers
reported feelings of nausea after the midday meal, as well as heartburn. Two
testers reported a feeling of pressure on the solar plexus.
Abdomen and Rectum: Ten
testers presented abdominal swelling, cramps, an increase in constipation or in
diarrhoea.
Tester n° 30 reported that now he usually emptied
his bowels 2x - 3x daily with rather liquid faeces, but with no pain. After taking
the preparation, he voided once a day, with compact faeces (CS).
From the 4th – 9th day,
tester n° 36 reported pain in her lower left side, with stabbing pains, cramps and
diarrhoea in the morning upon awakening (NS). These symptoms gradually
intensified
to the point where she had to stop taking the
preparation. On the 3rd day, tester n° 15 experienced explosive diarrhoea
at 12 noon (he usually suffers from constipation).
Female Organs: Tester
n° 7 noted an absence of thirst before her menstrual cycle, a symptom which she
had never presented before (NS).
Tester n° 33 recorded a significant decline in libido
(4th - 8th day) (OS).
Tester n° 11 confirmed the absence of menstrual
pain from her 1st menstrual cycle after the end of the experiment
(NS).
Generals: At least
twelve testers recorded feelings of weakness or asthenia, and chills with widespread
aches in the joints of both upper and lower limbs. Certain subjects presented
greater degrees of fatigue and asthenia with no presence of chills, while
others presented both sets of symptoms for more than three days.
From the 7th - 11th day,
tester n° 18 suffered intense weakness for most of the day, manifesting acute
sleepiness around 16 h.
From the 10th - 13th day,
tester n° 29 suffered such a general state of fatigue and weakness, coupled
with pain in the lumbar region, that he stopped taking the preparation. The symptoms
disappeared
after two days.
Sleep: Tester n°
23 usually suffering from acute insomnia, reported sleeping peacefully and restfully
every night throughout the experiment period(TS).
Eight testers recorded difficulty in falling asleep,
wakefulness at night time and constant fitful sleep.
Tester n° 36 wrote that from the 7th
- 9th day, at which point she stopped taking the preparation, she was
subject to very disturbed sleep and would awake feeling anxious at around 3 h. finding
it very difficult to fall asleep again.
Dreams: Two
testers, n° 4 who received the preparation in 30CH and n° 38 who received the preparation
in 200CH, both reported dreaming for at least three nights of dark-furred
wolves or dogs.
Skin: From 7th
- 10th day, tester n° 43 noted the appearance of eczema on his left
leg (NS).
In the 1stdays of the experiment,
two testers recorded the presence of burning mouth ulcers on the upper lip and
left side of the lower lip.
One of the two testers using the preparation at
200CH presented an abscess, very painful to the touch, on his left buttock between
the 6th and 10th days (OS).
Etna: the largest active volcano in Europe = one
of the largest in the world. Many of Etna's eruptions have occurred through
fissures that have opened in the volcano's sides, although one of the numerous
vents in the central crater is almost always active, emitting lava or puffs of
gas and ash. Etna's ample structure has formed through phases of activity and
periods of dormancy and erosion. The magma's conduits have shifted over time,
giving the volcano its current irregular shape.
Etna's eruptions are prevalently effusive i.e.
with lava flows running like rivers down its slopes, thereby increasing its
dimensions.
The summer of 2001 saw Etna fully active once
again: from 18th July to 7/8th August. The explosions
were concentrated around an altitude of 2,550 metres whilst, at lower
altitudes,
a single vent at 2,100 metres proved to be
active and its eruptions threatened the village of Nicolosi several times.
Etna's activity then continued in successive stages for the greater
part of 2002 and early 2003.
Samples taken at an altitude of 2,550 metres
from the crater of Monte S. Leo.
Analysis gave the following: SiO² (47.18%), CaO
(10.64%), Ti O² (1.71%), Na²O (3.36%), Al²O² (16.24%), K²O (1.92%), Fe²O (tot
11.33%), P²O² (0.49%), MnO (0.17%), MgO (6.21%) Tot. 99.25
Containing Silicium monoxide (49%) which can
provoke acute/chronic silicosis in man. Silicium particles generally provoke
pulmonary fibrosis.
