Photograph: Bronze statue of Hygieia, Art Deco form, corner of the Phoenician building, Main Market Square, Krakow, Poland, Sculptor: Xawery Dunikowski, Year of construction 1929, Architect: Wladyslaw Klimczak. The Phenix building was built as a pharmacy building in the late 1920s, so the nearly four-metre tall statue was a fitting symbol for the building's purpose. The statue is nowadays the symbol of the city of Krakow. The snake wrapped around the staff in the left hand of Hygieia, the goddess of healing and cleaning in ancient Greek mythology, is the symbol of healing, it is found in all Hygieia sculptures in classical Greek sculpture art. The statue carries a crown in its right hand instead of a water bowl, unlike the statues of the ancient Greek period. Water is a symbol of purification and purification. The crown has been used as a symbol of success in more than one field (music, poetry, politics, etc.), depending on the situation and context in which it is used in the history of art. In Classical Greece, crowns made of olive branches were one of the awards given to the victorious athletes as a sign of victory and honor. The artist wanted to use the crown symbol, which refers to more than one concept such as victory, success and health.
"Soap consumption of a state is the measure of its health and civilization.
it could be. If the population totals of the two countries are equal, the most healthy and the most civilized will be the one who consumes more soap.
Justus Von Liebig (1803 - 1873), Organic Chemist, Germany.
Goddess Hygeia and Hygiene
The bowl in Hygeia's hand is the symbol of pharmacists as the "Hygeia Bowl". It was believed that the bowl contained a healing drink consisting of honey, olive oil and wheat. In ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, female figures are depicted with a snake in one hand and a bowl in the other. Medical science uses the word "hygiene", derived from the name of the goddess of healing, Hygiea, to express cleanliness. This is because the word does not simply refer to general cleanliness. hygiene; It means clean smell, getting rid of dust, being free from microorganisms that are not visible to the naked eye but are known to exist and can be seen with the help of a microscope, in addition; In applications for purification, it refers to the cleaning action performed by using substances (soap, etc.) that perform this function. In the historical process, personal cleaning practices, which were carried out before entering the temples, have evolved into a culture that expands from personality to cleaning the physical environment in which individuals live, with the historical change in human consciousness.
In Anatolian culture, the bowl was replaced by "healing bowls", in folk medicine it was believed that people who drank water from the healing bowl would get rid of diseases. The history of these stones dates back to the Aramaic tribes. Similar stones were found in the excavations of Phrygia, the ancient civilization of Central Anatolia.
What is Soap, How is it Made?
Soap, one of the oldest objects of treatment and cleaning of humanity, and according to some, the most important medical invention in the history of humanity, was a criterion used as a measure of civilization of societies until recently. It is the most used cleaning material today.
The cleaning effect of soap is related to the capacity of the hydrophobic (water-avoiding property) part to wrap the oil/dirt particles. This function in soap emerges after a series of chemical reactions. This is called the "saponification reaction". In reality it is one of the most basic chemical reactions; salt formation after the reaction of acid and base. The reaction can be initiated with natural/non-chemical materials. By adding caustic (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) and water (in some conditions some salt) obtained from wood ash to various oils (vegetable, animal) a particulate but soapy slurry can be obtained. In the past, lye (tree or plant ash) was used for caustic purposes. Today, pure chemicals are used to produce a particle-free and pure soap. Sodium hydroxide is used for a solid soap, and potassium hydroxide (KOH) is used for liquid soaps (like arabic soap). Local soap makers use the terms "soap soda" or "soda" for this material. Production process, roughly; It consists of washing, cooking, liquefaction, and saponification steps.
The most important detail in production is the measurement; The fatty acids contained in the oil used may have possible undesirable effects on the skin. The alkali ratio required to saponify each oil is different. For the saponification reaction, precise calculation of the alkali rate (saponification value) will reduce the amount of unsaponified alkali (free alkali), thus avoiding skin irritation. It was not possible to measure with this precision in the historical process, the quality of the output depended on the master's judgment and experience.
As the soap dries, the oil and alkali mixture ferments, improving its hygienic and dermatological properties, although a process that takes at least six months, this process can take years. Therefore, the quality of a soap is determined by its composition and age.
How Does Soap Function?
What we call dirt or filth are microscopic structures, visible or invisible, that we cannot remove from the environment with mechanical methods or just water, by adhering to skin, fabric or other surfaces.
