Rev ista d a So cie dade B ras ileira d e M edicina Tro pical 2 9 (4 ):3 8 7 , jul- ago , 1 9 9 6 .
FA TO H ISTÓ RIC O
SPITTO O N S A N D IRISH CLA YS
O u tsid e w in e tasting se ssio n s I hav e se e n sp itto o ns read y fo r u se o n o n ly tw o o c c asio n s. I rem em b er th ree o ld c ap e h o rn ers sitting in a b ay w in d o w o n M id d le East w ard in the D read no u g h t Se am en ’s H o sp ital, G reen w ich o n a sn o w y d ay in D e c e m b e r 1957. O n e sp at c o n tem p tu o u lsy into a sp itto o n o n his kn e e s as they c riticiz ed the rig g ing o f th e tea clip p er, C utty Sark, o p p o site them . H e m ad e a g o o d stream o f b ro w n to b ac c o ju ic e (a resu lt I nev er m an ag ed to ac h iev e) w h ic h fo rm ed a b u rnt sien n a p y ram id in th e sp itto o n. H e b o u g h t his c h ew in g to b ac c o fro m the sh o p o p p o site the h o sp ital g ates. T h e y so ld th ree ty p es: sim p le, ru m f l a v o u r e d a n d m o l a s s e s a n d ru m . N eed less to say th e c o m m o n est sed ativ e fo r sailo rs w ith b ad d ream s w as a stiff to t o f rum. In that w ard y o u h av e to av o id th e p o ttery w h ite sp itto o n s p lac e d at interv als o n the o ak flo o r if y o u w ere o n nig ht d uty.
Th e se c o n d tim e I saw sp itto o n s w as o n the c arp et o f th e rec ep tio n ro o m o f m y w ife ’ s au n t’s h o u se in São Luís, M aranhão . Th ese w ere m o re eleg an t c eram ics w ith ro se d esig ns in k e e p in g w ith th e Fren c h Lo uis d eco r. I n ev er saw th e m u sed b u t th ey are also a relic fro m th e d ays o f sail. A sailing b o at leav ing Eu ro p e o n a n o rm al ru n o b ey in g th e w ind s and cu rrents w o u ld land fall in Braz il ab o v e
c ap e São Ro q u e. São Luis w as th e m o st im p o rtant p o rt in this reg io n. So to b ac c o c h ew in g sea cap tain s o f m any natio nalities w ere freq u en tly en tertain ed in the salo ns o f th e p rincip al h o u ses o f São Luis. T h e m u seu m at São Luis has a m ag n ific en t c o lle c tio n o f Eu ro p ean ceram ic sp itto o ns m ainly Eng lish.
Th e h ealth asp ec ts o f sp itto o n s are d irect and ind irect. Th e latter relates to th e h o u se m aid w h o has to c le an th em o u t sin c e there w o u ld b e a risk o f M y co bact erium t uberculo s is
i n f e c t i o n . I n e v e r s a w a s e a m a n w i th c arc in o m a o f th e m o u th asso c iate d w ith to b ac c o c h ew in g b u t the h ab it w as relativ ely rare b y 1957. C arcino m a o f th e lip an d to n g h o w ev er w ere freq u en tly asso c iated w ith clay p ip e s m o k in g d u e to h e a t tr a u m a a n d c arc in o g ens. Esp ec ially if the p ip e stem had b ro k en and the m an w as sm o kin g a so c alled cheek-w arm er. I h av e se e n c arc in o m a o f the c h e e k fro m this hab it. I k n ew o n e riv ersid e p u b l i c h o u s e in L o n d o n ( t h e G u n a t Ro therhithe) that still serv ed a free Irish clay p ip e w ith a fill o f nav y c u t p lay ers to b ac c o to an y seam an w h o b o u g h t a p int o f b eer. Yo u w o u ld sm ash th e p ip e in the h earth w h e n y o u left. A fter Trafalg ar m any Th am essid e b ars m ad e this g estu re o f ap p rec iatio n to British seam en.
P hilip D . M ars den
N ú cleo d e M ed icina Tro p ical d a Univ ersid ad e d e Brasília, Brasília, D F
Receb id o p ara p u blicação em 29/ 01/ 96.
