A bezoar in the trachea is called a tracheobezoar. Cause
Esophageal bezoars discovered in nasogastrically fed patients on mechanical ventilation and sedation are reported to be due to precipitation of certain food types rich in casein, which are precipitated with gastric acid reflux to form esophageal bezoars. Bezoars can also be caused by gastroparesis due to the slowing of gastric emptying, which allows food to form a bolus. History
The word bezoar is derived from the Persian pād-zahr (پادزهر), literally "antidote". The myth of the bezoar as an antidote was introduced to Europe from the Middle East in the 11th century and remained popular until the 18th century. It was believed to have the power of a universal antidote, would work against any poison, and that a drinking glass which contained a bezoar could neutralize any poison poured into it. Ox bezoars are used in Chinese herbology, also known as niu-huang (牛黃) or calculus bovis. They are gallstones or gallstone substitutes created from ox or cattle bile. In some products, they claim to remove toxins from the body. The Andalusian physician Ibn Zuhr (d. 1161), known in the West as Avenzoar, is thought to have made the earliest description of bezoar stones as medicinal items. Extensive reference to bezoars also appears in the Picatrix. In 1567, French surgeon Ambroise Paré did not believe that it was possible for the bezoar to cure the effects of any poison, and described an experiment to test the properties of the stone.
at archive.today (archived December 5, 2012)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim (ed.). "Bezoar". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. James and John Knapton, et al. Further reading
Borschberg, Peter, "The Euro-Asian Trade in Bezoar Stones (approx. 1500–1700)", Artistic and Cultural Exchanges between Europe and Asia, 1400–1900: Rethinking Markets, Workshops and Collections, ed. Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann and Michael North, Aldershot: Ashgate, 2010, pp. 29–43. https://www.academia.edu/4311591
Borschberg, Peter, "The Trade, Forgery and Medicinal Use of Porcupine Bezoars in the Early Modern Period (c.1500–1750)", ed. Carla Alferes Pinto, Oriente, vol. 14, Lisbon: Fundação Oriente, 2006. == External links ==