Carbon monoxide poisoning

 Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. And this case on Homicide Hunter starts out as a ritual suicide and an investigation finally revealed it was an accident in venting the furnace because the landlord did a DIY instead of paying for an expert.

smallpox and... yogurt in ancient Japan

reading the Tale of Genji has made me curious about that era.

 I am working my way through this book because it gives information on disease in Haien period Japan

before the Haien period, there was a lot of trade and immigration from Korea and even China, and this included the introduction of diseases and Buddhism. 

Buddhism and an unknown disease that caused an epidemic, probably smallpox arrived at the same time, but it wasn't until 200 years later in 735 that a verified smallpox epidemic depopulated Japan and much of the aristocracy (25 percen mortality).

and I ran into a quote describing the household of  a rich guy during the Haien period, whose servants include.... a  yogurt maker.

Yogurt? as in milk based yogurt? Yup. Apparently along with small pox and sutras, yogurt and ghee came to Japan with Buddhist monks. After all, Buddhism was originally an Indian religion, and yogurt and ghee were commonly used in India.

the use of milk products died out in Japan, but continued in some parts of China. But milk products continued to be used as medicine. 

LINK

Dairy was also known to early Chinese civilization. Huang (2002, p. 809) states that “oracle-bone and bronze inscriptions suggest that the collecting of milk from cows and mares was not an unfamiliar art during the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1520–1030 b.c.)”. We might ask the extent to which dairy was consumed not only in China in later centuries—particularly during the first millennium CE—but also whether contemporary Japan had a comparable industry. Buddhism, medicine, astronomy and the Chinese script were transmitted from the mainland to Japan, but what about cattle rearing and the production of dairy products? The role of dairy in premodern China is slowly becoming recognized today, despite some past preconceived notions that peoples in East Asia seldom enjoyed milk and cheese until the twentieth century. Miranda Brown recently published a study of a text from 1504 that includes a recipe for cheese-stuffed pasta by a certain Mr. Song. The use of cheese in Chinese culture, particularly in premodern periods, is generally not recognized today by historians of food

there are several papers out there about trade between China Korea and Japan, which introduced Buddhism and disease among other things. This one states;

Smallpox was first introduced to the islands of Japan by merchants and Buddhist missionaries from the Korean kingdom of Paekche in the sixth century CE. Once it reached the shores of Japan, smallpox did not disappear but emerged in waves that were sometimes manageable and were at other times catastrophic. In 735, a second smallpox epidemic afflicted Japan, reducing the population by 30 percent and resulting in labor shortages and declines in agricultural production and tax revenue for the court

and periodic epidemics continued: The author of Tale of Genji lost her husband to small pox. But there is not a lot of information about epidemics in either that novel or the diaries and books of other court ladies, nor is there any mention of smallpox scars....

 in Genji several deaths are described: Post partum eclampsia death of Genji's wife  (such seizures can occur up to six weeks post partum), the lingering death of the seducer of the Third princess that sounds like Beri beri, and the lingering death of Murasaki, probably from tuberculosis.

But no mention of yogurt or ghee/clarified butter.

so how was smallpox treated?

 

At the height of the epidemic, Emperor Shomu consulted his officials at the Bureau of Medicine. They recommended various remedies and guidelines, including a prohibition against drinking water, an encouragement to eat boiled rhubarb, and a recommendation to apply powdered silkworm cocoons to boils. 

When these guidelines did not help to quell the disease, Emperor Shomu ordered Buddhist monks and nuns to read sutras to the afflicted and prayers to kami, whom he interpreted to be deities that were part of the Buddhist universe.

 

....

....

So what does Grok say

about all of this?

In Heian period Japan (794–1185), yogurt and butter were rare and valued mostly for their medicinal uses, mainly among the aristocracy and in Buddhist practices. Dairy was not widely consumed due to Buddhist prohibitions on animal products, but it held a special place in elite and religious contexts.

**Medicinal Yogurt**: A yogurt-like product called *raku* (possibly fermented milk) was documented in texts like the *Ishinpō* (984 CE), a medical treatise. It was considered a health-promoting food, used to aid digestion and treat illnesses, especially among nobles. Its use was influenced by Chinese medicine, where dairy was seen as beneficial for vitality. *Raku* was likely consumed in small amounts by the elite, as dairy production was limited and tied to imperial or aristocratic estates.[](https://www.incrediblediscourse.com/post/dairy-in-japan)[](https://traditional-foods.maff.go.jp/en/bunrui/chikusankakohin)

**Medicinal Butter**: Butter, referred to as *so* or *gyuuraku*, was also a luxury item, primarily supplied to the imperial court, as noted in the *Engi Shiki* (927 CE). It was used medicinally to support health and digestion, often prescribed in Chinese-influenced medical practices. Butter was sometimes processed into forms like *hakugyūraku* (a condensed milk product) for its nutritional value. Its production was overseen by the Bureau of Medicine, showing its link to health rather than everyday diet.[]>

(https://www.incrediblediscourse.com/post/dairy-in-japan)[]

(https://www.thechinastory.org/dairy-the-deep-historical-link-between-china-and-japan/)[](https://gochisohistory.com/cheese-dairy-in-japan/)

**Buddhist Context**: Dairy, including yogurt and butter, was used in Buddhist rituals, inspired by Indian traditions via China. Texts like the *Vairocanābhisambodhi* mention dairy in offerings, such as yogurt rice or butter in magical rituals. While direct evidence of ritual use in Japan is limited, the influence of Chinese Buddhism suggests dairy was likely part of similar practices, especially in aristocratic temples.[](https://www.incrediblediscourse.com/post/dairy-in-japan)[](https://www.thechinastory.org/dairy-the-deep-historical-link-between-china-and-japan/)

**Limitations**: Dairy was scarce, expensive, and mostly inaccessible to commoners. Its use declined toward the end of the Heian period as aristocratic power waned and Buddhist vegetarianism grew stronger, reducing dairy’s presence until the modern era.[](https://www.incrediblediscourse.com/post/dairy-in-japan)

In summary, yogurt and butter were elite, medicinal products in Heian Japan, tied to Chinese medical traditions and Buddhist rituals, with limited use beyond the aristocracy.