You probably didn't get it because it was so big!!!
I'll send it in chunks (possibly interrupted).
BTW, does anyone know why these provings are typed up with SO MUCH
WHITE SPACE????? Is that to leave room for an essay in response to
each section?
) (Makes it harder to print!!)Shannon
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Tortoise
Geochelone sulcata
Proving Methodology
A proving of Geochelone sulcata was performed in Phoenix Arizona at the
American Medical College of Homeopathy in the fall of 2006. The proving
was conducted by the Society for the Establishment of Research in
Classical Homeopathy (SERCH). This was a full Hahnemannian proving.
Eighteen subjects (provers) began taking Geochelone sulcata 30C on
September 1, 2006. The ages of the provers ranged between 21-65 years
and they were in good health. There were three male provers and fifteen
female provers. Generally those patients who were on allopathic
medication or who had significant health problems were excluded from
the proving.
This proving was double-blinded. The provers, proving supervisors,
proving administrator and proving coordinator all were unaware of the
remedy being proven. The homeopathic medicine was selected because of
its medicinal properties, symbolic significance and representative
nature of desert medicines.
Each prover was assigned a proving supervisor who interviewed them
prior to the onset of the proving to obtain a baseline case. This
prover then attended an introductory meeting with their fellow provers
prior to the start of the proving to go over basic policies and
procedures and to obtain informed consent. Each prover had regular
contact with their proving supervisor throughout the proving. The
proving supervisors reported directly to the proving director.
Each prover took a single dosage of 30C of the assigned homeopathic
medicine at bedtime. If they exhibited any symptoms in the next 24
hours they received no further homeopathic medicine. If they had no
symptoms, they repeated the homeopathic medicine 24 hours later. Each
prover received a maximum of seven doses of the 30C potency. A dosage
consisted of 10-12 pellets of the chosen homeopathic medicine.
Participants journaled the symptoms over the space of the next month.
Additionally the supervisors kept a separate journal from the daily
interaction with their provers. Informed consent was obtained from each
participant.
Symptoms were reviewed in an exit group meeting one month later, which
was videotaped. Journals (both of the provers and supervisors) were
reviewed separately. Any participant who had residual symptoms, or
improvement, following the one-month interval was followed subsequently
until the symptom resolved or was permanently cured (up to six months).
The specimen was obtained from a captive animal living in Phoenix,
Arizona (see cover picture). The animal was born on August 2000. It has
been in good health. The specimen was collected on April 20, 2005 at
11:10AM. It was triturated using standard Hahnemannian methods. The
remedy was prepared from the shell layers. The animal was not harmed in
obtaining the specimen. It is a female named Pokey and has been in
excellent health.
The remedy was then prepared at the American Medical College of
Homeopathy. The remedy was then potentized to a 30C potency using
standard potentization methods (100% ethyl alcohol was used with 30
sucussions per dilution). The preparation of the substance was
videotaped and examined for correlation with the proving symptoms (see
Appendix A).
The remedy is available from the Hahnemann Pharmacy and the Helios
Pharmacy. The name given to the remedy is Geochelone sulcata (Geo-s).
Natural History
Name
Geochelone sulcata is most commonly known as the African Sulcata
Tortoise. It is also known as the African Spurred Tortoise or African
Furrowed Tortoise. It is the world’s third largest tortoise after the
Galapagos Tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus of the Galapagos Islands)
and Aldabra Tortoise (Geochelone giganta of the Seychelles Islands).
Geochelone sulcata is the largest tortoise not found on an island.
Taxonomy
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Testudines
Family:Testudinidea
Genus:Geochelone
Species:chordata
Tortoises
[photo here? did not come to list]
The tortoises comprise the family Testudinidae. This consists of 39
species in 10 genera. A tortoise is a land-dwelling reptile. As with
its aquatic cousins, the turtle and the terrapin, the tortoise is
shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is called
the carapace, the underside is called the plastron, and the two are
connected by a bridge. The tortoise has both an endoskeleton and an
exoskeleton
Tortoises are found in Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceanic Islands and the
Americas. Tortoises have a long history dating back 30 million years or
more and have changed little evolutionarily.
