Healing land of Boho: from ancient belief to scientific discovery (9 photos)

The Boho Highlands in Northern Ireland have been home to a story of earth that can heal illnesses for over two centuries. In 1815, the priest James McGirr, who was famous for his gift of healing in life, was buried here. According to legend, before his death, he told his flock: "The clay that covers me will heal everything that I have healed in life."





Since then, a special ritual has developed among local residents. Sick people would come to McGirr's grave, take a spoonful of earth, wrap it in a canvas bag and put it under their pillow. It was believed that by morning the illness had receded. After recovery, the earth was necessarily returned to the cemetery, otherwise the person would face failure.

Between Faith and Science



The parish cemetery in Boho, where the priest-healer James McGirr is buried

For some, this is just superstition, for others, it is an absolute truth. But there were those who decided to test the legend. Among them is microbiologist Jerry Quinn, who grew up in these places.





Soil samples taken from the Boho Church cemetery

At first he was skeptical about this folk remedy, but he also understood that if the tradition has lived so long, there may be some truth to it.



Tombstone with tablets about "blessed clay"

In 2018, he and colleagues from the Swansea University School of Medicine examined soil samples from the Boho cemetery. It turned out that the "miracle" was explained not by divine intervention, but by the activity of tiny organisms - Streptomyces bacteria.



A spoonful of soil from McGirr's grave

This soil is truly special. This is influenced by such factors as a unique strain (a previously unknown species of Streptomyces was discovered in the soil, capable of killing even antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and an alkaline environment. Boho soil was formed on limestone rock, which gave it high alkalinity, and these are ideal conditions for the production of antibiotics. At the same time, Streptomyces cannot move, so they produce powerful antibiotics to protect their territory from other microbes.



Warning from the parish priest: "Soil samples must be returned on the fourth day"

The samples from Boho were found to contain 8 strains of Streptomyces, each of which produces 10-20 different antibiotics.



Microbiologist Jerry Quinn

This is potentially about a hundred new compounds. Now we need to identify them and conduct clinical trials. The discovery is especially relevant today, as the WHO warns that drug-resistant bacteria could kill 1.3 million people a year in Europe alone by 2050.



Streptomyces

The legend of Boho Land, which for centuries was considered just a folk belief, has turned out to be scientific fact. And the grave of Father McGirr, which has become a place of pilgrimage, is now attracting researchers looking for new ways to combat superbugs.



In the sparsely populated areas of the Boho highlands, alkaline soils formed from limestone are home to rare microbes waiting to be discovered