The ability of the molecule in the soap to remove the dirt from the environment comes from the water's capacity to reduce the surface tension of the molecule, so that the water penetrates more easily between/inside the washed object.
Soap traps insoluble dirt and oil particles, thus forming water-soluble ion clusters (micelle structures). This feature comes from the long chain molecules in its content. One pole of this molecule is hydrophobic (water-fearing) while the other pole is hydrophilic (water-loving).
It neutralizes viruses with oil-like molecules called "amphibils" contained in the soap. The molecule dissolves the bonds between the oil molecules in the membrane of viruses and disrupts the integrity of the membrane. In addition, it competes with the molecules that bind together the building blocks of proteins and nucleic acids in the virus and has a disintegrating effect. Thus, it causes both the dissolution of the outer wall and the dispersion of the RNA or DNA molecule inside. In addition to all these, it also competes with the bonds in the virus's membrane that allow the virus to attach to the skin. In terms of these capacities, eradicating viruses is the most effective option; however, if you don't have access to soap or are unable to wash your hands with soap, alcohol wipes and liquid hand sanitizers are still effective, if not as much as soap.
Soap does not kill microorganisms other than viruses, but removes them from the skin. When combined with water, the resulting slipperiness prevents bacteria from adhering to the skin, breaks them off from the surface, mixes them with water, and is removed from the environment by rinsing. Therefore, soap and water are more effective in removing microorganisms compared to other waterless sterilization gels.
Olive Oil Soap Features
Soaps made from pure olive oil (Castile or Marseille soap) are milder than those made from other oils. Olive oil has the most oleic acid among the fatty acids. The use of olive oil in soap making binds sodium (Na) at the lowest possible rate, thus reducing the irritating effect of sodium. It does not cause irritation and hardening on the skin and has a softening effect. It moisturizes the skin, in this respect it is beneficial for dry skin.
In the past, natural or pure soap bars were a special part of the Turkish bath culture in Anatolia. Soap does not occur spontaneously in nature, so it is more correct to use the expression "traditional soap" instead of "natural soap".
Soap production craftsmanship and traditional soap production methods, which have been going on for thousands of years, have come to the point of disappearing. The laboriousness of traditional production methods, the need for mastery, the difficulty of accessing natural materials, the cost of these materials, and the inability to standardize chemical measurements in scientific terms have significantly retarded the production of soaps, which are described as "traditional soap". The fact that industrial soaps are less costly and common has caused the market share of traditional soaps to shrink. Today, "traditional soap" production culture; Now, as an indicator of urban identity, it has become a subject of historical research in terms of its craftsmen, materials, and architectural features of the buildings where production is made.
Cosmotic and Soap
Soap has been used externally not only for cleaning purposes, but also for the treatment of some diseases, especially various skin problems, with all kinds of color and fragrance materials (plant materials such as flowers, roots, essences, clay, etc.) that have been included in its content since the earliest times of history. Today, the addition of herbal ingredients containing active ingredients that nourish the skin and contribute to skin health is still an ongoing production culture. While the active ingredients in creams, lotions and similar cosmetic products meet only 15-20% of our body, the active ingredients in soaps can contact almost 100% of the skin and the active ingredients in soaps act directly; Therefore, we benefit from the beneficial properties of active ingredients at a higher level through soap.
Last word
Soap has been used for centuries as a cleaning material. Despite the changes and transformations in social life, traditional soaps still maintain their existence despite the increasing product variety, especially in cosmetics and toiletries. In today's life culture; the tendency to stay away from chemicals, to tend towards the natural in almost every consumer product, and to increase the consciousness of consumption in harmony with nature. Maybe this trend can slow the disappearance of traditional soap culture.
Resources:
1. The Evolution of Cleaning Concept and Applications in Anatolian Civilizations, Şükran Kapak, Ph.D. Thesis, Supervisor: Prof.Dr.İlter Uzel, T.C. Çukurova University Institute of Health Sciences, Deontology and History of Medicine, USA, 2005.
2. A Special Example from Turkish Cultural Geography: Turkish Soaps; Dr. Güven Şahin, Istanbul University Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Geography, Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 5/2 October/Oktober 2019 / Ağrı.
5. Soap Shops in Turkey; Müge Çiftyürek, PhD Thesis, Department of Art History, Art History PhD Program, Pamukkale University, Institute of Social Sciences, 2021.