Tortoises may be distinguished from other turtle families by the
following: hind legs are cylindrical and elephantine in shape; feet are
short, broad and club-shaped; the carapace (upper shell) is usually
high and domed with the ribs modified in alternating triangular wedges.
All are terrestrial and herbivorous.
Description
In Geochelone sulcata, the carapace is tan to yellow in color in the
center of each scute (the external plate or scale of the shell). Each
scute is outlined by brown growth rings. The plastron (bottom shell) is
light tan to yellow in color with no markings. The skin of the African
Sulcata Tortoise is very thick and the legs are covered in dull,
spine-like projections. The prominent spurs on the rear legs do not
seem to have a function. As they age, the growth rings on each of the
scutes are strongly marked. Mature males develop reverted marginal
scales in the front. The gulars on the plastron (the marginal scales
just under the neck) are deeply forked; the anal scutes are also deeply
divided. The skin on the legs is well blended into the shell color.
Their skin is very thick which may serve to reduce fluid loss through
transpiration.
The sulcata is the largest of the African mainland tortoise, with
specimens easily reaching 24-30 inches (60-75 cm) in carapace length
and 80-110 pounds (36-50 kg). The largest on record was a male resident
of the Giza Zoological Gardens (Egypt) who weighed in at 232 lb (105.5
kg) and measured 41.6 inches (104 cm) over the carapace (Flower, 1925,
in Stearns). The oldest recorded specimen in captivity, also at the
Giza Zoological Gardens, was 54 years of age (Hughes, 1986, in
Stearns). Not only do they grow large but they also grow rapidly.
Externally, it is hard to tell males from females. Males have slightly
longer, thicker tails and a more concave plastron, but otherwise appear
to be similar to females.
Distribution and Habitat
Geochelone sulcata originates in the Sahel region of Africa, along the
southern edge of the Sahara Desert. This 500km wide strip includes
parts of Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Mali, southern Mauritania and
Senegal. The native habitat of G. sulcata consists of arid dry savannah
and semi-desert areas. Sulcatas must have areas of direct sunlight and
areas of shade for cooling. Urbanization, domestic animal grazing, and
desertification have disturbed much of its range. They do not tolerate
damp or cold and require constant exposure to warmth and high levels of
illumination.
Behavior
Geochelone sulcata does not hibernate. In the wild Sulcatas "aestivate"
which means they go underground for months at a time during periods of
intolerable heat and drought. Sulcatas like to burrow and they are
quite good at doing so. They feel more comfortable when they can feel
their environment around them. The burrows are cooler and supply enough
humidity to prevent the tortoise from dehydrating during this extended
period.
Males and females both can be quite aggressive, starting almost from
the time they hatch. Ramming others, and attempting to flip others
over, are behaviors continued by males after they reach sexual maturity
(about 14 inches (35 cm) carapace length). They are very powerful and
very persistent. Therefore housing more than one male in an enclosure
should be avoided.
African Sulcata Tortoises like to climb. They are quite strong.
Sulcatas have been known to move walls and even posts supported in
concrete to get to something that interests them. They cannot swim.
Sulcatas need to roam and wander freely. They respond to bright colors.
They are most active at dusk or dawn and generally bask in the morning
to raise their body temperature after the chill of the night.
Diet
They are herbivores and voracious eaters. They are often described as
"eating machines". They graze and forage for hours each day. They graze
similarly to cows or sheep. Desert vegetation is usually coarse and of
poor nutritional quality. They produce a large amount of waste. They
regularly eat their own and other animals’ feces.
