A fecal transplant involves transferring stool from a healthy person to a sick person to heal the latter.

This practice, not very inviting at first glance, however has the merit of being effective.

David Castello Lopez tells where this atypical practice comes from in "Historically Yours" on Europe 1. 

Every year around the world, therapeutic fecal transplants are performed to treat certain infections.

Particularly in cases of "Clostridium Difficile", caused by a bacterium that triggers diarrhea and intestinal inflammation.

If the affected people receive a stool from a healthy person, then they recover 90% of the time.

But how did this atypical medical technique start?

David Castello Lopez tells its origins, Wednesday in "Historically yours" on Europe 1. 

An ancestral technique 

"The appearance of the fecal transplant dates back to Antiquity and more particularly to China in the 4th century BC. Some writings from this period mention a famous… golden syrup. This technique was probably influenced by animal observations. Some being coprophagous. , that is, they eat droppings.

A major advance on the battlefield

If we move forward in time, an episode is particularly interesting to tell.

During World War II, the Allies sometimes fought the Nazis on battlefields in North Africa.

But the Germans present regularly contracted dysentery, more or less acute colic which can lead to death.

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The Nazis noticed that sick local people ate a little camel saddle at the first symptoms.

And above all, that they healed almost immediately afterwards.

Analyzes were thus carried out by German scientists before isolating a bacterium and putting it in culture.

Many soldiers have been healed with this remedy.

A promising area of ​​research

Since then, faecal transplantation has become a promising area of ​​research.

Especially since the microbiota has an influence on our life.

On digestion, of course, but also on our desires, our moods and our mental health.

This is proven by an experiment, carried out by researchers a few years ago.

They poured the stool of a depressed person into a happy mouse.

Consequence of the operation: the animal sank into depression.

Eventually, it will no doubt be possible to treat a crazy number of diseases in this way.

So including mental illnesses. "