Titanium dioxide is widely used in manufacture
of plastics and dyes. It is used as a food additive/ in cosmetics.
It is very resistant to corrosion and has an
application in metallurgy/surgical implants and prostheses. It is also present
in drinking water. It is considered inert and the percentage absorbed
after oral administration is approximately 3%.
What is absorbed is then excreted in urine. If inhaled, it tends to remain in
the lungs. In massive doses, it is classified as a "mildly
troublesome" compound, given that only mild cases of pulmonary fibrosis
have been observed in patients who have inhaled massive quantities by accident.
Lava's other components may be considered
inert, although some of them are known to be toxic in massive doses. Indeed,
phosphoric anhydride is considered corrosive.
Repertory: [Pietro Gulia/Giusi
Pitari/Gustavo Dominici].
Mind:
1) Calm
2) Cheerful (in spite of troubles)/active + set
to do things/
3) Resolute (in troubles)/self confident
4) Anger (confronting/hard to
restrain/submerged/family members)/irritable (small things)
5) Exaltation/1. Euphoric, 2. irritable
6) Powerless/helpless/insecure (must
agree)/listless
7) Nostalgia
elated almost to the point of euphoria,
enjoying great energy/”As if able to do anything”;
feels calm but easily becomes angry;
suffers an intense and impotent rage; a
repressed rage “As if about to explode”
resentful and unfeeling . Unrepentantly furious
with family members;
feels nostalgia for his family and children;
Head: Heavy
(fainting feeling) and blocked / headache/”As about to burst”
Eyes: Watering
has unrestrainable tears that come flooding out
like water.
Nose: Watering
Stomach: Burning
(in the pit/+ dilated/< during mense)/frequent belching (+ nausea)/
suffers from constant nausea/a burning in
stomach, regurgitation and eructation.
Rectum:
Defecating difficult/anal fissure/frequent flatulence/stinking flatus
Stool: Dry,
small, hard
Bladder:
Micturition often and profuse urination
Urin: heavy,
watery discharge from nose/eyes; deep, hollow, rasping, racking cough in
violent fits;
has a strong/frequent urge to urinate day +
night /urine copious and as clear as water;
Female genitals: PMS/
Menses + stabbing in uterus ext to loins (more
intense r.)/to the internal parts of my thighs/early
Flow short/copious
Cough:
Violent/racking/deep, 1. hollow/violent fits of coughing. 2. The paroxysm ends
in a sound like a gasp “As if I have got whooping cough”. 3. retching.
Back: Pain in
lumbar region when standing for a long time/sharp muscular pain in the loins on
right. It gets worse while standing up or
arching. Sometimes the front part of my right
thigh hurts a lot Pain makes immobile/takes breath away.
Strange lumbar pain, like an electric shock
stretching The pain is so violent that it takes my breath away; luckily it
doesn’t last long, only a few seconds. The pain doesn’t go down along the
sciatic nerve, as usual, but it spreads up the spine.
Extremities: intense
pain in r. elbow down to the fingers tips. pain “Is like a twist”. Fingers r.
have gone numb;
and they have gone numb Periodic 2 weekly.
Dreams: water
(the “wateriness” again): heavy rain; water spouting out of a factory chimney
and
changed into soot. red colour (red cities, red
houses, a red throne, very red sunset); feelings of anger and resolution.
Skin: red
unbearably itching small spots/Acne on the face/violent itching on the head and
on the thighs; improvement of dandruff; a reddish itching with large spot on
the neck.
pimples on the face and on the thighs; rash on
the thighs and on the sacrum (not itchy unless touched)/desquamating spots on
the neck and on the external angle of the l. eye.
Rash on the face with boils on the chin. red,
dry, not itching,
desquamating like dandruff, long-lasting, <
during menses.
lacking in vital warmth and wraps up well -
getting warm + hot flushes;
feels tired, heavy and lacking in strength and
drags himself about;
widespread, itchy rashes;
Generals:
1) Chilliness, coldness.
2) Weakness, weariness, heaviness.
3) “Wateriness” = profuse thin discharge, like
water, from nose (hayfever)/eyes/bladder
“As if
water was inside the nose root, I need to sniff all the times, like a sort of
tic”
Urine clear, profuse,
odourless....