Three of the most important factors in constructing tortoise diets are
the calcium: phosphorous ratio of the food and supplements ingested,
the amount and type of protein eaten, and roughage – lots and lots of
roughage. Too much phosphorous or too little calcium will cause bone
and shell softening and deformity, and impairs metabolism and organ
function. Too much protein, and feeding the wrong kind of protein (such
as vertebrates, invertebrates, and commercial mammal foods) or too much
of certain proteins (legumes, soy and alfalfa hay products) will cause
too rapid growth, kidney failure, shell deformities and decrease life
span. Studies of the feces of wild tortoises have shown that they do
not ingest much in the way of animal protein. The animal component
found in the feces was no greater than the small amount of other
nonfood items such as small stones, feathers, fur and lizard skin
sheds: in short, whatever was in the way as they were grabbing at their
plants of choice (Highfield). Necessary protein may easily, and should,
be supplied by plant proteins.
Reproduction
In the wild, reproduction occurs most often right after the rainy
season – September through November – but can occur anytime from June
through March. Males typically become very vocal during mating. As the
eggs are developing inside the female, her appetite will decrease. She
will become restless as she begins to roam looking for a suitable
nesting site. She may excavate several nests before she selects one.
The female will dig a large nest, approximately two feet in diameter
and 3-6 inches deep and deposit a clutch of eggs, 15-30 or more. She
may frequently urinate into the depression. Tortoises in warmer
climates that are kept outdoors for most of the year may have two
clutches. After all the eggs are laid, the female will fill in the
nest, covering the eggs with the soil and sand that was excavated.
The eggs incubate for about eight months. Hatchlings will emerge from
the nest and will be 1½-2 inches in carapace length and weigh less than
one ounce. They take 1-3 days to emerge. They are active and
aggressive, ramming into almost anything kept in their enclosure.
Hatchlings may not start eating right away. Food should be offered
daily until they start to feed, then every other day after they begin
eating. They tend to like darker greens such as alfalfa, kale,
dandelion, collards, and grasses. Multivitamins and a calcium
supplement may be added to their food. Analysis of self-selected
hatchling diets showed them to be composed of 4% protein, 5% fiber, and
71% carbohydrate, with 76 calories per 100 grams.
They can grow to be full sized in less then 15 years.
Adaptation
Sulcatas come from some of the Sahel, the hottest, driest area in
Africa. Some regions may not get rain for years. They derive most of
their moisture from their diet. To make the most of available moisture,
their skin is resistant to fluid loss but, when exposed to moisture,
may become highly permeable. Towards this end, they will excavate
pallets or burrows in the ground to get to areas with higher moisture
levels; in the wild, they may spend the hottest part of the day in
these microhabitats. Burrows may average 30 inches in depth; some dig
tunnel systems extending 10 feet or more underground. Sulcatas are,
like most turtles and tortoises native to dry areas, extremely
efficient in their use of water. A sulcata may urinate just 0.64 ml a
day, significantly less than their spur-thighed cousins living in the
relatively lush Mediterranean countries who may urinate 1-2 ml a day. A
danger, then, in captivity is that too much water may be given or made
accessible which may lead to health problems including skin and shell
infections and kidney problems. When temperatures exceed 104oF (40oC),
they will begin to salivate heavily, smearing the saliva on their
forearms to help cool them down. They also coat themselves with mud to
cool off. Their burrows also provide shelters for other animals.
Predators
Many populations of G. sulcata are rapidly disappearing, especially in
Mali, Chad, Niger, and Ethiopia. In Senegal there are still limited
populations in the north and northeast, but there is a lot of
overgrazing and desertification here too that is wiping this tortoise
out. The species is on the threatened list.
Health
Like many chelonians, sulcatas are prone to respiratory infections. Not
only must the illness itself be treated, but the tortoise's environment
and diet must be evaluated. Prolonged psychological stress may lead to
physical illness through its effect on the immune system, thus
interactions with any other tortoises with whom it may be housed must
also be evaluated. Symptoms of respiratory infection include nasal
discharge, watery eyes (occurs in cold weather only), loss of appetite,
and lethargy. The animal will require treatment with antibiotics as
well as supportive care, including warm temperatures and, in the case
of nephrotoxic drugs, fluids. Severe cases may require hand – or force
– feeding.
Pets
African sulcatas are popular pets. As with many tortoise pets, the
animal often outlives its owners, frequently creating orphaned animals.
History
The first turtles already existed in the era of the dinosaurs, some 300
million years ago. Turtles and tortoises are the only surviving branch
of the even more ancient family Anapsida, which includes groups such as
the procolophonoids, millerettids and pareiasaurs. Most of the anapsids
became extinct in the late Permian period, with the exception of the
procolophonoids and the precursors of the testudines (turtles and
tortoises).
Tortoise Mythology
Africa
Some African cultures regard the Sulcata as a mediator between men and
the gods. As a result, the tortoise is often kept in villages to
intercede between the Head of the village and the Ancestors. In Dogon
countries today, the tortoise is kept with the village leader at all
times to allow him to communicate with the village ancestors.
In Senegal, these tortoises are signs of virtue, happiness, fertility,
and longevity. Therefore, it is easier to promote programs that support
the conservation of the tortoise. The Senegalese respect the symbolic
nature of the tortoise and are very important in helping
conservationists ensure reproduction and repopulation of it.
In Nigeria, the tortoise was a symbol of the female sex organs and
sexuality.
China and Japan
The tortoise represents longevity as it lives in real life for a very
long time. It is one of the four most prominent beasts of China
(dragon, chimera, and phoenix) and is of the water element. In Feng
Shui the rear of the home is represented by the symbolic animal the
Black Tortoise, signifying support for home, family life and personal
relationships. If you don’t have a building or structure representing
the Black Tortoise behind your home you can place a symbolic tortoise
there for enhanced support to this aspect of life. A tortoise at the
back door or in the backyard by a pond is said to attract good fortune
and many blessings.
In the Far East, shell was a symbol of heaven and the square underside
was a symbol of earth. The tortoise was an animal whose magic united
heaven and earth. The tortoise is a creation of nature that carries its
round shell over the ground, like heaven and has a flat bottom, like
earth. With a profile resembling a mountain and the turning motion of
its toes, it seemed to be a depiction of heaven and earth changing
constantly through the seasons.
A Japanese Fairy Tale about Urashima tells of a man who protects a
tortoise from some boys who were bothering it. As a reward, the
tortoise takes the man to meet the King of the Ocean. As a reward for
his good deed, Urashima married the King’s beautiful water sprite
daughter.
Europe
In the West, early Christians didn’t like tortoises and they viewed
them as symbolizing evil forces during war. In Greece, tortoises were
once believed to be citizens of hell.
India
Tortoises seem to possess an enviable and god-like resistance to aging,
and so they came to symbolize longevity. Their like to heaven and earth
made them a natural for use in divination. Tortoises are also symbol of
immortality and are considered temporary dwelling places for souls
making their way through a series of lives on the path to Nirvana. The
tortoise is considered to be the second incarnation of the powerful god
Vishnu in the Hindu religion. After a great flood, which occurs every
four billion years and dissolved the earth, Vishnu transforms himself
into a great tortoise. On his back, he carries a vessel in which the
gods and demons mix the elements necessary to re-create the globe.
After a thousand years, when the earth has been reborn, the tortoise
remains in place; and on his back stands a large elephant which
supports the planet. The three-tortoise stack one on top of each other
represents a mother and her babies. It is good for health, protection
and support for relationships.
Native American
According to some Native American tales, the Earth Diver tortoise swam
to the bottom of the water that stretched across the world. He surfaced
with the mud, which the creator used to make the earth. The tortoise is
a shore creature using the land and the water. All shore areas are
associated with doorways to the Faerie Realm. The tortoise is sometimes
knows as the keeper of the doors. They were often seen as signs of
fairy contact and the promise of fairy rewards. One ancient text warns
its readers not to act rashly when catching tortoises and always to
carry out the proper ceremony to worship them first. There are also
many legends about how those who killed tortoises eventually met with
misfortune.
To the Native Americans, it was associated with the lunar cycle,
menstruation and the power of female energies. The tortoise symbolizes
the primal mother and Mother Earth.
The Hippo and the Tortoise